Complex Blog » Graffiti

A History of HAZE Collaborations

intern — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:10:49 +0000

Tonight, Eric Haze opens ‘NEW ABSTRACTS AND ICONS’, a three week exhibition of new works
at the LEVEL 2 Gallery at 812 Broadway (@11th Street), in New York City. If you’re around, go check it out. A-Trak and Neil Armstrong will be spinning, and the work is guaranteed fresh.

HAZE’s ability to stay ahead and on top of the ever-changing mediums of artistic expression over the last 30 years has allowed the native New Yorker’s creative impact to reach far beyond the City subway yards and skate ramps of the ’70s. From his early work with Def Jam to starting his own clothing label, HAZE was a predecessor of streetwear, being “big in Japan”, and getting down with Stüssy. Through the years, big brands have gained plenty from a HAZE co-sign, but in return the big homie got exposure and renown. Hit the jump for a history of HAZE’s work in corporate culture, from early logotypes to decking out Nike Dunks and Lotuses…

HAZE x Def Jam, 1987
HAZE’s post-train graphic art made its way onto mad classic album covers. From EPMD to Public Enemy to the Beasties—dude was the hand of ’90s hip-hop. To that, we (and you) tip our caps.

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HAZE x Casio, 1999/2005/2008
HAZE’s relationship with Casio began in 1999 when the Japanese watchmaker tapped him alongside DJ Spooky and Dog Town to be a part of a US “Artist Series” of G-Shock watches. In 2008, Casio appointed him to handle the design of the company’s 25th anniversary logo, as well as the packaging for all watches to be sold in 2008. He also got to design his third G-Shock—the only one to be available worldwide (as opposed to Japan/Europe only releases of the two previous models)—a couple of years back.

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HAZE x Nike, 2002
These much-sought-after sneakers, as well as the box that they came in, were designed by HAZE. The release marked one of the first times people actually cared about packaging.

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HAZE x New Balance, 2004
For New Balance, HAZE put his spin on this 574, and then the brand tried to trick everyone else with a similar make-up that dropped for the general release set. Real heads knew what was up.

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HAZE x Know1edge Swiss Made Watch, 2006
Only 50 of these watches were made, so if you’ve got one, hang on tight. A different version of the watch with metal straps was also released.

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HAZE x Neils Shoe Meulman Show and T-Shirt, 2007
At the “Calligrafiti” exhibition in Amsterdam, HAZE and calligrapher Neils Shoe Meulman showcased their work, some of which turned into a t-shirt design, sold exclusively at Amsterdam boutique Patta.

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HAZE x Lotus/Gran Turismo, 2008
HAZE was commissioned to add his touche to a brand new Lotus Exige as a part of Sony/Playstation’s 10th-anniversary celebration of popular racing game Gran Turismo.

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HAZE x Mountain Dew Green Label Art, 2008
In 2008, HAZE did the Dew and incorporated his signature arrows and stars into the traditional Mountain Dew color scheme. The low-run “MD Superstar” was a standout amongst the many other recent artist-designed MD bottles.

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HAZE x Standard Hotel NYC, 2009
A frequently mentioned name in many “Best Dressed” lists, celebrity hotelier Andre Balazs probably couldn’t stand the idea of his patrons rocking 5-for-$10 “I Love New York” t-shirts. That’s why he enlisted Eric Haze for a specially designed, limited-edition T-shirt for his new Meatpacking District hotel.

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HAZE x Stüssy Las Vegas Art Installation and T-Shirt, 2009
HAZE painted the wall at Stüssy Las Vegas (check out the entire painting process here—so dope), and his design inspired a T-shirt that came in two colorways.

10 Graffiti Artists Who Could Have Saved Chris Brown’s Cover

intern — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:33:56 +0000

The artwork for Chris Brown’s post-beatdown album Graffiti was released earlier this week (pictured above), and it looks like we might have spoken too soon with the Worst Album Covers Of The Year post we did a few months ago.

