Prime Directive

An interview with John Prime Hina, Hawaii Graffiti pioneer and leader of 808Urban, as we discuss how to ‘get up’ in the 80s.

You were part of the first wave of writers in Hawaii, how were you introduced to Hip Hop culture and graffiti?

I was always into dancing (you can’t tell now, but I was). From the bump, robot, the mime, and locking in the 70s to popping in the 80s so once break dancing was introduced to Hawaii, that was the new thing to do at the time. Music was the same way. Art was always a part of my life so once I got my first glimpse of Doze’s rocksteady album cover, I was hooked.

How did you choose the name Prime and were there other options? Can you share any stories or elaborate on how one gets a name?

My first name was “JYNX” until I found out that was one of the Imperial Wizardz (One of my favorite popping crews from the early days). So it took me a while, but I wanted a name that defined the best. I knew that people were going to test me if I claimed to be the best so I practiced really hard. Prime just came to mind and when I looked it up, I knew that was it. What really sealed it for me though was the fact that as a number, it can only be divided by itself. That’s why I never did a number after my name.

As far as how one gets a name, there are so many ways. Usually someone gives you a name. Just like how we have family names (Jr, Tita, Baba, etc) same thing on the streets. In our gang, the smallest guy was named “smallman”. The name was given to him by some of the elders. In graff, many writers liked the way certain letters flowed and scrambled them until they found the combination that fit such as “Estria”, “Spetz”, “Skez”. The numbers could mean so many things that I won’t even go there.

Today’s scene is more a novelty at best. This is where 808Urban can come in. To educate and re-educate those in both the community and graff scene alike. Graffiti is a very powerful tool and up till now, was only viewed from a negative perspective by the public. We’ve changed that and promise to continue that change.

Are there ‘tells’ that may give away someones experience or location? Any examples?

There’s the old school and new school. In the old school, experience comes from knowledge. The new school depends on information. It’s hard to pinpoint location because most writers went island wide. More importantly, are the types of scrawlings the public sees. I break it down like this:

There are 3 basic types of graffiti seen on the streets.

• Vandalism – Just random destruction to private property
• Gang Tags – Most commonly known gang tags were the Crips and Bloods.
• Hip Hop Graffiti – This is the primary focus of 808U.

So contrary to popular belief, not all scrawling are related to hip hop. The census is inaccurate due to the fact that it is all considered “property damage”. It is all viewed as the same thing, but as accepted protocol, graff “writers” normally stay away from places of worship, residential, and places for education.

How do you manage the duality of your role as Prime (Artist) and John Hina (Community Organizer), are they lockstep in their mission or are their compromises?

In the end, it all becomes one. The artist is a reflection of their community whether past, present, or future. My goal would be to find an organizer so that I can focus more on the art aspect. Until then, it’s all about careful planning. Some events allow me to overlap the artist with the organizer and some only calls for the artist.

What motivated you to create 808Urban? Was there a single event or thought that triggered it’s inception?

Yes, one moment in particular comes to mind, when my kids were in intermediate school, they brought some friends over to the house to hang out.  I was relaxing on my day off when my son pops his head in the door to asks if he could paint the garage. I assumed he was motivated to give our garage a much needed paint job. About an hour later, the smell of aerosol hit my nose, I opened the door to my garage and knew something was wrong. I confronted my son in disappointment, but he defended his actions declaring all the kids were doing it, and that they were just “practicing”.

My kids never knew about “Prime” and my life before their birth. As a parent, I just wanted to provide better opportunities in their life and teach them to get ahead through honest work. I forgot to factor in the environment my children were growing up in.

After I calmed down, I made the kids sit as I collected the cans and sorted out the colors. I proceeded to rock a piece for them in an hour. The kids never saw it coming. I finally shared my past with graffiti and how it changed my life. I encouraged them to practice more, but after that day, my kids decided it wasn’t cool anymore and quit.

About a year later, I hooked up with an old friend from the graffiti days, he encouraged me to come out to one of the graff events (which I did) and was immediately hooked again! Sadly, after 25 years of being away from it all, besides technique and style, not much has changed. The only way to paint here in Hawaii is to do it illegally. Thus, 808 Urban was born.

Graffiti has always been about self-promotion and Hip Hop, how does 808urban fit in to the lexicon of Hip Hop?

I like to call it “self-determination”. Remember, Hip Hop was created as an outlet for youth to avoid falling into gangs and drugs. From the dance to the rap, competition was fierce. Sometimes fights would erupt in the heat of the battle but never to the extent of gang violence. Graffiti was a visual extension of that competition and energy. Calling it self-promotion would be purely advertising. Graffiti through self-determination is a declaration of one’s independence from the system that really doesn’t care about the under privileged. By scrawling your name all over the walls was a writer’s way of saying,“I am a person, not a statistic” of some silly survey or poll. That’s the part that has dissolved over the years. Today’s scene is more a novelty at best. This is where 808Urban can come in. To educate and re-educate those in both the community and graff scene alike. Graffiti is a very powerful tool and up till now, was only viewed from a negative perspective by the public. We’ve changed that and promise to continue that change.

What do you see 808urban doing 10 years from now?

I see 808U run by the kids that devoted themselves to the program over the years and have proven themselves worthy of carrying the load. Compounding its interest in education, entrepreneurship, and advocacy of truth and justice in the unique spirit of “ALOHA”.

As for me, I’ll probably be in my back yard painting with my grandchildren.

—

Mahalo to Prime and 808Urban for this interview. For more information about 808U programs visit them at www.808urban.org.