PUREGRAFFITI. What do you write and why do you write that name?
KEEPSIX. I write KEEPSIX because back in tha day when I started writing, I ran with a bunch of older guys who bombed.When I would go out with them they would always tell me to Keep6 for them while they hit up a spot…Keep6 means to keep watch or be a lookout for someone or something…So i was thier lookout for cops or any random hero civilian while they got up…then when they were done and movin to tha next spot, i would quickly side bust em an get my up.
PUREGRAFFITI. Where are you from and how did you get into graffiti?
KEEPSIX. I’m from Surrey B.C. Canada just outside Vancity…When I was a kid , around tha time i was in grade 6 or 7 , art was my world. I was just beginning to listen to early ’90s hiphop and being a young influential kid , it grabbed my attention through tha music. My cousin was someone I always looked up to but rarely saw , and one time I was over there , he showed me some walls he had done. I was shook! I thought it was tha coolest shit in tha world. Also around that time I had a friend who’s older brother ran with a crew of hooligans. They were into a whole gang of different shit , but what stood out over tha parties and selling drugs an shit , was tha graffiti. Looking back , it was just simple hollow throwies an a couple half decent tags , but at tha time I had never seen anything so fresh. So with that , and my cousin sparking influence on me , it was only a matter of time before I tested my luck at it.
I remember going downtown where i lived one day with a couple friends an’ thier parents along some trails and we came across this bridge where tha trails we were on went underneath tha road alongside a little river.I still feel tha feeling that I got when i saw tha graffiti on tha walls underneath when i reminisce about it. Years of sketching comic book characters, landscapes , and portraits of people, showing them to my parents with little or no praise for what i had done , were over. I seen that people painted on whatever they wanted to , and people HAD to look at it.Since then graffiti has been my life
PUREGRAFFITI. What would you call your style? what other writers or artists have influenced and inspired your work?
KEEPSIX. I would have to say I base my style on NYC wildstyle…That’s what I really payed attention to in my early years…over tha years I have pulled alot of influence from the westcoast as well as European style but always kept it “my own” not straying too far from my own personal “rules” in letters ad extentions an shit like that…I prefer wildstyle because I like getting Technical with my pieces, but nothing is better than a huge straight letter on a freight or the side of tha highway…
PUREGRAFFITI. Are you mostly into doing pieces, bombing, characters ?
KEEPSIX. I love it all…different days call for different approaches…I like piecing because it pushes me to go farther with the “art” side of graffiti…trying alot of colours and techniques with more prescision than if were to anything else…I like bombing and doin tags because thats tha heart and soul of graffiti to me…Handstyles are my prode and joy!…Characters are something i’m starting to get into more now. I recently did a big indian skull for a musc video and i got mad hyped when it was finished.I had never really tried myself at anything like it before and after seeing what i could do with that, it made me want to explore that more…
PUREGRAFFITI. When you are painting, what’s going through your mind?
KEEPSIX. Absolutely nothing! Hahaha…Seriously , life is crazy and personally my life has been filled with all sorts of fucked up shit…not to say it’s more or less than anyone elses , but tha past couple years particularily have been rough…Graffiti has been the only thing (second to my Family) that has kept me sane through it all…When I paint , nothing else matters but tha wall(s) or freight(s) in front of me. I wouldnt rather be doing anything else than painting by myself ,or with my crew or friends…
PUREGRAFFITI. Any favorite color combinations?
KEEPSIX. I fuckin love purples an greens together…anyway works for me…those two colours are evil…or yellow an purple for sure…CHROME ONLY! for them big letters! nuff said
PUREGRAFFITI. Your spray cans and stash would consist of what items?
KEEPSIX. I rarely have alot of paint on hand…Not that I dont stash paint, I just paint alot…….seriously , ALOT…so I never have cans sitting around…If there’s a can sitting around , I have to empty it now…I hate having paint at my place…Also, my crew really supports one another…everybody’s paint, is everybody’s paint…when someone uses some , they put back an so on an so forth…
so we’re always stocked to tha tits with cans an buff an markers an everything else when we need it…It’s stashed in pandora’s box. We hang it in tha middle of the earth on a string tied to the bathtub fawcett at Capital Q’s place..
PUREGRAFFITI. How can we contact you and see more of your work?
KEEPSIX. Go to www.youtube.com/stompdown or www.stompdown.ca an check out tha crews videos…new videos uploaded almost daily…something to check out
also the myspace is updated everyday @ www.myspace.com/killakeep
The Family also has a clothing line that was built from tha ground up within our crew over tha past 8 years or so that is the backbone of the hiphop scene up here on tha westcoast of Canada… “EPHIN” is and has been a HUGE part of every aspect of hiphop culture and lifestyle on tha west for years now and I’m proud to be a part of it…Without Ephin alot of people wouldn’t have had the chance to be noticed and I think the support that we get from those people shows the respect on both ends…. Go to www.ephin.com to check out what’s new there , the online store is up and running now and there are always updates on what’s happening with tha fam!
PUREGRAFFITI. Anything else you would like to say to the world?
KEEPSIX. Shut tha fuck up and write graffiti! Respect to those who deserve it , and One love to tha crew !
