Twenty-four years ago, three Bronx teenagers began to deface buildings and subway trains and bridges with spraypaint, often tagging them with names like BIO, How and Nosm.
Today the “TatsCru” has grown into the Bronx’s leading practitioner of “aerosol art”, representing New York City in a competition at the Smithsonian Museum.
Gaining international recognition with assignments for recording artists like Missy Elliot, Nas, Big Pun and Nelly, TatsCru began working with corporate food clients like McDonalds, Snapple, Coca Cola and M&M’s candy. You may remember the mural they did for the BigPun rally back in April.
They’ve done it again, painting over that mural with a new one in support of Nicole Rodriguez, BigPun’s sister, and her Mother in their quest to rename Rogers and 163rd BigPunPlace.
They’ve also created original art for Bronx based promotional campaigns for the HUMMER H3, British Petroleum, Sony and Tommy Hilfiger.
While riding around on my bicycle last weekend I found this painted-over mural, at the intersection of Barretto and Garrison.
A quick websearch for “TatsCruBaretto&Garrison” and this came up, taken before it was covered:
I found that photo here:
http://boogiedowner.blogspot.com/2011/02/boogiedowner-street-art-graffiti-art-in.html
So this one is gone but TatsCru work can be found all over the Bronx, often in memorial of fallen “street soldiers” who have met violent or early demise.
They’ve even been invited as special guests to make presentations at Hunter College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cortlandt University.
Graffiti’s come a long way.
Yeah baby.
