Ali (graffiti artist) facts for kids

Marc André Edmonds (born 1956 – died April 18, 1994) was an American artist and musician. He was also known by his graffiti name ALI and as J. Walter Negro. As ALI, he is famous for starting the 'Soul Artists' group and creating the idea of 'Zoo York'. As J. Walter Negro, he was the lead singer and songwriter for the early hip-hop group 'J. Walter Negro and the Loose Jointz'. They had a popular song in 1981 called "Shoot the Pump."

Marc Edmonds' Early Life and Art Career

Marc Edmonds was born in Manhattan in 1956. His father was African American and his mother was Cherokee. He went to public school in Upper West Side with other artists who would become famous, like SAMO (Jean-Michel Basquiat), Futura 2000 (Lenny McGurr), and COCA 82 (Pablo Calogero).

Starting Graffiti Art

ALI began writing his name on streets in 1970. With his younger brother Michael, he started an early graffiti group called The Underground (UND). A few years later, he founded The Soul Artists (SA). He became a respected artist on subway trains even before the "wildstyle" graffiti art became popular. ALI inspired other artists like BILROCK-161, who was part of SA and UND. BILROCK-161 started The Rolling Thunder Writers (RTW) in 1976. RTW became one of the most famous graffiti groups in the New York City Subway. Many well-known artists were part of RTW, including REVOLT, ZEPHYR, MIN-ONE, QUIK, CRUNCH, and IZ THE WIZ.

ALI's artwork often had funny political messages. This led him to create and publish "Zoo York Magazine" in the early 1980s. The first issue came out in May 1979.

The Tunnel Fire Incident

One night in the early 1970s, ALI and Futura 2000 were painting IRT train cars. They were in a tunnel between the 137th and 145th Street stations under Broadway. They had spray-paint cans lined up on what they thought was a "dead" third rail. Suddenly, the cans exploded, and ALI was caught in the flames. Futura helped him get out and took him to a hospital. ALI stayed in the hospital for months with serious burns.

The fire left scars on his neck and jaw. But his wrists and hands were hurt the most. Doctors thought they might have to remove his hands. But his Native American mother told them that he was an artist and needed his hands. ALI fully recovered, but he had scars from that night for the rest of his life. His burns were so shocking that some other graffiti artists stopped painting for a while after visiting him.

The Meaning of "Zoo York"

ALI was a smart observer of society and had a quick sense of humor. He created the term "Zoo York" to describe how strange New Yorkers acted during what he called the "Sick Seventies." It was also the name he gave to a subway tunnel being built under the Central Park Zoo. This tunnel became a popular spot for early graffiti artists in the 1970s.

The tunnel got its name one autumn night in 1975. ALI, FINE, and CRUNCH from The Underground group had just seen a musical show. The show made fun of the Woodstock Festival, comparing the hippie generation to lemmings who were heading for trouble. The teenage artists made similar comparisons between themselves and the animals in the nearby city zoo. ALI was amazed by the strange ways people acted in the city. He declared that New York City was "not New, but a Zoo!"

The Song "Shoot the Pump"

About ten years later, in 1981, hip-hop music was just starting to become popular. "Rapping" was a new style of music that most people outside big U.S. cities didn't know about yet. ALI formed a band called "J. Walter Negro and the Loose Jointz."

Their first song, "Shoot the Pump," was released first by John Hammond's "Zoo York" label. Later, it was produced overseas by Island Records. The song was a mix of rap, hip-hop, Latin funk, and disco rock. In the song, ALI, as "Negro," sings about opening a fire hydrant with a monkey wrench. He directs the water with a hollowed-out spray-paint can and soaks people walking by. Police arrive and think he's reaching for something, so they "shoot the punk." Then they close the hydrant and leave. But the clever Negro survives because he's wearing a bullet-proof vest, and he goes off to "shoot the pump" again!

The band opened for famous groups like Talking Heads, Blondie, and Kid Creole at clubs like The Peppermint Lounge and The Mudd Club. Sometimes, Jean-Michel Basquiat would join The Loose Jointz as a guest. Pablo Calogero, who helped write "Shoot the Pump," later made music for Basquiat's film, New York Beat Movie (Downtown 81).