graffiti

Newspaper of the streets. Contrary to the relatively recent "art" interpretations that naive hip-hoppers have applied to graffiti, it is instead the longstanding form of communication by street gangs. Gangbangers place complex designs on public and private property to identify turf, to intimidate or disrespect enemies, and to display action orders. Hip-hoppers who make impassioned defenses of graffiti as some "cultural artistic expression" simply confuse the issue for people in the mainstream. In its newest and least form, graffiti is simple vandalism by naive hip-hoppers. In its oldest and worst form, it is a mode of communication for domestic terrorists (gangbangers).