The cover is kinda reminiscent of something Prince might do, but since the album is entitled Graffiti, and it features Chris Breezy using an aerosol can, it might have behooved him to hire an actual graffiti writer to help illustrate his cover. In fact, big names from the graf world have been designing album art since the dawn of hip-hop. Check out 10 artists who could have helped Chris Brown’s Graffiti look less corny…

ARTIST: HAZE
ALBUM: Beastie Boys Check Your Head
• NYC graf icon Eric Haze is well known for creating iconic logos for groups like EPMD and Public Enemy, as well as the often-imitated lettering on the Beastie Boys’ third album. Today, his name can be found on everything from furniture and G-Shock Watches to T-shirts and Nike Dunks.

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ARTIST: DOZE
ALBUM: Rock Steady Crew “Uprock” (single)
• This graf legend was an original member of the Rock Steady Crew known for being “The King of Characters.” He also did artwork for the b-boy supergroup’s early 12″ single covers, including 1984’s “Uprock” and 1983’s “(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew.”

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ARTIST: FUTURA 2000
ALBUM: UNKLE Psyence
• This ’70s graf icon first hit the music world when he designed a 7″ single cover for The Clash in 1981. In more recent years, he’s created a regular partnership with seminal British label Mo’ Wax, regularly producing album art, including the haunting 1998 debut from trip-hop outfit UNKLE.

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ARTIST: EWOK
ALBUM: Company Flow, Funcrusher Plus
• This writer, known for his big murals, was just a Pratt student from Upstate, NY when he did this iconic underground rap LP for the early Rawkus Records group. A decade later and he’s one of the most respected names in the game, popping up in galleries around the world.

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ARTIST: CEY ADAMS
ALBUM: Method Man and Redman Blackout
• The legendary creative director from Def Jam was originally a graffiti writer in NYC before going corporate. Since then, he (along with his company The Drawing Board) has designed countless ill album covers, including 3rd Bass’ The Cactus Album, Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, DMX’s It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, and many more.

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ARTIST: REAS
ALBUM: Artifacts Wrong Side of Da Tracks
• Todd “REAS” James has had his hand in tons of dope multi-media projects over the years (including Complex’s 2008 Lupe Fiasco cover story!), but one of his early commercial projects was doing the “Artifacts” train piece for the first single from the graf-friendly Jersey rap group.

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ARTIST: KEO
ALBUM: MF Doom Operation Doomsday
• KEO aka Lord Scotch aka Blake Lethem has a storied history in the hip-hop world, which we chronicled in our 2008 feature on his life. In more recent years, he’s re-established his rep with some great cover work, including the debut solo album from the kid formerly known as Zev Love X.

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ARTIST: MISTER CARTOON
ALBUM: Snoop Dogg Malice in Wonderland
• You probably know him as the L.A. tattoo artist who’s inked up everyone from 50 Cent to Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé, but his roots are in graffiti. After years of doing memorable artwork for Cypress Hill, he recently completed the sexy cover for Snoop’s latest album.

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ARTIST: DONDI
ALBUM: Malcolm McLaren Duck Rock
• British music impresario McLaren was alllll over downtown NYC’s hip-hop art fusion on his experimental 1984 album, which features the seminal track “Buffalo Gals.” In addition to collaborating with The World Famous Supreme Team and artist Keith Haring, he got a real graf O.G. Dondi to do the “Duck Rock” lettering you see on the boom box speakers.

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ARTIST: KAWS
ALBUM: Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak
• You already know we love KAWS, who designed our most recent Clipse cover. In 2007, another one of the iconic artist’s fans asked him to create inside artwork and a special iTunes cover for his controversial auto-tune album.

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BONUS ARTIST: BANKSY
ALBUM: Paris Hilton, Paris
• Although he’s not exactly a “graffiti writer” by traditional standards, British street artist Banksy has done some album artwork of his own…sort of. In 2006, he slickly inserted his own subversive messages into 500 copies of Paris Hilton’s debut album and put them back in UK record stores for unsuspecting consumers to discover.

