An Interview with Steve Balser, AKA DJ Scuba Gooding, Sr.

AUFF: Are there any new trends or styles in graffiti art that were on display this year at CC5?

DJSG: Most all of the invited artists are known as masters of their craft after the many years that they have been involved with their art. As far as styles are concerned, each artist in attendance displayed a unique style and format to their production. I did witness some of the most intricate and ornate styles this year, compared to years past. The 3-D style is really being revolutionized, as was shown at the Clogged Caps event. The overall mural productions from each involved crew were really impressive and next level, considering the physical size of the actual walls themselves.

AUFF: Who are some of the new faces this year?

DJSG: This year had a lot of Clogged Caps alumni return to take part in the event. Those folks came to SA to represent their communities, which included Chicago, San Antonio, Denver, Colorado Springs, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Kansas City, etc. The folks that came in for the first time may have been new to this specific event, but are legends in their own right, in their respective art communities. The notable artists included the CBS crew from Los Angeles, Neon & Apex from San Francisco, the 20-year old prodigy known as Paser from Indianapolis, Codak from Los Angeles, etc. While Neon is THE North American distributor for the Spanish-brand “Montana” spray paint (in addition to being a famed 40+ year old graffiti artist), the CBS crew from LA is involved with everything from designing their own athletic shoes (TLT brand), owning an esteemed art gallery in downtown LA, running Joints Magazine, and numerous websites such as www.offbrand.com, www.50mmlosangeles.com, www.la2thebay.com, etc.

AUFF: Do you feel that the addition of sponsors helps to legitimize graffiti as an art form, or does it threaten to commercialize it and obscure its original message?

DJSG: That is an interesting inquiry. Let me respond by saying that we aren’t just looking to get money from any willing entity. In fact, we were incredibly selective in searching out partners for this event, in an effort to not dilute the history & reputation that this annual festival has earned. This year, the only financial sponsor was Red Bull Energy Drink. They had to have some relation to this culture, which Red Bull does, through their international music, dance & art programs that they sponsor, in an effort to allow the founders & supporters of the hip hop culture to educate the upcoming generations, who are getting an entirely different message than what this culture was founded upon. They further legitimized the event, by providing us with production funding, relief tents, general equipment that was necessary for the event, free energy drinks & water as well. In addition, they did not want us to put their logo all over our advertising material & at the event itself, rather they wanted us to manage and take credit for our event, and they were there to provide the means to our desired end. They are a very unique organization in that aspect and they were the perfect partner and great to work with. The bottom line is that our event is always free to the public and without financial and equipment sponsorships, the annual festival could not survive. Regarding the commercialization of the hip hop culture, its already happened and is still happening. You have rappers on car commercials, graffiti fonts on bubblegum ads and TV network fillers, DJs scratching and rapping on commercials for products that have nothing to do with hip hop, etc. That’s a big part of why we do what we do. As life long supporters of the hip hop culture, it is our duty to counteract the financially-driven misinterpretation of our culture, in an effort to educate the public on what hip hop culture is really about and the cultural mores that it was founded upon - for example, providing positive outlets for expression, community support and involvement, progression of the music, the dancing and the artwork that defines our generation, all in the name of fun. What the usual corporate entities portray on the radio, on the TV, on the web and in print usually has nothing to do with the actual culture itself, as they are just using this culture as a platform to try and sell their products to this demographic. While Red Bull is obviously out to sell their product, they take a refreshingly realistic approach to their marketing and partnering efforts. They do not demand anything, rather they want their partners to develop their own plan of action and inform Red Bull on what they would need to make their event be what the organizers envision it could be.

AUFF: How did you choose the location for this year’s event, and how were you able to secure it?

DJSG: We’ve been keeping on the Nolan St. underpass for a few years now, as it is the perfect location for the vision of our event. This past weekend’s event was actually the fifth annual installment of the Clogged Caps Aerosol Arts Festival and we need to find a permanent home to ensure the progression and recognition of this one-of-a-kind event in the southern United States. We wrote a proposal, approached many of our contacts and we were able to get the proposal in the hands of the city council, specifically District 2, where the underpass is located. Councilwoman Sheila McNeil reviewed the proposal and went out on a limb to give us a chance. It requires a special person to take a risk in order make something unorthodox like this event happen, and we are incredibly appreciative of the support that the city of San Antonio has provided us with. Our goal and hope is that we will be able to continue to house the Clogged Caps event at the Nolan St. underpass in the future…but maybe not in mid-July when it is 100+ degrees outside

-conducted by Andy Gately, 2006