The WildStyle Gang began painting water towers, building roofs, and other objects usually passed over by graffiti artists. His crew believed that by reaching places left untouched by graffiti, their style and name would stand out even more.
#Iz the whiz movie#
In Bomb It, a movie dedicated to the history and culture of graffiti, Michael Tracy explains the hard, non- stop, lifestyle his crew lived by. His crew not only wrote wild style, but also lived it. First it was two colors, then three colors, then four.” His pieces incorporated abstract lettering and detailed color schemes, which caught they eye of almost every person living in New York. Tracy explains his crews progress into their notable style, “styles were coming out. Roberts retired from graffiti in 1975, but returned in 2005 at the age of 50 when graffiti had evolved into a more respected and critical form of art.įounded by Michael Tracy “Tracy 168” in 1958, the WildStyle Graffiti Crew is credited with the creation of wild style graffiti, very intricate and detailed graffiti pieces. This didn’t stop Roberts, within a month he had adopted a new alias “Voice Of The Ghetto” which soon gained the same level of notoriety among underground street artists in New York. In 1972, Stay High 149 was on almost every subway car in New York City, what made his name so recognizable was the ever-attached haloed stick figure smoking a “marijuana joint.” This extremely recognizable figure was featured in New York Magazine, along with his portrait, a month later non other than the NYPD knocked on Roberts’ door and placed him in handcuffs and transported him downtown to confiscate his alias, and issue a $20 ticket for vandalism. The numerals 183 represent the street Roberts lived on, a common practice in early New York graffiti culture.
![iz the whiz iz the whiz](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VWgBqmjfKY0/hqdefault.jpg)
Like his inspiration, Taki 183, Roberts used his occupation as a messenger to scribble his name across the city. Soon after the assassination of Malcolm X, Robert’s and his family moved to the Bronx, where Roberts adopted the pseudonym “Stay High”, a tribute to his copious marijuana consumption.
#Iz the whiz crack#
Harlem for him was a battleground, filled with victims of the crack epidemic, derelict buildings, and gangs. Wayne Roberts was born in Emporia, VA and moved to Harlem at age seven. McCray’s fame rose quickly in the underground graffiti subculture, but quietly faded out of popularity when McCray supposedly fell victim to drug abuse. Cornbread became gained notable fame by tagging a elephant at the Brooklyn Zoo and an airplane belonging to the Jackson 5. Although Cornbread was not the first person to write on walls, he was the first to write an adopted name used for self-promotion rather than promotion of a gang. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Cornbread found his alias at a juvenile correctional facility. Often credited as the first modern day graffiti writer. Words in blue are links to the artists’ websites that you can explore for further information. I include artists generally recognized as the pioneers of modern American graffiti, as well as current artists I believe are shaping the worldwide culture of graffiti. These artists I see as the fathers, and mothers, of graffiti who are unique in their inventive and creative displays of self expression.
![iz the whiz iz the whiz](http://bcsportdogs.com/OffspringPics/2009/Fox-Ra/g-Whiz/g-Whiz3.jpg)
![iz the whiz iz the whiz](https://live.staticflickr.com/4065/4264488568_91e98377fe_b.jpg)
These are the artists I draw inspiration from. This is a fairly random assortment of graffiti writers who have contributed great influence to the evolution of graffiti across the world.