Skeme was born in Bronx, New York, in 1964 and lived there for up to five years old when the family moved to Harlem, Manhattan.During his teenage years, he came in contact with all the free art that covered the New York metropolitan area.Skeme began writing graffiti in mid-1978 but he hasn’t “made” his first train until 1980. When he was fifteen years he got the “past level” and adorned with his graffiti 1, 2, 3, 4,5, To, CC, D, E, F, Jlinesand M of the MTA subway system in New York.The passing of his pieces through the many subway lines that run through the five boroughs of New York has become known as the “All City” [throughout the city], a success achieved by very few artists.Skeme was famous for his “bombing”, a kind ofinteriorwriting with a unique and sophisticated style that has become one of the most recognizable “single hit tags” in the history of graffiti.Over relatively short two years, he has been able to cover the exterior of trains with more than 100 works of graffiti.Skeme’s pieces go trough  fromcomplex“simple silver” to elaborate “wild style burners” to  “whole car” [wagonloads]productions.At sixteen, Skeme was the undisputed king of lines 1 and 3, due to the predominance of his masterpieces  traveling alongtrains.Skeme had the honor to create works of art with some of the most important artists of graffiti, including: Phase 2, Chain 3, Kool 131, Tean 5, Kade 198, Smily 149 (RIP), Dez, Part 1, Kase 2 (RIP), EN005 (RIP) and Daze.He was a member of some of the crew recognized as the most famous: TMT, TNT, TDS, INDS, TED, and 3YB.Skeme has achieved the fame with his mother after appearing in a documentary about Graffiti and Hip Hop, called “Style Wars”, by Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver.He remember how one of his greatest glory moment when the pioneer and legend of Graff Phase 2 (INDS) ask for his help to achieve the famous wagon “TUFF CITY”.Skeme consider itself as a letteringpurist and he traces his style to the crew Phase 2 – INDS, Riff 170 -INDS, Chain 3- TDS / TMT, Kool 131 – TDS, and Kade 198 – TMT.Skeme Graff carreer was cut short when his mother gave him the ultimatum to fall into line or leave home.The temptations of the metropolis was too strong for him and his mother forced him to present himself at the center of the US military recruits where he joined the army at the age of seventeen.In the fall of 1982 Skeme joined the army and served in various parts of the world, including Vicenza where he served as a paratrooper.Skeme returned to his homeland in 2010 after 28 years of service to find out that not only graffiti art was still widespread, but that was flourishing as never before.Although during the military life he painted only in few occasions, his interest in graffiti has never ceased, and soon he resumed the activity having discovered through the internet thousands of new works of graffiti spread worldwide.

Original photos of Martha Cooper.

Fanzine graphic design and interview by Varsi Art & Lab.

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