To me, Ramm:Ell:Zee was the most pioneering artist to have ever picked up a can of paint. And he stopped writing graffiti long before many of us even started. From his seminal opus Beatbop, to his cameo appearances in Wildstyle and Stylewars, through to his teachings of Gothic Futurism and Ikonoklast Panzerism – he was a true inspiration. I even liked the Gettovetts album he did with Bill Laswell.
Going against the advice, you should never meet your heroes, I felt blessed to meet Ramm:Ell:Zee at one of his concerts with New Flesh back in 2001, which was not long after I’d read his Ionic Treatise. He explained that it wasn’t important what wildstyle lettering looked like from the front, but what it looked like from the back that counts. Word. Here’s a few photos I took that night – with and without his Crux The Monk costume.
Ramm:Ell:Zee Rest In Peace. You will be truly missed.
Download the Ramm:Ell:Zee half hour tribute mix here – courtesy of Johnny Dett.