VERBS was friends with pretty much everyone in graffiti I was friends with.
The internet said the Cleveland writer passed away this week.
In his graffiti career that starts in the 90’s, VERB was affiliated with IOK, HBT, BHS, RA, HTM and PBJ. VERBS repped BSA during Mane’s years.
VERBS was painting some really dope pieces with HTM recently.
VERBS could speak Cleveland punk, and recite deceased Columbus’ creative Camu Tao’s lyrics. VERB took his writing seriously, but had this East Coast meets Midwest Cleveland notion of humor.
VERBS was the first writer I saw tag roadkill. If you’ve walked the tracks, then you’ve looked for things to tag. You’ve also seen roadkill.
While I’m vegan, I did find innovation the second I saw a VERBS tag on a deer next to a rural traintrack. I’ve talked to writers who talked to Verbs at 216 Vegan Hardcore Shows. Vegan punks, and traintracks. This was a world we lived in. A few months later, photographs of other midwest writers’ tags on roadkill started appearing in graffiti media. This isn’t to say VERBS invented tagging roadkill. I don’t even know if it’s called roadkill if a train is involved. VERBS was part of simple commentary regarding the midwest environment graffiti writers spent hours in while freights became dominant during graffiti expansion from the New York transit roots. This could conjure thoughts of the development of our country, and lifeforms’ existences while walking the tracks and internalizing the differences between trees and factories.
VERBS was the dude who always had your back in fight. VERBS could write his name. VERBS pieces always were representive of the idea of graffiti.
VERBS was a quintessential Midwest graffiti writer, hardcore punk bboy, hip hop jukie, and a friend.
