Daniel "Chaka" Ramos (born August 27, 1972, in Los Angeles) is one of the most prolific American graffiti artists of the late 20th century. Using a technique called bombing, Ramos was responsible for the "CHAKA" tags that began to appear throughout the state of California during the late 1980's and early 1990's. Ramos acquired the moniker in 1980 from his friends while living in the Aliso Village Housing Projects in Boyle Heights. The name was derived from the name of the proto-human "Cha-Ka" (played by actor

Philip Paley Phillip Paley (born September 15, 1963) is an American actor known for playing the role of Cha-Ka in the 1974 American television series ''Land of the Lost''. Born in Los Angeles, California, Paley began his acting career at age ten on the cult ...

) from the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series ''Land of the Lost''. In November 1990, Ramos was arrested after tagging on a Lincoln Heights traffic light three months after his 18th birthday. He subsequently pleaded guilty to 10 counts of vandalism, and was sentenced to three years probation and 1,560 hours of community service. Authorities in Los Angeles identified approximately 10,000 unique tags bearing the moniker on various surfaces of public and private property — including walls, bridges, freeway signs and lampposts — done primarily through the use of spray paint. The graffiti caused an estimated one million dollars in property damage. Only 24 hours after being released from jail on probation, he was arrested again for allegedly scrawling his name on a courthouse elevator door."Chaka, long-lost L.A. tagger-artist, to have first legit art show"
Mike Boehm, March 28, 2009, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' In the music video for the song " Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana,

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

's drum kit can be seen with the word "CHAKA" written on it in white lettering. It is alleged that just before the video was filmed, Dave saw the ubiquitous "CHAKA" tag while driving from Seattle to California and decided to decorate his drums with it. Ramos still resides in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He hosted his first legitimate solo art show in April 2009 and continues to produce art.

References

1972 births American male criminals Living people American graffiti artists People from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles {{crime-bio-stub