One of the first people to have their name all over the five boroughs says that in the early days, there was no spray paint!

Some graffiti writers have claimed to have been tagging up the streets since the mid to late 60s, which is something that graf legend Snake 1 didn’t even exist.

Writing your name on your desk at school or in your notebook doesn’t count,” says the experienced native New Yorker about those far reaching claims. I started in ’70 along with TAKI 183, STITCH and all those guys. By 1975, I was done and I never wrote again.”
-Snake 1

Snake 1 is one of the originators of the graf world’s famed “Writer’s Bench”, a collective of artists dedicated to curating the history and influence of NYC graffiti culture around the globe.

Check out some of Snake’s legendary pieces below.

-Sha Be Allah(@kingpenstatus)