Daily Style & Design News: October 21, 2009

intern — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:05:59 +0000

All City Writers, a comprehensive book on graffiti’s progression from NYC to various European cities in the ’80s, will be released next month. The hardbound includes 620 articles coevering the culture as well as over a thousand pictures. [Slamxhype]

Masa adds various colors and patterns to the once boring winter must-have, neck gators. Made of soft fleece, they come in cool drawstring pouches. [Rad Collector]

Apple’s new Magic Mouse has no visible buttons, but the Multi-Touch area handles everything from double-clicking to scrolling. [Marcus Troy]

So it is true, our favorite TV mom Marge Simpson has posed for the November issue of Playboy. Oh, bee-hive, Marge. [Freshness Mag]

Alife is relocating their warehouse, and they are having a clearance sale (50% to 80% off) starting this week to move some of their old inventory. [Streetlevel]

Jose Parla Opens ‘Adaptation/Translation’ Show

treats — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:59:06 +0000

Photos by www.wallkandy.net

New York City may not look like the colorful graffiti version of the ’80s, but luckily we still have legends like EASE to remind us of the work that the old school put in. Despite being rasied in Miami, EASE a.k.a. JosÃ© ParlÃ¡ came up like most of today’s crossover stars from graf’s golden era (HAZE, REAS), bringing his signature overlapping calligraphy style from the streets to fine art galleries worldwide. Last week, he finally took his work overseas for his first London exhibit “Adaptation/Translation.”

On display through November 8 at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, a British gallery known for featuring installations from KAWS, Futura, and STASH, “Adaptation/Translation” finds ParlÃ¡ using ruined walls as his canvas. The gallery is also commemorating the occasion by publishing 1,000 copies of a book that features ParlÃ¡’s work. See more images from the exhibit below…

[Elms Lesters Via Highsnobiety]

Cheers To Andy Uprock’s Cup Art

treats — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:46:30 +0000

What do you get when you mix one artist, a fence, and thousands of cups? Some amazing shit, apparently. While walls are the standard medium for most street artists, Andy Uprock uses fences as his canvas, where he places a series of spray painted cups to create his geometric-shaped pieces. The result, a temporary graffiti project with the easiest cleanup possible'recycling.

Since pioneering the trend that he calls “cuprocking,” the Australian native is leaving his mark in cities from Barcelona to New York on a world tour that would make Banksy blush. Also, for the first time, Uprock’s work speaks to the blind through a special braile pattern he makes in some of his pieces. See more examples of cuprocking, and watch a video interview with Andy below.

2008 Ad Campaign For Streetwear Brand Mooks

Andy Uprock Explains The Origin Of Cuprocking

[Cuprocking Via Juxtapoz]

Hunting Down Shanghai’s Graffiti Scene

treats — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:17:54 +0000

In the West, we have a tendency to view China as a society so oppressive that no one would dare spray paint on a wall for fear of being shot dead in the streets by Communist authorities. But apparently, this isn’t quite true'judging from a series of photos recently taken by Juxtapoz on the streets of Shanghai, the country’s graffiti scene is alive and well.

The flicks were taken in the area surrounding Moganshan Road, which makes up the city’s art district. From quirky characters to politically conscious messages, it seems like they’re experimenting with a variety of different styles. Check out a few more flicks below.

[Juxtapoz]

WiiSpray Can Shakes Up Gamer Graffiti

bfred — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:05:14 +0000

From the quirky Dreamcast favorite Jet Grind Radio to Marc Ecko’s Getting Up, the ability to write graffiti seems to keep popping up in video games. Things could be getting a lot more precise with the invention of WiiSpray, a virtual aerosol paint can prototype that was developed by German student Martin Lihs for his final thesis at Bauhaus University.

According to an article in the May 08 issue of De:Bug Magazine, the can plugs into your Wii controller and simulates real life spraying with different caps and colors. With an internet connection, it may even give you the ability to collaborate on a piece with someone across the globe. No word yet on the commercial production, but these types of custom controller add-ons seem like they might be the future. Check out a few more pictures below.

[De:Bug via Ubergizmo]

Blu’s MUTO Puts Animation On The Wall

bfred — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:54:40 +0000

Italian artist Blu is already world-renowned for his massive wall murals, but now he’s finally brought them to life. For his new project MUTO, Blu made an increadibly ellaborate stop-motion animation video using only wall paintings in Buenos Aires and Baden. The result is a seven minute artistic epic where a surreal cast of characters move all around a series of walls, even interacting with objects on the ground. No description really does it justice, so watch it for your self below.

[Blu via PlayMeDesign]

Graffiti Coloring Book Fills In Scandinavia

bfred — Fri, 16 May 2008 22:25:02 +0000

It already seems like the average graf writer gets started when they’re 11 years old, but the new Graffiti Coloring Book, edited by Swedish writer Uzi, could get 'em started even younger.

