The First "Modern Graffiti" Artist: Darryl McCray "Cornbread"; Philadelphia 1967.
Darry McCray started off writing his name on the walls of his juvenile center when he was 10-years old. There was where his nickname "Cornbread" originated, when he would constantly insist on asking the cook to make cornbread for lunch, eventually an incident took place and so the kids began teasing him by calling him "Cornbread" but he didn't take it as teasing and instead appreciated the name and when he would try and woo this girl he would write, "Cornbread Loves Cynthia" on the walls. Eventually, a rumor started that Cornbread had recently died, he proved them wrong by writing "Cornbread lives" on an elephant.
This simple act of tagging spread and became known from Philly, to Chicago, New York and even worldwide.
This simple act of tagging spread and became known from Philly, to Chicago, New York and even worldwide.
Taki 183; New York, 1971.
Demetrius started out as just a normal Greek-American kid, on West 183rd street in New York. Being inspired by the sudden "tagging" craze, he soon started to use his own tag, "Taki 183", and would mark it around as he continued his job as a messenger. This caught the attention and inspired many, it even was brought to the attention to the New York Times which made an article on July 21st, 1971 called "'Taki 183 Spawns Pen-Pals."
Lady Pink, New York City, 1979
Lady Pink was born in Ecuador, but raised in NYC. In 1979 she started writing graffiti and soon was well known as the only female capable of competing with the boys in the graffiti subculture. Pink painted subway trains from the years 1979-1985. In 1982 she had a starring role the motion picture "Wild Style". That role and her other significant contributions to graffiti have made her a cult figure in the hip-hop subculture. In the 1970s there weren't many female graffitists so she would have to prove others and gain respect in the community in which she proved them wrong by showing them that she can do more than just tagging.