Art The Dream Lives: Remembering Graf Legend Mike “Dream” Francisco
Oakland, California is a beautiful city—beautiful people, beautiful scenery. It’s also a very fucked up city, and perhaps nobody exemplifies that dichotomy—a beautiful person silenced by the evils in his hometown—better than Mike Francisco a.k.a. Dream. The Town’s long had one of the most vibrant hip-hop cultures on the planet, and for the better part of two decades, Dream was the living embodiment of the city’s graffiti scene. Beginning as a teenager in the early ’80s, Dream was at the vanguard of his hometown’s world-renowned graf aesthetic, pioneering a flowing style out of his 23rd Avenue Yard stomping ground that was uniquely Oakland. On February 17, 2000 he was murdered at the age of 30 during the course of a robbery, leaving behind an infant son, Akil, as well as a shattered artistic community.
Tonight Dream’s friends and colleagues will gather for a reception and show marking the 10th anniversary of his passing at the New Parish in Oakland (details below), with proceeds going to benefit Akil (who’s now 10 years old, and just last month lost his mother to breast cancer). Complex recently got with Marty Aranaydo, a one-time protege of Dream’s and later a member of his famed TDK Crew, to talk about what his mentor meant to the worldwide graffiti movement, as well as the community of Oakland.
A few years ago, Bay Area rap’s vibrant local scene seemed destined to bubble over to the mainstream. But alas, it’s 2008, and the “hyphy” buzz is already all but forgotten by the average rap fan, while some of the Bay’s biggest artists have even declared the genre dead. But when it comes to Oakland resident Keak Da Sneak, none of that matters. Sure, he coined the term “hyphy,” but Keak was around before the trend and he’ll be around after.
