Graffiti is one of the least understood elements of hip-hop. But it’s way bigger than “vandalism” or “destruction of property.”
Our ancestors carved on walls, without permission, thousands of years ago! But modern graffiti really started with Darrell “Cornbread” McCray.
Gangs marked their turf on walls, but “Cornbread” was one of the first to write his own name. Soon he was famous, and others followed suit.
For many low-income, urban youth, this was an empowering form of name recognition they could seemingly achieve no other way.
Graffiti writers started getting more artistic in the 70s. “Street art” became a way to beautify neighborhoods ravaged by neglect, and was also a response to the whiteness and exclusion of the “high art” world. Its daring illegality became a point of pride.
The connection with hip-hop culture was soon after cemented; many writers, like legend Phase 2, were also DJs and/or dancers.
Graffiti eventually became, for many, about politics more than personal achievement or fame.
Some artists argue they’re fighting against the invasion of capitalism and advertising into public space. Others just want to make art that the public will see.
Despite its more recent commercialization, graffiti’s innovative, counter-cultural spirit and political, artistic bent are still a way for young, urban people of color to push back against the mainstream, tell their own stories, and express themselves.
And for that we celebrate it!