10 of the Best Graffiti Writers in the World. Style Masters.
This list isn't exclusive, of course. There are plenty of other incredible artists out there that I could have chosen.
These 10 are pretty damned good though 
Dondi
The Style Master General.
One of the most influential writers of all time. The ultimate stylist.
Revok
My favorite of the LA style writers. I eat that West Coast style up and Revok has taken it all to an impossible extreme. So fresh.
(all revok photos courtesy flickr user anarchosyn)
Vulcan
(vulcan photo courtesy flickr user otherthings.
"The Style Messiah."
The stuff he did in the 80s is more complex and thought-provoking to me than 99.999% of the work done since. His photos in Spraycan Art (one reproduced below) are amongst my favorite pieces of all time.
Daim
The 3d master. Daim takes what, in the hands of some is basically a cheesy novelty style and brings it to the absolute top of the graffiti style game. Top notch color, form, design and draftsmanship.
photo courtesy flickr user Pasota.com
photo courtesy flickr user Harry Palmer
Doc/Arab
(photo credit to Doc himself. Swiped from myspace)
So much style.
Ces
(classic vet and ces halloween wall courtesy flickr user dmax3270)
The classic wild style practitioner. Very influential.
Bates
For my money, the best style writer in the world today. At a time when many people literally paint the same outline dozens or even hundreds of times and just change up the colors, Bates paints a different style pretty much every time. If you're a writer, know one thing: Bates can probably do your style better than you.
Delta
One of the most unique styles in graffiti, Dutch old school legend Delta takes his industrial design background and applies it to the letter form in wildly creative ways.
(photo credits to … you guessed it … my hard drive*)
Dream TDK
RIP
One of the first West Coast writers that really impressed me when I was younger. He had a really smooth classic style. People doing 500 color "burners" could learn a lot by looking at Dream's letters.
REAS
Reas is, for my money, the best practitioner of that funky AOK/RIS style that basically took over graffiti a few years ago. So fresh, crazy influential and as Todd James, one of the top 'writer makes good stories" ever.
Photo credits are noted where possible. A lot of these are just pulled from my hard drive (and therefore originally pulled off the net), so if you see an image here that's yours and you want it pulled or just want me to properly credit you, please just let me know.
alex Says:
Not a bad list but I definitely would have added Cycle, Espo, Tracy 168, Twist and a couple of others in the top ten.
Posted: July 27th, 2008 at 11:03 am
rob Says:
cycle is imok, so I didn't want to look like I was playing favorites… lol. he's super fresh.
Posted: July 27th, 2008 at 11:33 am
David Cancel Says:
Need one on top "all city" bombers. Like JA, Cope2, Cost, etc.
Posted: July 27th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Tom OKeefe Says:
Nice list Rob.
Posted: July 27th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
NOW Says:
KOSIONE LOOMIT EWOK TASSO SEEN?
TOO MANY TO PICK 10!
But Thank you!
-NOW
weareallone.tv
Posted: July 28th, 2008 at 1:07 am
rob Says:
"TOO MANY TO PICK 10!"
Exactly!
Posted: July 28th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Dan Semy Says:
I'd add Wane, Revs and T-Kid but it's a fine list nonetheless.
Posted: July 28th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Necro Says:
weres sane smith cmon
Posted: August 2nd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Solar Says:
SABER!! wtf!
definetley over a couple of the old school ones
overall nice choices
Posted: August 18th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
NYC GRAFFITI ART Says:
I THINK YOU FORGOT COPE2 WEST METRO GHOST KET
CES FX
Posted: August 18th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
rob Says:
@NYC GRAFFITI ART
Definitely didn't forget those guys. GHOST vs. REAS was one pairing I thought a lot about. WEST is insanely good too. There are just so many fresh writers to choose form I had to just choose… I'll debate this list internally for a while.
@solar Again it was SABER vs. REVOK and I went with REVOK. It's probably because we both have names that start with RE, but his stuff appeals to me just a little more than SABER. SABER is super fresh.
Posted: August 24th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
DADDYRAWBUCKS Says:
NO PHASE TWO NO STYLE MASTERS. PERIOD END OF STORY. AND NO DISS TO BATES BUT 99.9% OF WHAT HE DOES IS EVERYONE ELSES STYLE!!! GHOST??? BE SERIOUS.
