WAGE123

I started writing WAGE in 1996 when I was just a lil kid. Some older guys told me it was a good name so I ran with it. I’m from Savannah Georgia and Atlanta Georgia. The writers who’s style I admired were EASE IHS, Chase UCA, SBONE(N), BASE(N), Daks(N), LEON, YEN34, TYME and METR, Felon, and of course REAS, GHOST, SENTO, and Martha and Henry’s photography.

Ease had pieces in Savannah & Atlanta and they had a huge impact on me-his style seems so effortless. One of the best to ever do it.

When I got up to Atlanta in the early 2000s I studied the walls of the Network Crew. We’re talking FUNK for miles. Colorful, vibrant pieces that seemed to dance right off the wall and into yer brain. When I met SB he was very encouraging and that stuck with me and I’ll never forget it. To this day I think I’m still just trying to impress him. I got to see CHASE UCA and Leon pieces in person and I consider myself extremely fortunate because they are mostly all gone these days. Chase has also given me encouragement and that has meant the world to me too. I’ve recently gotten to paint a couple with BASE which was very cool because there is a lot of his influence in my style. Daks has one of the most recognizable styles and he’s got the longevity. He has created a lane for himself and stayed relevant since the 90s. A true Atlanta representative. I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from the Atlanta Network Crew. I was mostly shaped by Southern graffiti from Miami to Atlanta but also a couple guys from the DC area that landed in Savannah, Tyme & Metr. These dudes were just a few years older than me but I was only 16 when I met them. METR hooked me up with a very old dubbed VHS copy of Style Wars and showed me his black book with FELON BA in it. That also had a huge impact on me. Tyme and Met had a scrappy, funky style which I can definitely see in my stuff. Yen34 I used to see in Life Sucks Die magazine and of course on freights and I just love his whole style. I decided to put the 123 after my name because I had heard about another WAGE and I always loved the old school graffiti where people put their street numbers after their name and I figured fuck it I’m WAGE 1,2, and 3. I’ve had some legal troubles and some substance issues but once I got sober and off all my paperwork I decided to go for it and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. I have to mention my homies Resting In Paradise Taiko/TOES and DRUE. I’ll keep putting you up and representing THAT NOSTALGIC AESTHETIC.

I’d also like to shout out My Sister for all her influence over the years, and CCR, Pink Floyd, and Parliament-Funkadelic for the inspiration!

And shout out to my NHB homies ACHES, SAUCE, and HEAR …and also- Gutso, Vayne, Knife, Tester, and Stack.