CAY-161 was one of the “real” 161 boys! Later in ’73 a few of my pals from the Upper West Side began stealing the number because it was so popular. Writers such as SAL-161 & STAG-161 wanted the juice that the 161 numbers had. Strange but true…
CAY-161 Early Graffiti Tag
Black and White Street Photographs of New York City by Matt Weber 
CAY is still among the living and living on the upper west side of Manhattan, his brother NONI 161 is still in jail.
Why is Noni in jail? When I was upstate I heard he was a rat. I hope its not true. We all hung out together from our days as latin Demons
Good for him! So the rumors of his demise were bullshit. I thought he had died many years ago…
cay is very alive i spoke with him on dec 2012
I’m happy to know that! Thanks
Nice piece of graffiti history; Understandably, in the early days, writers were biting from each other. I took the halo from Saint 107. it’s just a coincidence that he also had the 107 number like me. What people don’t know is that I never lived on 107th street. I adapted the number from my class room number when I was in the 9th grade. My class room was class 9-107. I went to JHS 118 in the Bronx.
Yes, I am guilty of sniping the 161 number along with the assumptions that went along with it. Other writers thought I rode with Junior, Nehi, and Cay- none of whom I actually knew. I lived on 90th street- Stag 90 just didn’t have the street props that 161 carried. -Stag 161
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Cay 161 is living in the Bronx. His Brother Noni 161 was in jail and died. The comment about him being a “Rat” is that he had Henry 161 set up to be arrested on the block of 161st. Henry did big time for that. We all hung out like Brothers and you don’t do that shit to one another!Mike – 171.
I’m actually a little surprised (happily) that he has survived this many years. I was working at Neurological Institute the day he came out of his first surgery in 1973 (I believe). At that time there was some very serious doubt that he would survive the day. He was very lucky.
Cay 161 is living in the Bronx. His Brother Noni 161 was in jail and died. The comment about him being a “Rat” is that he had Henry 161 set up to be arrested on the block of 161st. Henry did big time for that. We all hung out like Brothers and you don’t do that shit to one another!
Mike – 171.