You can read more at http://puregraffiti.com/art/2010/01/keepsix-graffiti-interview/
Source: Pure Graffiti
KEEPSIX. I write KEEPSIX because back in tha day when I started writing, I ran with a bunch of older guys who bombed.When I would go out with them they would always tell me to Keep6 for them while they hit up a spot…Keep6 means to keep watch or be a lookout for someone or something…So i was thier lookout for cops or any random hero civilian while they got up…then when they were done and movin to tha next spot, i would quickly side bust em an get my up.
PUREGRAFFITI. Where are you from and how did you get into graffiti?
KEEPSIX. I’m from Surrey B.C. Canada just outside Vancity…When I was a kid , around tha time i was in grade 6 or 7 , art was my world. I was just beginning to listen to early ’90s hiphop and being a young influential kid , it grabbed my attention through tha music. My cousin was someone I always looked up to but rarely saw , and one time I was over there , he showed me some walls he had done. I was shook! I thought it was tha coolest shit in tha world. Also around that time I had a friend who’s older brother ran with a crew of hooligans. They were into a whole gang of different shit , but what stood out over tha parties and selling drugs an shit , was tha graffiti. Looking back , it was just simple hollow throwies an a couple half decent tags , but at tha time I had never seen anything so fresh. So with that , and my cousin sparking influence on me , it was only a matter of time before I tested my luck at it.
I remember going downtown where i lived one day with a couple friends an’ thier parents along some trails and we came across this bridge where tha trails we were on went underneath tha road alongside a little river.I still feel tha feeling that I got when i saw tha graffiti on tha walls underneath when i reminisce about it. Years of sketching comic book characters, landscapes , and portraits of people, showing them to my parents with little or no praise for what i had done , were over. I seen that people painted on whatever they wanted to , and people HAD to look at it.Since then graffiti has been my life
PUREGRAFFITI. What would you call your style? what other writers or artists have influenced and inspired your work?
KEEPSIX. I would have to say I base my style on NYC wildstyle…That’s what I really payed attention to in my early years…over tha years I have pulled alot of influence from the westcoast as well as European style but always kept it “my own” not straying too far from my own personal “rules” in letters ad extentions an shit like that…I prefer wildstyle because I like getting Technical with my pieces, but nothing is better than a huge straight letter on a freight or the side of tha highway…
PUREGRAFFITI. Are you mostly into doing pieces, bombing, characters ?
KEEPSIX. I love it all…different days call for different approaches…I like piecing because it pushes me to go farther with the “art” side of graffiti…trying alot of colours and techniques with more prescision than if were to anything else…I like bombing and doin tags because thats tha heart and soul of graffiti to me…Handstyles are my prode and joy!…Characters are something i’m starting to get into more now. I recently did a big indian skull for a musc video and i got mad hyped when it was finished.I had never really tried myself at anything like it before and after seeing what i could do with that, it made me want to explore that more…
PUREGRAFFITI. When you are painting, what’s going through your mind?
KEEPSIX. Absolutely nothing! Hahaha…Seriously , life is crazy and personally my life has been filled with all sorts of fucked up shit…not to say it’s more or less than anyone elses , but tha past couple years particularily have been rough…Graffiti has been the only thing (second to my Family) that has kept me sane through it all…When I paint , nothing else matters but tha wall(s) or freight(s) in front of me. I wouldnt rather be doing anything else than painting by myself ,or with my crew or friends…
PUREGRAFFITI. Any favorite color combinations?
KEEPSIX. I fuckin love purples an greens together…anyway works for me…those two colours are evil…or yellow an purple for sure…CHROME ONLY! for them big letters! nuff said
PUREGRAFFITI. Your spray cans and stash would consist of what items?
KEEPSIX. I rarely have alot of paint on hand…Not that I dont stash paint, I just paint alot…….seriously , ALOT…so I never have cans sitting around…If there’s a can sitting around , I have to empty it now…I hate having paint at my place…Also, my crew really supports one another…everybody’s paint, is everybody’s paint…when someone uses some , they put back an so on an so forth…
so we’re always stocked to tha tits with cans an buff an markers an everything else when we need it…It’s stashed in pandora’s box. We hang it in tha middle of the earth on a string tied to the bathtub fawcett at Capital Q’s place..
PUREGRAFFITI. How can we contact you and see more of your work?
KEEPSIX. Go to www.youtube.com/stompdown or www.stompdown.ca an check out tha crews videos…new videos uploaded almost daily…something to check out
also the myspace is updated everyday @ www.myspace.com/killakeep
The Family also has a clothing line that was built from tha ground up within our crew over tha past 8 years or so that is the backbone of the hiphop scene up here on tha westcoast of Canada… “EPHIN” is and has been a HUGE part of every aspect of hiphop culture and lifestyle on tha west for years now and I’m proud to be a part of it…Without Ephin alot of people wouldn’t have had the chance to be noticed and I think the support that we get from those people shows the respect on both ends…. Go to www.ephin.com to check out what’s new there , the online store is up and running now and there are always updates on what’s happening with tha fam!
PUREGRAFFITI. Anything else you would like to say to the world?
KEEPSIX. Shut tha fuck up and write graffiti! Respect to those who deserve it , and One love to tha crew !
You can read more at http://puregraffiti.com/art/2010/01/keepsix-graffiti-interview/
Source: Pure Graffiti