Digital Ink'd

  If you’ve ever found yourself crawling down Brooklyn’s Bedford Avenue, trying to get to the BQE highway, you know the building. It’s the long, grey brick one that looks like it’s been holding its breath for decades. For years, its walls have been a rotating canvas of graffiti, each layer a new, temporary skin. Most people see an eyesore, a relic of a forgotten time. But that building has stories to tell. It’s hard to imagine now, looking at its sealed-up windows, but this was once a place of gleaming new Chevrolets. Back in 1918, the architect Henry Nurick designed it to be a modern, fireproof automobile showroom. The cost? About $1.2 million in today’s money. For a car dealership. Photo courtesy of the New York City Municipal Archives You can also see where they carved out Bedford Ave heading in both directions, as apartment buildings were once next to the Chevrolet dealership.   That’s because from the 1910s to the 1950s, this stretch of Bedford Avenue was known as “Automo...

  In a recent turn of events that has captured both my attention and that of our local community, The Emerald Dispensary , a beacon of progressive business being minority-owned and a bearer of a social equity license, made headlines for an action that struck a chord with art and hip-hop aficionados alike. This dispensary found itself at the center of controversy for whitewashing a mural of the Notorious B.I.G. as a baby, a piece of street art that, until its sudden disappearance, had been an unspoken homage to one of hip-hop's greatest icons, Christopher Wallace, better known as Biggie Smalls. My discovery of the mural, in March 2022, was serendipitous. At the time, its significance eluded me; what captured my eye was not the identity of the infant with the distinctive afro depicted, but rather the artistic audacity and the white backdrop against which it was set. It was only upon the news breaking on Thursday, February 15, 2024, that the true identity of the baby in the mural—and ...

  In the heart of urban storytelling, murals stand as silent yet eloquent tributes to legends who've shaped our culture. Nestled in the bustling streets of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, a masterpiece once vividly captured the essence of four American rap icons - Tupac Shakur, Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle, and the Notorious B.I.G. Each, a comet in the vast sky of music, their lives brutally snuffed out, leaving behind a legacy as enduring as the art that commemorates them. The Notorious B.I.G., born in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, met a tragic end in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in 1997, aged merely 24. Tupac Shakur, another prodigy from East Harlem, was killed in Las Vegas over 28 years ago at 25. Pop Smoke, a young star from Canarsie, Brooklyn, had his life cut short at 20 during a robbery in Los Angeles in 2020. Nipsey Hussle, aged 33, was shot in the parking lot of his store, The Marathon Clothing, in LA, in 2019. This mural, titled "East Coast West Coast Legends," was a visual sympho...

Update May 27, 2024: On a brisk Monday, March 4th, 2024, a beacon of hope and care emerged at 486 Liberty Avenue in East New York. This new facility, established by Care For the Homeless , is set to be a cornerstone in the community, offering a sanctuary for 157 homeless men grappling with mental illness. Beyond just providing beds, this site encompasses an Article 28 community health center, dedicated to addressing the primary medical care and behavioral health needs of both its residents and the broader community. Under the stewardship of a seasoned director, the shelter will employ a robust team of 76 professionals. This team includes social workers, case managers, housing specialists, and a vigilant 24/7 security and maintenance crew, all committed to fostering a supportive and secure environment for the residents. The health center will be a lifeline for many, operating five days a week and staffed by a multidisciplinary team. This includes a physician, nurse, medical assistan...

  I vividly recall the striking murals that adorned the walls of the #1 191 Street Subway station tunnel. In 2015, a stunning array of graffiti art graced the walls, with plans to remain for a mere 11 months. However, much to the surprise of the local community, the vibrant artwork remained for an extended period, becoming a cherished fixture of the Washington Heights neighborhood. Sadly, in January of this year, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), which exercises control over the subway tunnel, abruptly painted over the murals and graffiti without any notice or announcement to the residents. The NYC DOT's dominion over the tunnel passageway, which is designated as a street despite its linkage to the MTA subway system, caused an outcry among the community. Yet, in a display of resilience, resistance, and creativity, graffiti artists rebuffed the nude tan-brown desolate walls with fresh artwork. While not equal in quality to the original graffiti that formed pa...

  Today was a very special day for the "Teflon Don" in New York's Lower Manhattan Court where he pleaded not guilty to 35 counts of felonies. Outside a mix of supporters and his critics held court across the street at the park milling about as news media personnel stood up under the lights and broadcasted live ad nauseam to their respective 24-hour news channels. Reps. Marjorie Greene Taylor and George Santos ran out of town when she forgot that a partisan crowd that leans left would not be socially amicable to right-wing conspiracies, idolization, and vitriol. We New Yorkers like substance just like our cream cheese and bagels. They soon hightailed it out of town to jeers and whistles. Inside and around the Manhattan building, people of all stripes, flavors, political leanings, religious zealots, and social media people looking for their five minutes of fame milled about and made their passionate statements and protests. You could find everyone under the sun inside and o...

As the third anniversary of his untimely death let's appreciate the energy and unique art form Bashar Barakah Jackson aka Pop Smoke gave to the world. A solemn head bow and a moment of silence for the woo God.  I have been hunting for murals depicting drill rapper icon Pop Smoke all over Brooklyn. I came upon this mural while hunting for something else in the area. From the pictures, I knew I had to go see it in person, and boy did it not disappoint. From the images below you can see someone recently laid flowers and lit some candles to pay the woo homage to Canarsie Brooklyn’s fast-rising chart-topper. In addition, from the intense Internet interest in these beautiful murals of Pop Smoke, I knew I had to share them with my drill scene readers.  Each mural I have visited is uniquely different from the others and invokes different emotions and personal feelings when viewing them. You just have to see them, to appreciate them, not for the social media post but for the passion, l...