http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2HTYpkitaM
Lottie Dah with her hit Infatuation! Now she's rolling with KAOS & U5!
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Niker, ZAN (RIP), Rated. U5 Chapter 3 - The Hellraisers
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UNITED 5I C U C'ING ME!
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RATED UNITED FIVE THE MYSTERY...THE RUMORS...THE SADNESS...THE TRUTH... "U5 THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LIVES"
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found this layout at HOT FreeLayouts.com :: MyHotComments Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Diplomat, Soldier, Artist, Writer, Poet, Rapper, dancer, Rhyme sayer, Life-Liver, World-Wide Traveler, candid, clever, articulate, Hot, articulate, unique, insightful, researcher, thinker, move-maker, Puerto Rican
U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5U5
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IN LIFE, THERE WILL BE THOSE YOU'LL TRY TO REMEMBER. THERE WILL ALSO BE THOSE YOU'LL NEVER FORGET... AT THE END OF ONES LIFE, PEOPLE WONDER IF THEY WILL BE REMEMBERED....U5 MEMBERS DONT HAVE THAT PROBLEM.
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KING SONI U5 -KING SLICK U5 - NEVER FORGOTTENZan "The Man" U5 RIP
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{INTROSPECT}THE NAME THAT SAID IT ALLThis book is written to provide insight on the lives of a group of inner city youths known as U-5. Hopefully it will provide enough of the insight needed to truly understand the type of lives they led, the way they were perceived by others, and the repercussions of events set in motion by the actions of individuals within the group. Furthermore, it will focus on two individuals within the group (Daniel Gomez and Rubin Fernandez aka Soni and Slick), the mystery surrounding their deaths and the repercussions that affected various members of U-5 up until this very day. It will take a look at how graffiti writers were/are portrayed by what we call ‘society’ and go into what I believe are inconsistencies depicted within the book "Subway Lives." It will take you into the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn where it all started and 18 years later, today. It will follow them into some of their many escapades, some incomprehensible to believe, yet true. You'll get a true sense of the type of people they were, as friends, family and professionals tell us a little about them. Then you will be introduced to U-5 as not only a crew, but as a concept. A concept in which the U represents United, and friendship is more important than fame. What would you do if the one thing that you valued most were taken away from you? Would you let out a shattering scream or would you accept it and just let it go. Would you make a promise only to know deep down inside that it was beyond your control to keep it and look with sorrow as you see it all vanish into nothingness. Nothing, nothing stays the same. Things change, people change and memories are all that's left behind; and yet you still ponder... don't you. You still think that with one snap of the finger that everything will be just the way you think it should and always be. You're living a lie and surprise; you just woke up to reality. And it hurts doesn't it? It hurts so badly… This story is not just about the antics of these U-5 individuals. No, it's much more than that. It’s about having to let go of the past and not just carrying on, but accepting it. And that could be harder than anything you've ever had to face. The mirror doesn’t lie does it? What we believe is not necessarily reality, but what’s reflected in the mirror is truth; like it or not. A wise man once said that between two men there are always three sides to a story, the first man’s side, the second man’s side, and the truth. Upon deciding to finish this book, the words of Dave Severn, a successful entrepreneur came to mind. He said “Fear is the feeling you feel before you do something great.†For myself, finishing this book will undoubtedly be one of my greater achievements. And you, that are holding this book, are about to read a great story. The bond that keeps U-5 together is very easy to relate to. Everyone has one or more friends that they are really close to. U-5 is just that, a group of guys that would confide, support and go to extremes for each other no matter what the case. A close-knit group who never allowed anything to interfere with their loyalty, art, and fame. U-5 was serious male bonding. For a bunch of teenagers growing up in the late 80s in Brooklyn, this was very valuable. Since the U in U-5 was used in different variations, U-5 made sure that they could live up to their names. I should point out that though originating in 1987, most of the writers had been tagging way before. In 1989, trains were intensely being buffed clean. So before all the trains were cleaned, they wanted to become, as Audie would say "one of the last