Posted: October 1st, 2008 at 8:38 pm
rob Says:
PHASE2 could have a post of his own, no doubt. I definitely didn't mean to diminish PHASE2's contribution to style by omitting him in this list. This isn't the top ten. It's just ten out of many.
I think GHOST is fresh. I know some people are never going to like that style, but to me GHOST is 100% fresh.
BATES, yeah, he does "everyone else's style," but half the time he does them better…
Posted: October 1st, 2008 at 8:57 pm
DADDYRAWBUCKS Says:
ROB YOU'S A COOL GUY NO DOUBT. YEAH TECHNICALLY WE CAN "DEBATE" STYLE FOREVER.BUT MASTERING STYLE IS ABOUT INNOVATION CREATIVITY AND BURNING. BURNING AMONGS THE BEST INNOVATORS AND ORIGINALS IN A CERTAIN RESPECT.
AND IN A BATTLE AGAINST THE BEST OF SUCH A LOT A FEW OF THESE GUYS WOULDN'T STAND A CHANCE.TEHY WOULD GET PUMMELED. ALONG WITH THE PHANTOM.
ANOTHER THING THAT PEOPLE CURRENTLY SLEEP ON IS THAT A LOT OF THESE TECHNICALLY CORRECT COMPUTER ARCHITECT ART SCHOOL DO IT BY THE BOOK TYPES THAT MAY HAVE THE SKILLS HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO SOUL.
FROM A HARDCORE STYLE FREAKS PERSPECTIVE IF YOUR STYLE ISN'T COMING FROM OUT OF YOUR MIND, BE IT FLIPPING WHAT INFLUENCES YOU TO ANOTHER LEVEL OR JUST COMING FROM NO FIELD WITH SOMETHING THAT'S THE TRUEST DEGREE OF STYLE. BEYOND STANDARDS.
IF YOU ARE FLIPPING SWITCHES TO "CREATE" THAT AND THEN SIMPLY TAKE YOUR LITTLE COPY TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON IT, OKAY THE
END RESULT IS SOMETHING BUT WHAT ARE THEY REALLY CREATING INNOVATING OR BRINGING TO THE TABLE ON A NEW FOUND TIP??
YOU HAVE BUMS WHO ARE BETTER (IN THE MINDS OF THE BLIND) THAN THE NEXT BUM WHO PEOPLE PUT ON A PEDESTAL BECAUSE ONE OF A FEW THINGS.THEY CAN'T DO IT AND THERE'S NO ONE AROUND BETTER THAN THE BUMS…ETC SO DA BUMS A CHAMP.
STANDARDS OF STYLE HAVE DIMINISHED OVER THE YEARS. PEOPLE CAN LIKE WHAT THEY LIKE. LIKE LOVING WEAK RAP. WHEN IT'S OBVIOUS WHAT THE EXQUISITE STUFF IS. SOULJA BOY?? OKAY WE LOVE YOU BRA. BUT RAKIM HE WILL NEVER BE. LOVING HIM IS NEVER GOING TO MAKE HIM THE CREME OF THE CROP WHEN IT COMES TO THE FACTS.
OPINIONS DON'T KNOCK PEOPLE AND OUT PUNCHES DO. IT'S MATH.
THIS ISN'T A DEBATE THOUGH. JUST WANT TO MAKE A POINT. SOME OF THESE CATS COULD PROBABLY HOLD ONE ANOTHER TO A STANDSTILL NO DOUBT. BUT THEM BASIC TYPES NEXT TO A REVOK OR VULCAN?? THAT'S CHAPPELLE!!!PEACE!!!
Posted: October 2nd, 2008 at 7:45 pm
DADDYRAWBUCKS Says:
DANG MY SPELLING!!!
Posted: October 2nd, 2008 at 7:46 pm
poopsicles Says:
instead of revok, put Skill UTI
Posted: October 19th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
LAX-ONE Says:
deam ang dream are my heros ma dream cause he made it happen in the bay deam cause his style and the way he does all the crasy 3d
Posted: October 20th, 2008 at 2:35 am
GANXTA-BOY Says:
REVOKE NIKKA LA'S GRATEST ..
Posted: October 22nd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
CODE OF DA STREETS Says:
YALL ARE BUGGING OUT.HERE IS YOUR TOP TEN….
10.DOC
9.WEST
8.MITCH
7.DUSTER
6.SEEN
5.DOZE
4.T-KID
3.SKEME
2.TACK
1.DONDI
ENUFF SAID…LET IT BE KNOWN
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 12:47 am