Daniel "Chaka" Ramos (born August 27, 1972) is an American graffiti artist. He was responsible for the "CHAKA" tags that began to appear throughout the state of California during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[1] He has been described as one of the most profilic graffiti writers on the late 20th century.[2][3]
Daniel Ramos | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 27, 1972 |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Prolific tagging in the 1980s and 90s |
| Style | tag (graffiti) |
Ramos acquired the moniker in 1980 from his friends while living in the Aliso Village Housing Projects in Boyle Heights. The name was derived from the name of the proto-human "Cha-Ka" (played by actor Philip Paley) from the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series Land of the Lost. In November 1990, Ramos was arrested after tagging on a Lincoln Heights traffic light three months after his 18th birthday. He subsequently pleaded guilty to 10 counts of vandalism, and was sentenced to three years probation and 1,560 hours of community service.
Authorities in Los Angeles identified approximately 10,000 unique tags in "fat, loopy letters"[4] (although Ramos himself later claimed closer to 40,000[5]) bearing the moniker on various surfaces of public and private property — including walls, bridges, freeway signs and lampposts — done primarily through the use of spray paint. The graffiti caused an estimated one million dollars in property damage. Only 24 hours after being released from jail on probation, he was arrested again for allegedly scrawling his name on a courthouse elevator door.[6][7]
In the music video for the song "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, Dave Grohl's drum kit can be seen with the word "CHAKA" written on it in white lettering. It is alleged that just before the video was filmed, Dave saw the ubiquitous "CHAKA" tag while driving from Seattle to California and decided to decorate his drums with it.
Ramos still resides in Los Angeles. He hosted his first legitimate solo art show in April 2009 and continues to produce art.[6][8]
References
edit- ^ Pool, Bob (October 6, 1996). "Notorious Graffiti Vandal in Custody Again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ Alvarado, Tony “Bandit” (2021-08-25). Greenlight: California Prisons. Dorrance Publishing. ISBN 978-1-63661-169-3.
- ^ Bass, Randall (1999). Border Texts: Cultural Readings for Contemporary Writers. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-67728-5.
- ^ Gold, Herbert (1994). Bohemia: Digging the Roots of Cool. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-88608-0.
- ^ Vincent, Matthew (2010-10-01). [you] Ruined It for Everyone!: 101 People Who Screwed Things Up for the Rest of Us. Catapult. ISBN 978-1-59376-288-9.
- ^ a b "Chaka, long-lost L.A. tagger-artist, to have first legit art show" Mike Boehm, March 28, 2009, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Zamichow, Nora (September 11, 1994). "Notorious Tagger Days Are Behind Him, but Some Doubt His Sincerity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (April 24, 2009). "Chaka, from graffiti to gallery". Culture Monster. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
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