For the past decade, not much outside of Hip Hop music and the strip club is popping in the ever evolving metropolis of Atlanta. Fast forward to 2015 and OBVS100 has become one of the most recognized graffiti artists in the Dirty South. Not only has the 35 year old Cali native showcased his own skills around the city, he has also motivated many other writers to bomb ATL, making him the A’s most sought after name on the wall.
In this edition of Off The Wall, OBVS speaks exclusively to TheSource.com about his popular line of merchandise, the strip club scene in ATL and how IG got him jammed up with a massive vandalism case.
TheSource.com: How did you get your name?
OBVS: I came up with the name Obvs in 1992 while living in Stockton, CA and I wrote that up until 1997. I moved to Atlanta in 2011 and never thought in a million years that I would ever write again, but I was inspired by the ATL scene and decided to get back active. However, in the early 2000’s someone else started writing OBVS so I decided to switch it up a little and that’s when I became OBVS100.
TheSource.com: What crew do you rep?
OBVS: I rep Creeps Kult and TOC from Sacramento, CA, MDK from San Jose, CA KRS from Los Angeles, CA, ICB from the Bronx, NY and the UTL crew in ATL.
TheSource.com: What year did you start killing the streets of ATL? What other artists preceded you there?
OBVS: I started messing around with graffiti in ATL in 2011, but didn’t get serious til 2012. Before me there was only a few people I seen up in the streets and they were ACER, ENZO, PERVE and VOMET, but the were no longer active in the city.
TheSource.com: How important is your merchandise to your movement?
OBVS: Merchandise is very important to my movement because I am motivated by money and I mainly use graffiti as a form of free advertising to direct traffic back to my websites so people can buy products related to what they seen up in the streets. Without the merch, there wouldn’t be a movement.
TheSource.com: What happened in your case that was seen on television?
OBVS: I ended up getting arrested earlier this year for multiple counts of trespassing and interference with Government property. I was never caught in the act. The Atlanta Police got my info from Instagram and Gmail and were able to get search warrants for my house where they found thousands of dollars worth of merchandise related to OBVS100 graffiti, spray paint, stickers, telescoping ladder, etc. In the end, it cost me a short stay in the slammer, some thousands in fines and restitution, countless hours of community service and probation, but considering the amount of work I put up in the streets, I would say it was well worth it.
TheSource.com: How important is the strip club and the music scene to graffiti in general and your brand in particular?
OBVS: Music is a big inspiration for me. Actually, the first graffiti I did in 2011 was for a music video for the homie Cheeto Gambine and once I got started, I wasn’t able to turn it off. Living in ATL, I spend a lot of time in the club scene. Of all the clubs, I would definitely have to say my home away from home is Club Blaze on Moreland Ave. So if you looking for that’s more than likely where I’m at.
TheSource.com: What’s on deck for OBVS in 2016?
OBVS: I got a lot of tricks up my sleeve 2016. A lot of new merchandise and collaborations with other artists, but a lot of that won’t be dropping until mid year or so mainly due to my legal issues, but it ain’t over. There’s a lot more to come so stay tuned.
