"Everyone leaves footprints in your memory, but the ones that leave footprints in your heart are the ones you will truly remember." Nicholas Sperling.

Shout Outs to Justin Gaddy for this !

When I was 14 I met a dude named Tyshawn at a gym in corona queens ps 119.  At the time we were both playing for an AAU team called Running Hustlers coached by Rob Diaz, which would eventually be named NYCs Finest.  Then I just saw him as more competition on the court until 2 years later he transferred from Christ The King High school to Newtown junior year.  Ty was an exceptional basketball player, but an even better friend.  Even tho everyone wasn't as talented as he was, he still made u feel as if everyone was equal, sharing and motivating us all equally.  He was a funny guy to, every time one of us smaller guys did a big move he would say "you getting scrolly on da block baaaabbbyyy!" lol.  He told us one day him and his friend from lefrak started something called purple city Byrd gang, and he wanted all of us even in school to wear purple. Ty told us purple stood for royalty in the bible so we followed suit.  He even wore a purple tuxedo jacket to prom.  As time went on it evolved in DIP Fam meaning "Dipped in Purple" with his friends from Lefrak.  It was big everywhere he went they were there.  College to college, because all the young men eventually attended universities all over the east.  It wasn't a gang it was a family, and they were loyal.  Ty was murdered in 2008.  His wake and funeral was a sea of beautiful purple, being that all the people in attendance wore purple.  Sharon Bierra let all who knew Ty speak freely at his wake.  Rest in purple Tyshawn Bierra.

In 2009 i decided to get Loyalty & Royalty across my chest and color the tys purple in each word in remembrance of my friend.  In December of 2010 I let Richard Parker Aka woo Aka made rich  (www.ARTMADERICH.COM) put purple clouds behind the words.  No matter how many years past I will never forget the impact Ty had on my life man.  I love you, we love you.

This was for the whole Lefrak queens, Sharon, Laren, Mike, Rain, rich, Rasaad, Maybank, Honey DIPS,Choo, A Milly, Alex, Domo,Jakey, P-weezy, Theo, Chad, rip Tone Jay, Chris, Geno, Phil, Will, Kwame, Byron, jeff, Pat , Keefe the whole entire DIP Fam... Anybody that ever lost a son, brother, cousin or a friend... Most of all it's for you Tyshawn.