Biography

Rammellzee was an American artist known for his graffiti and mixed-media sculptures. His self-titled Gothic Futurism style was distinguished by its bright colors and barbed letters, as well as its symbolic campaign against standardization. “The idea is to read this stuff, for humans to have something to read, not just blow them away,” he explained of his work. Born in 1960 in Queens, NY, his self-given name is an esoteric derivation from a math equation. He first began tagging subway cars during the late 1970s and was featured in Charlie Ahearn’s 1982 movie Wild Style. Rammellzee went on to release the hip-hop single “Beat Bop” with K-Rob in 1983, and exhibited alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. In the decades that followed, the artist continued to produce experimental music, costume-like sculptures, and spray painted works. In 2004, he collaborated with the design brand Supreme to create what some consider their most intriguing, a release of 20 hand painted backpacks. The artist died on June 27, 2010 in New York, NY.