great crews." The first variation of U-5 was Us Five (U-5). Later, as they gained more and more recognition within various neighborhoods in Brooklyn they usually were referred to as United Five. In this stage the name itself was already setting its own place in graffiti history. The name spread like wildfire and was original in the sense that it was written with one letter followed by a number. It was catchy. I've no recollection of any crew phrased quite that way. The mouths of writers from Bushwick High School to Eastern District were filled with weird tales and rumors of just who was U-5. Some of these were filled with such nonsense that it was either humorous to some degree or just plain ridiculous. Some claimed that Soni was Chinese because of his tag, others believed that Audie was 7 foot tall and worshiped Satan. Robert Gonzales who we dubbed ‘Mr. President’ because he showed up to school in a suit and briefcase each day thought Devise was a spy; and so on and so on. The construction of the crew was a precedent in itself. There were 5 groups (crews) that united to form a whole, which was then broken into five groups. The outcome was something entirely different. Get this, each of the groups had a leader or ‘prez’ which, compared to other crews, was unheard of. The reason for this type of formation was to evenly distribute power and authority (the good ol’ American way). Each prez basically had the same amount of power. The five original prezes were Audie, Famer, Rated, GA and Devise. Unusual best described the way they got fame. Audie for instance went bombing with his pet hamster, Diana, for good luck. He usually tagged his name stretched out as an attraction ploy. Some of his tags were well over 10 feet long! Hell it seemed that he could stretch that E forever. I, Rated (RTD for short) would draw a cartoon of my pet dog Inky all over the place. It seemed that every block in Bushwick had her sprawled on it; bridges, buildings…she was hot. Though I never took her to the yards, she would frequent the Bushwick freights with us to oversee our craft. She was our mascot. Loved all, respected for the idol she was, and feared by all her nemesis’s. Devise’ trademark was his long black trench-like coat and dark shades. He would always carry some odd weapon with him, sometimes a blowgun, a samurai sword, other times a bat which he called the ‘beef stick’, and so on. Every time he spoke it was like he was speaking in a super-enhanced logic combined with some sort of puzzling innuendo. Always calculating. Very, very quick hands earned him the name Deadly Devise. He could turn anything into a weapon. Famer was an odd character from the south side of Brooklyn, a preppie. He was a fantastic artist, not bold, but talented. His brother Spire aspired to be like him; some pun intended there. Spire was a nerdy, geeky kid who was a worrywart. Maybe he just had a louder conscious then us all. As an artist he was so-so. Fortunately for him some of his brother’s talent might have dripped on him at some point. GA was one of the tough guys from the beginning. Though shorter than most of us, he was well known in his neighborhood and wouldn’t back down from anyone. He was street smart, well connected, and a short fuse to match his physique. We were like the dynamic duo of Bushwick, always together; but that changed too. U-5 had the tendency to ‘hit’ or spray a place where others would not only see it, but also remember it. Though they all wanted their own personal fame, U-5 wanted the name of the crew to have even more popularity; they themselves would be the foundation. Periodically, they barred those who were not meeting U-5 potential. It almost seemed as if the name U-5 was bigger than the crew, and in some instances it was true. Though U-5 has had many members (over 100 in it’s lifetime), only true U-5vers were allowed to remain within the group. Audie stressed "quality, not quantity made a good crew." So by being organized they lived up to their United 5 name. After reading Subway Lives, I had the opportunity to speak with Jim Dwyer and clear up a few misconceptions that had been published in his book. Among other things, I felt he had the Soni-Slick-JA war wrong in many aspects. I understand that as a writer one has to use good judgment, creativity, and besides the facts presented to him, a true sense of character. In regards to the war between Soni, Slick and JA, I would say that Soni and Slick were among the many U-5vers that were warring with JA and his sidekicks. The book tends to lead people to believe that the war was only between Soni, Slick and JA when that hardly was the case. I could understand the reason of focus in a story but the truth is the truth. JA, and his minions at that time were warring with U-5 over something they began. Long ago, I had asked Jim Dwyer to conduct some sort of follow up on his book pointing this out. That never came about. Thus I felt compelled to correct what I felt were blemishes upon the names of Soni and Slick. It sure has been a long road, and much time has passed; yet if there were one thing I would certainly accomplish, it would be to finally finish this book. For those of you that were/are anti-U-5, please don’t get bent out of shape. This is not a finger-pointing session of 4th graders. It’s the living embodiment of what I needed to do a decade ago. Unfortunately, life and circumstances have their way of creating “hurdles.