This is the story of Disco and Mask…

This is the story of Disco and Mask…

The other day as I was walking my oldest son to School and I saw something that changed the tone of my day and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since then… Just like any day we were walking in our usual rush,, He has to be at class and I of course have to be at work at a decent time. No big deal..

As I passed the big U-Haul building on 228 street I noticed a door wide open with no one around, a door that in all the years I’ve taken this path I have never seen open or even taken the time to notice it.. But something felt different, somehow something was calling, I went to it without a thought and there they were.. Disco and Mask!! Not in the flesh of course, in graffiti,, Although both their fates would meet very sad and harsh realities of the NYC 90’s era their tags had somehow survived over 25 years in this hidden staircase of that U-haul building.

Both these tags were made at a time in their lives when we were all still kids and our wholes lives were still in front of us.. We just didn’t know it!

My son looked at me kinda weird and really couldn’t understand why I instantly became a little nervous, excited and slightly emotional. I of course composed myself quickly, took out my cell phone and took a few pictures quickly…I didn’t explain or said anything to him, I chose to let him keep his precious innocence.. Soon papi, soon daddy will tell you all these stories. But not today..

I met Disco when he was about 12 years old, being that I was a few years older than he was and my graffiti was all over our hood he kind of looked up to me, at least for a little while.. He would come to my house, and practice his tag on one of my many stolen notebooks I had in my room. I immediately liked him and for some reason just wanted to protect him.. He was small, kinda quiet but had a swagger of confidence that said,, “Im gonna be someboday”..

This went on for a while; we’d chill, talk, be kids and do graffiti.. I can still see his little face..

Mask was another Kid from the hood, he was also kinda small soft spoken and like to chill at my crib from time to time to brush up on his tags.. We were never really that close but I also felt a sense of wanting to watch out for him.. There was a certain vulnerability about him.. He too had his whole life a head of him..

You see, we were to young to see or even understand that the devil was just lurking all around us in the form of cars, new sneakers, money, and egos.. In many times,, the devil won! Crack hit my hood like a bat out of hell.. Some of us survived, lots of us didn’t.

Disco was  shot in the neck and was lucky enough to survive that time, afterwards he became a big-time drug dealer and He eventually went to prison,  This happened sometime in the 90’s, I always thought about about him from time to time and always wised that he was ok.. Had nothing but love for the little brother.

The last time I saw Mask we were all chillen in a Riverside Jam drinking, smoking weed, laughing and talking about when we “were kids”.. A few days later he was murdered on 173rd street.. Shot continuously in the face with a high powered automatic handgun. Mask had become a drug dealer and an occasional stick up kid.. This was a “payback hit”..

I’m sure there are countless DISCO’S & MASK’S in every urban hood but I knew these 2 and before the crack years and  they were just like me.. Just trying to grow up and be somebody.. Like I said, sometimes the Devil won…

DISCO AND MASK……….

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