Lava Aka Straightman

Short Biography

Lava 1 and 2 aka StraightManOn the 40th Anniversary of Hip-Hop, I was drawn to the idea of photographing characters that played a role in taking gang culture into the 21t century and a larger consolidated movement of subcultures. Luckily I know Charlie Watt of Hip-HopBX101.com, local historian and documentarian who was not only there when that transition happened, but knows many of the non-celebrated players who created something from nothing, and introduced me to Lava. Lava, aka Straightman is an original Black Spade and current member of the Zulu Nation. Here are some portraits taken in the Bronx this past September. He was writing on the walls long before there was an industry selling it back to the people. He even started writing Lava 1 and 2 so that others didn’t take his name without his knowledge. He is also very well known for creating flyers for jams that are now collectors items. Currently, Lava is a fixture in the Hip-Hop community in NYC while working on pieces and curating graffiti shows throughout the world. Enjoy.[Source: