Image via Complex Original
Graffiti can be anywhere—on buildings, bridges, and any other surfaces people can reach. Celebrities, fancying themselves to be the visual artists that they (sometimes) are, have recently been trying their hand at graffiti, despite the legal issues that typically follow practicing it. Although it's nice to see celebrities get out of their comfort zones (and day jobs), some of them should probably stick to their natural strengths.
Surprisingly, some of these singers and actors picked up a spray can and were surprisingly good at it. Check out 12 Celebrities Who Have Taken Up Graffiti.
Justin Bieber
Last year, Justin Bieber got a little carried away with his attempts to do graffiti. However, it did get to the point where an anthropologist said that he had sparked a graffiti revolution across Colombia. After unfairly being allowed by Colombian police to spray questionable images in Bogotá, outraged Colombian street artists took to the wall and created over 700 pieces. He sprayed “Free Breezy” on a wall in addition to what looked like a Sambo portrait. It was a troubling time for anyone with respect for the art of graffiti to watch, but thankfully it's all over now.
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne found an unorthodox break-up coping mechanism that included street art with…Justin Bieber. Surprise, surprise. After her fallout with fiancé Matthew Mosshart, she and Bieber took to the streets and spray painted bubbly images on a wall. She posted a photo to Instagram, saying she was now a Belieber. Granted she just “did the horns,” she seemed to really enjoy herself and her supposedly street-savvy coach.
Macklemore
Macklemore has been uploading relatively Cubist spray painted creations onto social media lately. After being invited to graffiti a wall outside the Bernard Shaw Irish bar, he dipped into the seemingly growing celebrity-graffiti-then-Instragram trend. He painted a disembodied head then signed it with the date.
Jim Carrey
In 2011, actor and comedian Jim Carrey was found spraypainting the outside of his art studio in the West Village after New York officials decided to paint over his original graffiti. Carey stenciled a figure of what he calls “Baba” (a mischevious deity) on to the wall, surrounded by colors. He finished off the mural with the initials “F.F.C.,” which stand for “Freedom From Concern.” He later took to Twitter to tell followers that he dubbed his art studio, “The Church of FFC.” His art studio officially opened for public viewing in 2011.
John Cusack
Supposedly John Cusack has been tagging his name in the streets (but mainly in Vancouver). Not only that, he has given himself the name “Cusack Shakur” and has allegedly created an Instagram with that handle. Cusack denies ownership of the Instagram account and all spray painting activity via Twitter but admits that some of the Photoshopped photos of Macaulay Culkin posted on the 'gram were made by him, and that he has done some graffiti work with artist friend David Choe. There has been no clear confirmation about whether or not this is really him. Either way, it's pretty darn awesome.
Chris Brown
Chris Brown has received a lot of heat for his graffiti. First, his neighbors complained about the graffiti in front of his house, and then last year, his girlfriend Karrueche posted a photo on Instagram showing Brown's spray painted work on her Porsche. Brown sold his graffiti-filled house this year, but we're sure his artwork isn't going to stop anytime soon.
David Arquette
Actor David Arquette is actually an awesome graffiti artist. He got into graffiti in the early '80s after watching the documentary Wild Style. Arquette has been doing art ever since then and says it's a way for him to express himself and be creative. He spray painted a mural for Los Angeles' Piece Fest in 2012.
Fat Joe
Fat Joe is an original TATS CRU member, a group of Bronx-based graffiti artists turned professional muralists, and goes by the name CRACK. In 2012, he showed off some of his graffiti skills at Lil Wayne's house in Miami by tagging his graffiti name in pink. He also tagged the TATS CRU mockup subway car during a summer barbecue this year. Both murals were of his name CRACK, and he proudly showed them off via social media.
Mark Zuckerburg
Although it wasn't much, Mark Zuckerburg added some of his own graffiti to the Facebook headquarters in San Francisco. You can't tell now, but the right eye of that blue man was previously a stick figure spray painted by Zuckerburg himself. Artist David Choe made some alterations to make it more than just a stick figure raising his arm.
Kreayshawn
Oakland-based rapper and music video director Kreayshawn has been involved in the music industry and in creative endeavors for a while now, including graffiti. At age 17, she was filming music videos for artists like Lil B and scored a record deal with Columbia Records in 2011 after becoming an Internet sensation.
Travie McCoy
Before a show in Amsterdam in 2010, rapper Travie McCoy was in Berlin and decided to tag the Berlin Wall. After spray painting blue letters onto its surface, he showed it off on Twitter with a photo. Shortly after the incident, McCoy was arrested but later released on bail. Yes, he still made it to his Amsterdam show.
Tyler the Creator
In a YouTube video, Tyler the Creator spray paints white walls with other members of Odd Future. Although they are all tagging the bare walls, it seems as if Tyler is the only who goes beyond written words and obscenities. Tyler spray painted an upside down cross, with the popular “OFWGKTA” in the middle of it. He even accents the cross with black drizzles. #impressive
Action Bronson
Before his rapping career took off, Action Bronson was an avid graffiti artist. In an interview with Hip Hop DX, Bronson said that, “if it wasn't for graffiti, there wouldn't be any rap [for him].” Bronson is in the Queens-based Smart Crew and continues to do graffiti until now. “I do it all over the place. Give me a can now. I'll do something right now.” He has even left his mark in Melbourne and in South Africa.
Vic Mensa
Before the release of Innanetape, Chicago-based rapper Vic Mensa was decorating the streets of Chicago with spray paint cans. 21-year-old Mensa got into hip-hop through the graffiti and breaking before filling in the role of becoming an emcee. He would go with his friends and tag rooftops or trains.