TPA ORIGINAL, circa 1972

TPA - The Public Animals - The Story of Making “Piece” Not WarAn acronym for The Public Animals, TPA is the legendary graffiti crew formed in late 1976 by three budding graffiti-writers, Vade, Demo & Rocket - born and raised in the sleepless streets of New York City. Though not the first graffiti bunch, TPA was at the forefront of the great cultural boom, the ground-breaking movement of today’s permanent way of life worldwide; The Hip Hop Nation or culture.TPA is a tradition. One of the four original elements of hip-hop, graffiti art is actually at the cornerstone of this culture. The B-boys, dancers, deejays, fashion, music, and rappers that followed were in the footsteps of this experience that TPA was helping to define.Graffiti as a means of expression and as a public art form evolved into what we now accept as a global and artistic phenomenon. Known for being inclusive rather than exclusionary, TPA was and is always about the connection between all peoples, a “multi-culti” love that continues to grow as global awareness continues to advance. In fact, the three original members were black, white and brown, already a sign of things to come.It was destiny for me to create a beautiful panorama of international membership of people from all continents, races, genders, colors and ages. It was a dream destined for reality. Making history was never my motive, nor was ego or fame. Rather, I wanted to bring together an assortment of individuals of different styles and cultures to find a means to coax harmony through the fun of mutual risk and art forms.TPA productions covered the streets of NYC. The legendary group made its first mark in the spray-paint underworld then quickly penetrated street cultures from coast to coast, even worldwide. TPA openly evokes the proud expression of the ongoing urban-youth movement worldwide. Today, TPA thrives on every continent and continues making metropolitan boulevard history, becoming the largest and longest-running graffiti crew ever. With street-art reaching greater plateaus as technology and application methods improve, even the language barriers that once divided people become less and less. “TPA – The Grandest Graffiti Crew in aerosol history!” says Joe DeRoche, a founder. 2007 marked its 30th anniversary by the way.TPA is more than graffiti; TPA is a part of the moving beat which connects the human race through a mix of urban expressionism, dance and fashion. All over the world, people are brought together by a common language – “the language of styles”.“Everyone has their own personal form of expression and thru unique mediums the younger people of today will be tomorrow’s decision-makers.” “They seem to find common ground thru the diplomacy of artistic appreciation, in an arena they all play in at one time or another.” “Through urban art, kids have learned collaboration and tolerance” says Joe DeRoche, TPA’s founder. “They realize that it’s ok to agree to disagree.”Through Street Level Nine (SL-9), TPA has created a clothing brand steeped in the traditions of graffiti and world love.