Tats Cru

In every aspect of life whether it be arts, athletics or science there is always one or more individuals that start off like everybody else around them but end up standing above due to exceptional talent, hard work or even a combination of the two. The Tats Cru is a very good example of this paradigm in the realm of street artists. It all started during the early 80’s when New York City witnessed the explosion of graffiti sweeping through the whole town like a twister. As more and more writers kept popping all over, on the northern side near the Bronx area the work of 3 kids blasting subway trains would end up leaving its mark on American street art for good.

Starting off as plain graffiti artists, the members of the TATS Cru would take the next step by eventually specializing, and developing their own personal style, in the creation of murals. For those of you who don’t know, murals are big wall pieces created in memory of people who have passed away, both public figures and everyday people, a sight which is quite frequent in city streets all around the US. As years went by the crew’s size and rep kept growing earning the respect of their peers for their work which was usually praised due to the level of detail and control they exerted over each piece they created. Their talent was their ticket to profit since their work caught the attention of big brands such as Coca Cola and Sony who came up with business proposals, but it was also the same reason why they ended up being recipients of heavy criticism on the street, as some people viewed this as a way of them abandoning the true nature of their craft in order to make money. The reason I learned about their work was their contribution to a marketing campaign created for NAS some years ago, which is also featured on a documentary called “Tats Cru: The Mural Kings” including interviews from crew members such as SEN2 and BG183, as well as rare photographs that unfold the story behind the crew’s work and lifestyle that spans almost over 3 decades.