Michael "Iz the Wiz" Martin (November 8, 1958 – June 17, 2009, aged 50) was one of the most prominent

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

writers of the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

graffiti movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Biography

Martin was from the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

borough of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, a Rockaway Beach native. Beginning in 1972, he became a long reigning All-City king of

, known primarily for his quick, simple two letter tag, 'IZ'. IZ represented a new breed of fame-obsessed writers concerned with finding the perfect balance between quantity and quality. He also wrote "CI" (for Crazy IZ), and "Ike", (short for Mike). He rolled with few crews, the most notable being TMB (The Master Blasters), RTW (Rolling Thunder Writers), and TPA (The Public Animals). He wrote graffiti on every train line in New York City. IZ was also prominently featured in the 1983 documentary ''

Style Wars ''Style Wars'' is an American 1983 documentary film on hip hop culture, directed by Tony Silver and produced in collaboration with Henry Chalfant. The film has an emphasis on graffiti, although bboying and rapping are covered to a lesser extent ...

''. IZ THE WIZ started writing with Evil 13 FI 1 and after going through a variety of names BENZ CLICK2 SCAT he wrote his name Mike then dropped The M and chose IKE327. He started to write IZ first with VINNY and in 1976 when the movie the Wiz cane out, the advertising posters on the subway stations stateD the Wiz is a Wow. So IZ thought if the wiz is a wow why can’t IZ be THE WIZ. So was born the name IZ THE WIZ. On September 29, 1990, Martin married Katherine M. Lucev, also from the Rockaways, in St. Rose of Lima Church in

Rockaway Beach, New York Rockaway Beach is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is bounded by Arverne to the east and Rockaway Park to the west. It is named for the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, which is the ...

. IZ was diagnosed with kidney failure in 1996 after years of using toxic aerosol products without any type of protective mask. In early 2000, in an interview for ''Style Wars revisited'', he commented that he would give up all his past fame for full health. In August 2003 he self-curated a solo gallery exhibition in New York City showcasing his legal artwork. IZ also had his art appear in video games such as '' Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure and The Warriors.'' His tag is also seen in the 1979 cult movie The Warriors. His work is also mentioned in Lauren Wilkinson (writer)'s book "American Spy" in a scene where the protagonist is walking down a NYC street covered by IZ tags. Martin died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on June 17, 2009 in Spring Hill, Florida.Iz the Wiz
- Daily Telegraph obituary

References

External links

Official WebsiteEarly Graffiti by Iz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iz The Wiz 1958 births 2009 deaths People from Queens, New York American graffiti artists 20th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American male artists