The 25 Greatest Philadelphia Graffiti Writers

Image via Complex Original

Compiled by Living Proof Magazine (www.livingproofmag.com) and The Infamous Mag (www.theinfamousmag.com) with help from CRE8 and BOND.

Philly handstyles are a tradition. The encrypted typography found on the streets of Brotherly Love read like folklore, traveling from generation to generation and telling the story of a city that, over the years, bred this entirely localized craft into a world-recognized form — basically, there’s a certain style that can be found only in Philly.

These top to bottom scrawlings detail a font family that varies from neighborhood to neighborhood and even street corner to street corner. That’s not to say everybody in Philly contributes to to the style dubbed the “wicked.” Years of practice, years of writing over and over and over again make it easy to spot the true style — the one that separates the Philly handstyle from the rest of the pack.

The origins trace all the way back to the godfather of graffiti — Cornbread. A simple writing of his name ignited the idea of rep in Philly. The evolution has seen many writers come and go, but the style continues to evolve thanks to the old heads teaching the young to pen their name in the angry, archaic, helter-skelter, wicked style that matches the attitude of the city more than any other style of graffiti in any city in the world.

The following list, which is in no particular order, documents the varieties of Philly handstyles. If you were left out, sorry! The massive amount of wickeds and handstyle tradition in this city make it difficult to pick just 25. We humbly present: The 25 Greatest Philly Graffiti Writers.

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25. SONER

After starting off with scratch tags on Septa, SONER has become the epitome Philly’s top to bottom style.

24. EXTRA

Even though it’s a little less wicked, EXTRA’s handstyle was all over the place in the mid-90s. Impossible to miss. Free EXTRA!

23. SAGA

Cryptic, quick, and downright angry, SAGA helped evolved the Philly handstyle into what it is today — flares and twists.

22. KAD

Able to move from style to style, hitting everything in between, KAD defines getting up in Philly.

21. LAZZ

Philly was never the same again after LAZZ came through with his style in the mid-90s and never looked back.

20. RAKAN

RAKAN turned some of the straightest and stiffest letters into a perfect example of the Philly style. Free RAKAN!

19. ASIA

ASIA’s style is just as tough and mean as the Kensington area of Philly where he earned his keep. The fades are still some of the best around.

18. PEKA

Coming up in the late-90s, PEKA helped make the Philly handstyle more anarchic and chaotic. 

17. ENAME

ENAME gave the Philly handstyle as we know it the recognition it flat-out deserves.

16. SES

The three letters in SES’s name give him all he needs to help define his own style. Free SES!

15. SCIE

Top to bottom at it’s finest, SCIE brings the long and lean game to Philly handstyles. Plus, his backwards throw was crazy.

14. ERN

No pun intended, ERN earned his rep with a classic style that’s got a Philly twist.

13. BATE

Thick and thin, straight and curved, BATE spent years on the streets of North Philly perfecting his writing style.

12. BMP

You always knew when BMP was out the night before because he would smash entire blocks through his routes.

11. COZY

In the early 90s, COZY became easily recognized with his own style.

10. DELTA

One of the old-school cats, DELTA’s style may seem simple, but it helped define Philly for yeas to come.

9. RERE

A Philly female that’s more fierce than Eve, RERE hangs with the big boys in the city.

8. RX

In a style that gets more encrypted with the more letters you’re writing, RX did it with just two. That’s impressive.

7. FAR

Moving to Philly from New York, and given the name FAR because of it, this cat hit some of the most traveled routes in the city.

6. TRUCK

TRUCK is an old-school cat that you can never count out. He’s been doing some nice routes recently.

5. CAEM

Besides having one of the cleanest hands that anyone can have, CAEM has been one of the most consistent writers out there.

4. DRAMA AGM

Writing from the late 90s and still hitting everything up today, DRAMA AGM is a master of all styles.

3. RASAN

First touching a wall in the early 80s, RASAN looks just as good with a fat cap as he does with a skinny.

2. SOBAD

Spreading out the wicked style, SOBAD has one of the cleanest styles out there. Without him, a lot of writers wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing.

1. AGUA

Everybody in Philly has got a story about AGUA. This cat brings a whole new meaning to the term infamous. Free AGUA!