Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a drawing by Kase2. It dates from 1979 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1979 by Jeff Brown, known as Kase2, this drawing is a spontaneous composition executed in felt-tip pen on paper. It belongs to the early wave of New York City street-based mark-making that emerged alongside hip-hop culture. The work captures the immediacy and informal energy of urban youth expression, using accessible materials to assert identity in public and private spaces alike.
Subject & Meaning
Surrounding elements—stars, circles, a checkered flag, and a cartoonish figure wearing sunglasses—function as personal symbols rather than narrative scenes.
The central focus is the artist’s tag, 'KASE2,' rendered in dynamic, overlapping letters with a pseudo-3D effect. Surrounding elements—stars, circles, a checkered flag, and a cartoonish figure wearing sunglasses—function as personal symbols rather than narrative scenes. The speech bubble’s cryptic phrase, 'Kool Kid da Man is too kool for any kool do rock on my yellows,' reflects the coded, playful language common among graffiti writers of the era, signaling affiliation and attitude.
Technique & Style
Felt-tip pens enabled bold, saturated lines with minimal blending, giving the piece a sharp, urgent quality. The forms are loosely constructed, with uneven contours and layered scribbles that suggest rapid execution. Background textures—doodles, bubbles, and hatched fills—create visual density without depth, emphasizing surface energy over realism. The style prioritizes legibility of the tag while embracing chaotic embellishment as an extension of personal signature.
History & Provenance
This work originates from Kase2’s personal sketchbook or street documentation during the late 1970s, a period when graffiti writers began compiling their tags in private notebooks alongside public wall pieces. Its survival as a paper artifact is uncommon, as most early graffiti was ephemeral. The drawing likely served as both practice and archive, preserving the artist’s evolving style before wider recognition of street art as a cultural form.
Context
Emerging from the Bronx and Manhattan neighborhoods, Kase2’s work reflects the conditions of urban marginalization and creative resourcefulness in 1970s New York. With limited access to traditional art spaces, young artists turned to subway cars, walls, and paper as canvases. This drawing aligns with a broader movement where visual expression, music, and dance coalesced into a new cultural identity, rooted in local communities and self-representation.
Legacy
Kase2’s drawings helped establish the visual grammar of graffiti as a legitimate form of artistic communication. Though not widely exhibited during his lifetime, his work influenced later generations of street artists and designers who recognized the aesthetic rigor within spontaneous urban marks. This piece stands as a document of individual voice within a collective cultural shift, preserving the raw creativity of a movement that redefined public art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Kase2 (December 12, 1958 – August 14, 2011), also known as King Kase2 and Case2; born Jeff Brown, was a graffiti writer and a significant contributor to the hip-hop movement.