The collection features 63 black and white sketches from many of Scandanavia’s prominent writers, including Nug, Disey, Egs, Bates, Ador and Que. The idea here is to give folks a chance to practice their fill-in skills while getting educated on some of the big names from the region. The book will be out next week on May 20th, so if you can’t find it stateside, try The Last Gasp. See some sketches from the book after the jump.

[Click on an image to view full size]

[WHATYOUWRITE]

Adidas Launches Anti-Graffiti ZeroTAG Campaign

bfred — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:49:57 +0000

As a creative way to promote adidas‘ new sneaker with graffiti writer Cope 2 in Australia, marketing firm Lifelounge has created a covert marketing campaign known as “Zero Tolerance Against Graffiti,” or “ZeroTAG” for short. The tongue-in-cheek anti-graffiti task force goes around putting tape and notices over adidas ads around Sydney and Melbourne, claiming that the graffiti-inspired sneaker appears on their “banned items” list (see shots of the covered ads here).

The fictional movement also features a fairly straight-faced website, where they outline their mission to prevent “all forms of graffiti” and to protect “the innocence of our communities.” After the break, watch a short documentary to see ZeroTAG in action.

[NOTCOT]

Cameras Can’t Catch Banksy’s Big Brother Diss

bfred — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:04:04 +0000

World renowned street artist Banksy is back with another banger. Over the weekend, three stories of scaffolding and a huge sheet of polythene were removed from a Central London wall to reveal his latest message: “One Nation Under CCTV.” The slogan, which is a reference to the police’s extensive public video camera surveillance, was painted on Saturday night in full view of an actual CCTV camera, which apparently did not catch Banksy in the act. Also seen on the wall is a small child on a ladder who appears to be painting the message, along with a security guard and dog looking up from the ground. See the full mural after the jump.

[Art News Blog]

Will George Michael Expose Banksy?

bfred — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:21:45 +0000

According to a new report, George Michael is trying reap the benefits of his celebrity by asking the infamous Banksy to paint a wall in his home. With a 2 million pound offer on the table, Michael has asked the mysterious masked street artist to reveal his identity (cue laughter). Banksy reportedly countered by requesting that GM be out of town the entire time he’s painting. Let’s not forget that the last time Banksy tangled with a pop star, Paris Hilton ended up with a dog head. If you don’t remember what we’re talking about, watch the video after the jump.

[Mirror.co.uk]

Todd James ‘And Sons’

complex — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:00:29 +0000

Last week we showed ya the sold out “War Party” print that Todd James aka REAS created, and so this time around we figured we’d highlight another item from the vandal turned hustla-artist that you have little chance of getting your hands on. He designed this tee for an obscure streetwear brand called “And Sons” that we never heard of, but will guess is based somewhere in Europe.

[12ozprophet]

‘Brick Lades of NYC’: LADY PINK and Aiko

complex — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:35:51 +0000

LADY PINK: “Graffiti Lounge,” 12×8 ft., acrylic on canvas, $10,000.00

Female graffiti pioneer LADY PINK, whose letters have adorned subway cars since it all began, is exhibiting some new work alongside street painting maven Aiko'one third of the highly acclaimed art collective Faile and renowned artist in her own right. Both these women'hailing from two different generations and movements altogether'have held their own, surpassing many artists in a space that is predominantly populated and regulated by dudes. Their ‘Brick Ladies of NYC’ exhibit features their signature fine art without-forgetting-its-roots type style and is being held at the Adhoc Art gallery in Brooklyn this Friday, March 21, from 7pm-10pm. “Brick Ladies of NYC,” March 21st – April 20th, 2008. If you can’t wait, check out this preview of their work here.

Denver’s High Tech Anti-Graffiti Cameras Fail To Catch Any Graffiti

complex — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:00:47 +0000

With word of leads fizzling in the case of the recent Times Square bombing despite being in one of the most surveiled locations on the planet'even capturing multiple images of the guy in action'it should come as no surprise that Denver’s highly praised anti-graffiti cameras have yet to catch one vandal. Not one. They’ve been in place for over four months now and despite a whole lot of jubilee among law enforcement and assurances from the company selling the cameras they’ve yet to show any promise. Paul Feldman, the president of the North Carolina-based company that specializes in the spy equipment and counts NATO as one of it’s customers, had this to say right before the cameras were being installed last year, “If you’re a tagger in the city of Denver, you’re going to get caught.”

The only things the cameras have captured is citizens of the Mile High City going about their daily business. The eight, cordless, high tech cameras promised to alert law enforcement by text message when they detect “graffiti-related movement,” even boasting how the new system will allow them to “catch taggers red-handed.” And not only have they failed in contributing to a single arrest, but there’s already been more graffiti removed this year compared to last (in square feet): 2007: 349,561, 2008: 640,396

But one of the biggest problems the cameras are giving law enforcement is manpower that these things were supposed to reduce. Officers have to be specially trained with these cameras, and that also means less time catching real criminals.

[RockyMountainNews]

Subway Art Goes Digital

complex — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:00:13 +0000

Subway Art is one of the most definitive books detailing and popularizing NYC graffiti history. Published back in ~~1988~~ 1984, it features the photos of legendary graffiti documenters Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant. While Faith of Graffiti took a first crack at the newly emerging art form in the 70’s, Subway Art focused specifically on the masterpieces that were painted on the subway cars during graffiti’s heyday in the early 80’s. Some of have described it as the print version of classic graffiti cult documentary Style Wars'which Chalfant also worked on. While we of course would urge you to get yourself a physical copy, feel free to peruse this digital version from cover to cover.

[Whatyouwrite]

Peter Vallone Jr. Gets Clowned By Stephen Colbert On Graffiti

complex — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:30:30 +0000

We don’t know how we missed this one being big fans of Colbert and even bigger enemies of Vallone, but just this week, the graffiti-hating politician'who can’t get press without mentioning the outlaw art form'made a special guest appearance on the show to discuss how tags are ruining the world. Although the politician was hoping to push his anti-graffiti cause, the witty folks over the ‘Report’ highlighted the case of Natalie Shea, the 6-year-old from Brooklyn who’s parents were issued a $300 fine for the kid’s chalk drawings on her own front stoop as part of the city’s zealous crackdown last year, which lead to a public outcry over the heavy handed offensive. And even though Vallone was given a chance to spew his mindless ramblings about how graffiti is a “gateway crime” towards the very end of the segment, his foolishness had already been clearly tagged. Well done Mr. Cobert!

The Three Thug Mice “Bomb Hard”

complex — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:30:28 +0000

As we mentioned, each week a new webisode of the Three Thug Mice will be released. Now showing is “Bomb Hard,” featuring the voices of Patty Dukes, plus graffiti writers: FUZZ ONE, KET, TEAM GO, MIN-ONE, GHOST, KIT 17, and STAK. Go watch it now or shoot pigs for fun instead.

‘Vallone’ T-Shirt Expresses Our Sentiments Exactly

complex — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:00:39 +0000

The best thing about this anti-Vallone tee is that it’s 100% true, guaranteed. It was designed by graffiti 2.0 group, Free Art & Technology (F.A.T.), and prominently features the greasy haired councilman in front of a KIKO tagged gate with a simple yet effective message: “Peter Vallone Jr. is an asshole.” We’ve highlighted his assholiness on several occasions, but weren’t as smart as these guys to actually profit off of it. The shirts are American Apparel and the $21.90 price tag is money well spent.

[Source] [via]

MQUE Bombed Prints

complex — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:30:11 +0000

If you’re a real graffiti head or possess any fundamental knowledge of graffiti history you’ve heard about MQ and there really is no need for introductions. For those who need to be brought up to speed, he’s a notoriously destructive graffiti writer'the 1990’s were his primary bombing years'from NYC who’s legendary throw ups and tags have covered walls, bridges, other people’s graffiti, and anything else the writer could get his hands on from Gotham to LA and back, with stops in even the Midwest, Europe, Japan and god knows where else. The flagrant vandal-artist decided to take his trademark letters and reproduce them as this limited edition (100pcs.) print. They’re all signed and numbered by MQ and exclusively available at Coat of Arms in NYC. $90 unframed in a tube. Jump for a more detailed version and a bonus fact after the jump.

Odd bonus fact: Out of all people, comedian Garry Shandling once bought one of MQUE’s canvasses for $5k.