sixcentz: What do you write and when did you start writing??
dera: DERA...
I HAD A TAG SCINCE 3RD GRADE. I USED TO CUT OUT OF LUNCH AT PS. 22 AND
RACK CANS FROM BEPLAT HARDWARE AND WRITE ON THE MURRAY HILL LIRR STATION.
SEOD CAME WITH ME TOO. BACK THEN WE HAD DIFFERENT NAMES THOUGH.

sixcentz: where you from?
dera: Flushing, Queens

sixcentz: What crew/crews are you down with?
dera: I PUT UP TDK . ITS AN OLD NEIGHBORHOOD CREW FROM THE EARLY 80'S. SO TDK
WAS PREZ. WRITERS LIKE CHEZ, NYE AND ZONE WERE DOWN . ALONG WITH A BUNCH
OF OTHER METAL HEADS WHO DIDNT REALLY WRITE.

sixcentz: Would you consider yourself a bomber or a piecer??
dera: I HAVE DONE PIECES IN THE PAST AND HOPEFULLY I WILL DO A FEW THIS SUMMER.
I HAVE BEEN DOING SOME CANVAS TOO BUT I AM STRICTLY A BOMBER AT THIS
POINT. I DONT HAVE THE TIME TO DO PIECES AT THE MOMENT. SO I BOMB AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE WHEN I GET THE CHANCE.

sixcentz: who got you into graff?
dera: I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTO GRAFF BUT NEVER
REALLY STARTED TO BOMB UNTILL HIGHSCHOOL. I USED TO SEE GATO IN THE
HALLWAYS AND BECAME FRIENDS WITH SMOG + KPRO ROT CREW AND DUEL MCI THOSE
GUYS WERE GETTING UP HARD THEN. I WENT BOMBING A FEW TIMES WITH DUEL AND
SEOD BACK THEN .THEN SEOD BECAME MY REGULAR PARTNER IN CRIME.I DID A FEW
PIECES WITH THIS GUY ROCSTAR FTS CREW BACK THEN. HE ENDED UP GOING TO JAIL
FOR LIFE AFTER KILLING BRIAN WATKINS.

sixcentz: whats your favorite thing to paint?
dera: BACK THEN I WOULD HIT ANYTHING. STREETS, HIGHWAYS I EVEN GOT THE 7'S A FEW
TIMES BUT NEVER RAN FOR MORE THAN A HALF AN HOUR. MOST OF ALL I USED TO
GET 7 LINE ROOF TOPS . THOSE WERE MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES. I USED TO GET
WASTED AND GO UP ON A ROOF WITH PAINT AND BEERS. SEOD ALSO CAME ALONG ON
THOSE MISSIONS.AFTERWARDS WE WOULD GO FUCK WITH THE FAT HEADS ON
ROOSEVELT.

sixcentz: who were your influences?
dera: MY INFLUENCES ARE EVERYONE I NOTICED
WHEN I FIRST STARTED NOTICING GRAFF. OLD SCHOOL WRITERS LIKE NEO , SIN,
GATO, SO , GHOST , REC 127 ,SUR 167, TZ, ANGEL DUSTER, SHEER, RD 357, KEN
,FM , PK, NYE, VISA. OTHERS WHO I CANT EVEN REMEMBER. I THINK YOU CAN
NOTICE THE INFLUENCE IN MY THROW UP STYLE A LITTLE.

