The painting occupies two huge murals in the 14th street between 6th and 7th and is dedicated to hip hop – both old and new school.
This is part of an independent project by the artists.
Os Gemeos Double Mural pays Tribute to Hip Hop and New York, 2017
Credits
Os Gemeos, Portuguese for The Twins, are graffiti and street artists who are identical twin brothers Otavio Pandolfo and Gustavo Pandolfo. They started painting graffiti in 1987 and gradually became a main influence in the local scene, helping to define Brazil’s style.
Os Gemeos have painted all over the world and are considered two of the most influential street artists within the scene. They have painted in the big city before, however in recent years two of their murals, B-Boy mural on 2nd Avenue, and the original graffiti wall slab at East Houston and the Bowery have been covered up.
So the twins have returned with a double mural! The two side walls on 14th Street were left exposed after a recent building demolition, and the twins jumped on this opportunity to paint a confrontational dialogue.
Their graffiti style is influenced by Brazilian culture and traditional hip hop style.
With the two walls facing each other they decided to pay homage to the breaking battles that took place on the streets of New York in the 1980s.
With referencing to all things old school the twins painted b-boys and b-girls with Ghetto blasters, playing tribute to James Brown and Kuriaki, from Rock Steady Crew.
Another Rock Steady Crew tribute sees Frosty Freeze, on one of the b-boy’s cap.
They paint breakers in tracksuits, converse, and Glide Master (unbelievable fist glides) medallions …
Plus a shirt with a Dondi tribute, taken from a photograph captured by photojournalist legend Martha Cooper.
There is also a denim jacket feature by Todd James, who started tagging the New York City Subway system under the name REAS when he was very young.
The murals took nearly a month to paint and the final composition brings Os Gemeos and the hip hop murals back to the top position.