all-city adj. especially among graffiti writers, citywide. In the phrase go all-city, to emblazon a tag or message throughout an urban area. Editorial Note: A related term is the verb king. Thanks to Barry Popik for his work on the term. (source:...
aerosol graffiti n.— «Despite an increase in graffiti arrests, the battle is far from over, and now there may be a new fight ahead. Graffiti in Hawaii is no longer limited to what’s called the aerosol-graffiti scene.» —“New type of...
toy n.— «The joke’s apparently on Andy, because the guys who got busted are what’s known as “toys” in the world of graffiti artistry. That is, they aren’t even respected by “serious” graffitists, the majority of...
cipher n.— «The “Emcee Cypher,” also spelled cipher, is a chance for DJs/producers to showcase their skills while simultaneously enticing a group to create a verbal collage. In hip-hop parlance, cipher refers to something like...
get up v. phr.— «It is this desire to get known, or “get up” all over town to become “all city” that motivates tagging, which is probably the most visible form of graffiti in the city of Grand Rapids...
piecer n.— «The biographical blurbs written by Mr. Martinez for the veteran graffiti artists in the show are not the kind of restrained prose usually found in the gallery world or a classroom. One artist, Case 2, is described as “a...