Dream Day: Remembering Mike Dream

RIP Mike Dream (1969-2000)

Photo: Amoeba.com

I'm from Alameda. Not born, but raised. And I represent the Buena Vista's (Buena Vista Apartments, Alameda, CA) every day.

My apartments were home to Jimmy Rollins, Antwon "Strife" Rollins, Jimmie Reign, Dasha Chadwick, the Minister of Information JR and more. But one of the most important people from Alameda to come out of the B.V.'s is Mike "Dream" Francisco.

Dream was a graff legend -- a Bay Area graffiti pioneer -- by the time I was breakdancing at Woodstock Park battles (ABC - Alameda Breaking Crew).

A lot of people from Alameda front like they from Oakland, or claim spaces where other people live. Although I moved to Alameda from Oakland, one of the reasons I took pride in being from the Buena Vista's was Dream was from Alameda.

Dream was an amazing artist, and from what people who really know Dream, was real.

Sadly, Dream was killed in West Oakland in 2000. He would be 40 years old today. Instead, his beautiful life was taken from us.

The Oakbook writes: "To mark his tenth death anniversary, a group of DJs and artists have put together a benefit for Francisco’s son, Akil Francisco, whose mother recently succumbed to breast cancer."

"Dream Day" will be at the New Parish in Oakland Friday, Feb. 5. Be there!

Dreams Autobiography


"This piece is for all of you fake ass perpetratin, “Hip-Hop” T-shirt wearin, tags on the backpack totin bring your bitch with you to do your fill-in, no respectin, no style havin, writin for two months callin ya’selves Kings, no knowledge of history havin, in it for the minute, once a month piecin’ no skill havin taking three hours to draw a pretty ass character, started writin in art school wishin you was down with the culture! You good for nothin’ forever fakin’ the Funk Mutha Fuckas!!!"

--“Dream”

To learn more about DREAM or TDK (Those Damn Kids) visit DreamTDK.com.

Like Dream wrote in his autobiography, "Writing is my life" about the evolution of his graff writing, I see the similarity in my own writing:

My pieces started to have more content and substance, and each piece meant more than bombing (which is a fundamental part of this writing culture), but had more of a message. My writing has become a part of mental liberation, focusing on issues such as police brutality, national liberation, racism, and rebellion. But, ultimately it is the style of the letters, the words, that keep me writing, because to stay in the game, you need to stay on top of your style and ride that shit.

Words from a King. Rest in Power "King Dream".
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