August 14, 2011

Jeffrey “Kase2″ Brown, an early New York subway graffiti writer and pioneer of wildstyle, died of cancer Saturday, August 13, at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, according to a Tweet by his friend and fellow graffiti artist, DJ Kay Slay.

Kase 2 gained recognition during the early 80s, for popularizing his patented “computer” style, a form of wildstyle where the letters are essentially broken into boxes and scrambled. He was also admired by many graffiti artists for his high level of productivity, despite the fact that he lost his right arm in an accident.

“He always had perception as to what was next,” wrote graffiti artist Phade, a friend of Kase 2, in an online tribute to Kase’s memory.  “He is truly the ‘King of Style.’”

He was featured prominently in the movie “Style Wars,” a documentary film that examined graffiti art in New York during the 80s. “Style Wars” was broadcasted on PBS during that time, and is credited with spreading graffiti art all over the world. Because of this, Kase 2 was given a large amount of recognition, and was still one of the most well-known writers at the time of his death.

By late Saturday, an “RIP Case 2” (Kase also spelled his name with a “c”) thread had appeared on 12ozprophet.com, a popular graffiti-related forum. Additionally, several writers and fans of Kase’s expressed their condolensces on Twitter, and through other online media.

Kase 2 (left), and DJ Kay Slay aka Dez, (right) during the shooting of "Style Wars"

A Kase 2 piece

A Kase 2 piece, on a New York Subway car.