Graffiti has always had a strange relationship with hip-hop. The accepted theory is that graffiti art was created spontaneously with hip-hop’s other elements, sometime in the early 1970s. The truth is that graffiti or public name writing as I refer to it, is more like the adopted sibling of hip-hop, brought into the family, and has a history that stretches back more than a hundred years prior to the rise of hip-hop music.
Most graffiti writers in the early-1970s were more likely to be jamming out to Led Zeppelin in the yards than be at Sedgwick and Cedar, but as hip-hop grew to prominence during the late-1970s, it drew graffiti writers closer to the music and dance that was coming to define New York street culture. By the early-1980s, it was inspiring hybrid artists that merged graffiti writing and rapping and gave a voice to the long anonymous graffiti writer.
While it is widely known that many prominent hip-hoppers got their hands dirty putting in work on the streets and trains. Most did not reference their connection to writing in much detail besides the occasional “I used to tag my name up” line you got in various songs. However some emcees took the opposite route and put it on the line representing how they felt about graffiti writing in song, these songs laid the foundation for the sub-genre of Graff/Rap.
Graff/Rap is different from other sub-genres of hip-hop because of its longevity in the culture. Unlike other sub-genres like Crunk or Horrorcore, its relevance is not confined to a local or a trend. The records that make up this genre span the history of hip-hop’s recorded music and come from artists around the world.
With that in mind, not all of the songs on this list are Graff/Rap. However, most are.
Check out the 25 Best Songs About Graffiti.
RELATED: The 25 Best Songs About Death
Task Force
Pack FM
The Literates
Lee
Walk With Lee
Songs In A Sallow Mans Key (2012)
SMK provides the cuts for the hook on this Speaks produced rider that has Lee running through the streets and train lines of Chocolate City, “taggin’ up your building side”. Lee breaks down how he sees it for the writers in his city, and how he first got down with Sek of H.O.A. crew.
Loop Troop
Mayhem Lauren
Diktion One
Tommy Tee
DJ Melrok feat. Bukue One
The Blackout Band
Graffiti
Far to the left of Graff/Rap sub-genre there is the sub-genre of Graff /Teen Pop which is dominated by The Blackout Band. No, this is not Jo Jo Simmons, its just a little something I like to listen to whenever the Graff life bullshit gets to much, it reminds me that “its just paint, tough guy”. You are very welcome.
Graffiti
Aerophon Crew
Graffiti
(2010)
Bogotá, Columbia natives Ruzto, Takuma, and Saks deliver a powerhouse track representing South American graffiti writers and letting the world know how it goes down in Columbia.