In the midst of tragedy, the passing of crew member Nazon “Kep” Simmons,
the legendary 90's era Chicago graffiti crew has reunited. In the days
following the funeral, a message board was set up as a place where crew
members, many now dispersed throughout the country, could discuss the
loss. The reunion of the crew, sparked discussion of new collaborations.
Collaborative murals, music compilations, gallery exhibitions and an art
book were all discussed, but t-shirts were agreed upon by all to be the
best first project.
"T-shirts are something we always talked about doing
back in the day. The crew has always been very deep talent wise, but
nobody ever had the funds to get it going. Now that everybody is working
in the real world, we could all put up a little money to make it happen.
I'm sure Kep would be proud that he brought us together and sparked our
creativity one more time."> said Dan Ezra Lang a member of the Three Hearts
Club. It's was agreed that a percentage of all the profits from the sales
generated from the t-shirt line and future projects will go directly to
the fallen crew members family.
Most of the crew submitted designs for the first batch of t-shirts. From
the 46 designs submitted, 5 were chosen, via public voting on the Three
Hearts Club flickr page
THC_ FLICKRThe batch of shirts feature a diverse group of designs by Chicago graffiti
legends, Love One, Chris Silva, Dan Ezra Lang, Dave Israel Cuesta and
Anthony Lewellen. The selection is authentically urban, unquestionably
original and has the look and feel that has built the reputation of the
crew.
The Three Hearts Club (also know as The Hash Crew) was formed in 1990 by
dj and music producer Fred Ones while at the School of the Art institute
of Chicago. THC has continued to expand it's roster and boasts one of the
most diverse list of members in the history of Chicago graffiti. The crew
is known for it's ability to mix classic graffiti style with a looser,
more abstract visual language.
“There is no question that the wide
spectrum of influences and approaches within the crew is one it's greatest
strengths. Everyone brings something to the table and we're all pretty
laid back in general... one of the few crews with a more self-deprecating
approach. In the crew there are fine artists, graffiti artists, comic
artists, art directors, designers, musicians, dj's...even a reverend
doctor, but there are no hard lines drawn, all these elements overlap and
that's clear in this first run of shirts." said Anthony Lewellen.
The t-shirts will be available at the newly launched
bopzink.com and
select midwest retailers.
For other crew related goodies check out:
threeheartsclub.com/The Highest Calling, Be Golden!