sixcentz: In your opinion who do you think is the most under rated writer in the graff world??
dera: I WOULD HAVE TO SAY WEB 113. THE GUY KILLED SHIT IN THE EARLY 90'S AND IS
STILL GOING STRONG. HE IS THE MOST DEDICATED WRITER I KNOW. TRUE TO THE
GAME. IF SOME ONE CAUGHT A TAG ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE HE KNOWS ABOUT IT.
IF SOMEONE GETS CAUGHT IN YONKERS HE KNOWS.HE DOSNT COME OUT UNLESS HE HAS
SOMETHING TO WRITE WITH.WHETHER IT IS PAINT OR SOMETHING TO SCRATCH HIS
NAME INTO SOMETHING.HE ALWAYS TRIES TO GET PEOPLE ORGANIZED TO GO BOMBING
AND IN A WAY HE GOT ME TO MAKE A LITTLE COMEBACK.
I HATED HIS ASS FOR A WHILE BECAUSE HE WENT OVER ME BUT NOW WE ARE
COOL.GIVE CREDIT TO WHERE CREDITS DUE.

sixcentz: How do you feel about the graffiti that people are doing currently?? Anyone you feel?
dera: THE GRAFF SCENE SUCKS NOW. AT LEAST INQUEENS. TOO MANY TOYS .
THE STREETS LOOK LIKE SHIT. EVEN A PROFESIONAL
VANDAL HAS TO HAVE SOME SORT OF STANDARDS. IF YOU HAVE NO HANDWRITING
STYLE DONT COP A TAG 20 FEET LONG .IF YOU CANT DO THROW UPS. DONT DO THROW
UPS. SOME GRAFF IS MORE OF A CRIME THAN OTHER GRAFF.
THE ONLY PEOPLE I FEEL ARE JA XTC AND TRAP IF. OLD SCHOOL GUYS THAT ARE
STILL OUT THERE. I EVEN SAW RD 357 AND PK WITH SOME NEW SHIT AROUND MY
WAY.

sixcentz: Any good chase stories or funny stories related to painting you wanna share??
dera: IM PROBABLY THE LUCKIEST WRITER OUT THERE . I HAVE ONLY BEEN CHASED A FEW
TIMES. ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING A CLEAN CUT WHITE GUY . PEOPLE DONT
WATCH ME. PLUS MY STRATEGY IS NEVER EXPECT THE OBVIOUS. I DONT STAND
AROUND TOO LONG. I JUST WALK UP TO A WALL AND DO WHAT I GOT TO DO AND
LEAVE.
I SAW A HIGHSCHOOL FRIEND OF MINE THE OTHER DAY IN ASTORIA WHO IS A COP
IN THAT AREA AND HE WAS LIKE " DAMN DERA STILL GOING AT IT" AND SLAPPED
MY HAND. ANOTHER TIME SEOD AND I WERE BOMBING ON ROOSEVELT AVE AND COPS
PULLED UP RIGHT BEHIND US. WE WERE DRINKING CISCO AND WERE DRUNK AS HELL.
WE HAD THE CANS LINED UP ON THE SIDE WALK WHILE DOING FILLINS WHEN THE
COPS PULLED UP. THEY LOOKED AT US AND LAUGHED AND DROVE AWAY. I WAS
CAUGHT WHEN I WAS 15 BY THE LIRR POLICE AND 10 YEARS LATER I GOT INTO A
CHASE WITH THE SAME GUY IN THE SAME SPOT HE CAUGHT ME PREVIOUSLY. ANOTHER
TIME I LEFT MY 40 OZ ON THE CURB IN THE UNION SQUARE AREA.THE COPS PULLED
UP TO THE CURB AS I JUST FINNISHED MY FILLIN. I USED REVERSE PSYCOLOGY
AND RAN TOWARDS THEM. I GRABBED MY 40 AND JETTED. THEY BUGGED OUT AND
DIDNT EVEN GET OUT OF THE CAR.>

sixcentz: any shout outs?
dera: TO MY PARTNER SEOD "SPEAK ENGLISH OR DIE "

SLASH,WEB,JA,TRAP,CLARK,CEND,LES,CUBA,SIN,SO,MESOE,LASO,COLO,DG,JAKEE,RAD,AS,CORE,KEF
AND ANYONE ELSE IM COOL WITH .

RIP META.......

DERA TDK

sixcentz: THANKS ALOT .......