Neighborhood: The Bronx

Years Active: early '80s-present

Tats Cru was formed as a subway writing crew in the early 1980s by Brim. Each member of the crew had style to spare, and they were a major presence on the IRT lines. When the subway movement ended, the group disbanded, with members reuniting occasionally to paint walls. In 1996 Tats Cru became an official company with Bg 183, Nicer, and Bio. They've been paid well to paint murals around the world and are to the commercial mural world what Crash and Daze were to the fine art world. While making money is nice, Tats Cru is also an institution in the South Bronx, where they teach a class in painting and constantly give back to the community.

47. Cope 2

Neighborhood: The Bronx

Years Active: 1980-present

Cope 2 has seemingly had three careers as a writer. He began on the trains in the early '80s, eventually kinging the 4 line. When graff moved from the trains to walls, Cope and his crew Kings Destroy did incredible murals. And finally, he has one of the most ubiquitous throw-ups around.

46. Ces

Neighborhood: The Bronx

Years Active: 1983-present

Ces began hitting trains in 1983, staying on the showcase lines of the IRTs. As the wall movement began, Ces became a strong writer for the legendary FX crew. Through the crew he had entered the European scene and took full advantage of it, he continues to paint around the world and is co-owner of Tuff City in the Bronx.

45. Sane/Smith

Neighborhood: Manhattan/Queens

Years Active: 1984-present

Sane/Smith were originally two brothers from Manhattan who made a conscious effort to get up in the most obscure spots in New York, as well as the most visible (like the Brooklyn Bridge). When Sane passed away, Smith kept the duo's name alive by painting both their names.

44. Lady Pink

Neighborhood: Queens

Years Active: 1979-present

Lady Pink had a decent subway career in the 1980s, but it's not what puts her on this list. Her murals of the 1990s are visually very distinct and usually involved fun imagery with camouflaged graffiti. Residents of the neighborhood loved them, and she was still getting up changing the thought process of a lot of emerging writers.

43. Sento

Neighborhood: The Bronx

Years Active: 1985-present

Sento is another writer that hasn't stopped in almost 30 years. His whole-cars of the late '80s are legendary. After hooking up with Kase 2, Sento's style began to evolve, breaking away from traditional subway styles. He did walls, freights, and trains in Europe, helping establish a strong TFP presence in other countries.

42. Ket

Neighborhood: Brooklyn

Years Active: 1986-present

Ket's been painting for over a quarter of a century, rarely taking a break. His promotion of the graff movement via Stress Magazine, and later Complex Media, has helped pushed the movement into uncharted territories.

41. Ven

Neighborhood: Brooklyn

Years Active: 1984-1995

Ven was famous in the late 1980s for two things: 1) He was known as the great communicator and brought together writers that normally wouldn't have met. He also hooked up a lot of old school writers with a chance to do one last train. 2) His war on the clean cars that ran through the 90s was something that put him at considerable risk and on the top of the Vandal Squad's most wanted list.