†Nonetheless, as adults being able to rationalize and come to terms with all that’s been said and done one can always throw a tantrum, write their own book, or dial 1 – 800 - I haven’t grown up yet and I’m still pissed after all these years. There are also meetings that you can attend. The choice is yours. I’ve no quarrel or heartburn with the past, or ill feelings towards anyone. I’ve let it all go in order to step up to the next plateau; which is becoming a better person. Only another ‘better’ person will catch my drift while perusing through this book. I hope that you are one of those people, if not, I offer you my sincerest condolences and a prayer for peace, even to all those who I warred with in my graffiti days. According to the book, Subway Lives, Daniel Gomez, a.k.a. Soni is portrayed as an up and coming graffiti artist from an inner city neighborhood in Brooklyn who, along with Slick, are warring against JA. JA, according to his book's reality, is supposedly the "king of the city.†I think that the author used Soni’s plight as an angle in his book to try to get readers to sympathize with him and Slick maybe as the underdogs. Why? Soni and Slick loved the thrill of graffiti just as much as other writers did. This is not a story pitting good versus evil, rich versus poor or determination versus arrogance. Yet, you see these elements painted throughout the book. Actually, Soni was as decent and compassionate a person as you could find. He was a good listener and did a lot for his family and friends time and time again. His family owned a small grocery store, run by his father and older brother a simple business, nothing extravagant. They are not rich but they fit into your average working class family. Daniel seemed desperate and at times acted rashly in the book, of which in my opinion, I pictured him as obsessed with "this thing with JA." Simply ludicrous. In fact, until JA and his sidekicks did the unmanly thing of dissing our unfinished pieces, U-5 had never even noticed him to any extent. We didn’t speak about him or consider him to be a popular graffiti artist. My sources told me that he didn't know who he was going over, (since the piece hadn't been completed). During our rendezvous that night, it was quite obvious that U-5 was definitely there but enough of JA's notion. Through the years other graffiti writers had continuously changed stories, distorted the truth, and basically flat out lied about U-5 for their own personal reasons. It seems that their only way of achieving any type of fame has to be off of others. Though U-5 anticipated these jokers they never got too involved with other writers unless they opposed U-5. Here we will reveal many of the un-based, unfounded and sometimes foolish remarks by those trying to get a name by messing with the fame. With help we will uncover the truth behind the lives. Despite others’ assumptions, U-5 is still active and in effect to this day, just in another manner. The majority is making money off their artwork. Others have moved on with their lives, children, college, jobs and even the military. Not all have had a golden path since the late 80’s. Some have passed away, some killed, and some have had made bad choices in their lives. Sounds like a family you know? Yet the exceptions were those that truly knew what U-5 was really about. Partly, the gift of friendship, to pass down to the next generation. It’s their continuance of promoting U-5 that reflects on the United par t of U-5; or should I say undying? I recall the day when U-5 was disbanded. But to do away with the very concept of U-5 is something that’s not so easily done. Until you can kill a memory, I don't see that happening. This due to the fact that U-5 is still thought of for whatever reason, as evidenced in these pages. To kill a dream, a concept – how do you do that? It’s as up surd as putting on boxing gloves and swinging your arms in a feeble attempt to knock out the very air that you breathe. "Undying Five,†Rad, a member of U-5 once said, "just when they thought it was over and done with, we're back, fresh; just like when we first began!†Though times have changed and people along with them, the concepts and principles of U-5 still remain and will never be broken. Until the day that the last member of the last chapter of U-5 stops believing then the concept of U-5 will always exist. Only when that last member of U-5 stops believing will U-5 truly be lost. I pray I don’t live to see that day.(SoNi & SlIcK, WE LOVE n MISS U)
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JMANN U5-SOUTH CAROLINA!JEN BAIR U5