Photo by Alessandro Simonetti
Even if you're the world's biggest hip-hop fan, there's a good chance that you've never heard of Blake Lethem. But if you were around NYC in the '80s, you might know him by a few other names.
As KEO, he became an all-city graffiti writer and as Lord Scotch, he became a lyrical mainstay of Brooklyn ciphers. Whatever you call him, Blake (who is also the brother of famed author Jonathan Lethem) was one of the earliest white people to make a name for himself in NYC's thriving hip-hop scene. Even MC Serch had this to say about him: "He was the cool white boy...Rapping, always looking fresh in Wallabees or whatever. New clothes. He was that dude. He used to clown me, to be honest, but I respected the shit out of Blake."