Chicago always bangs.

Long pause. Hard stop. Mic drop.

This tag is a play on words and pays respect to other artist crews, thrown up on a dumpster in a location that is frequented by bicycle messengers, some of whom are writers. I can’t tell if this tag can be credited to either of the 1UP or AOM crews, is a local collaboration with one of the crews, or is a local writer’s homage piece to one or both of the crews. 1UPOST is a reference to 1UP, which is a shortened version of “one united power”, the Berlin-based crew that is occasionally credited with pieces in Chicago. I am unsure about the meaning of the OST with a halo. AOM is an acronym for “against our mayor” and also a reference to the Chicago-based AOM crew that fought some epic battles in the 2000s against other local crews. Other cities have AOM crews, too. A few large wall pieces by AOM remain scattered around Chicago. The arrows pointing to AOM might contain a name, but I am unsure, so I will be on the lookout for a “JL” or “JTL” or “LD” or similar name. All of the above is an example of discovering the deeper meaning in the messages around us that we ignore or dismiss.

Chicago always bangs can be shortened to CAB, which is a pejorative acronym for law enforcement that is common in street art. I personally appreciate the opportunity to interpret and repurpose CAB into what I perceive to be a positive statement about Chicago in general and Chicago street art specifically.

Regardless of the subject, this absolutely is a “banging” style, crisply written, with confident strokes indicating a depth of practice. The word bangs is a reference to “tag banger”, an artist that has incorporated modern gang-inspired fonts into a tag. The style began in Los Angeles among street gangs, probably around the 1980s, and evolved into its own art form, sometimes protected with violence. Bangs also can be interpreted as a verb for shows up, gets up, delivers the goods, gets shit done, has a hot scene, or the place to be. All of which are accurate descriptors of Chicago in a multitude of ways based on my experience.

Chicago does show up. It is the city that works. The City of Broad Shoulders as Carl Sandberg described both the people and the attitude. Chicago is a hard working city with a lot of good people helping each other and generally being kind. I try to notice the everyday kindness that helps others show up for a moment or to express opinions. That helps comes through in ways such as a marker left behind for the next writer at the site of a tag wall at the same location.

The artists in Chicago get up, for sure. The pandemic has contributed to a massive increase in street art from all genres, and reputations are being built both on the art and the personal interactions. Statement pieces abound, applied with all variety of tools from rollers to extinguishers to spray paint. Depending on the perspective, some artistic expression is deemed as a nuisance or destructive vandalism. The whitespace between art and nuisance can be narrowed with cooperation. The boring wall has infinite possibility, whether the owner approves or not. The bicycle rack becomes humorous when wrapped in crocheted yarn. Sidewalk stencils express a challenge to think or act differently. Why not? It is happening anyway. Chicago always bangs.

During the early days of the pandemic, I missed travel so much. I wanted to be somewhere other than Chicago. I wanted to see clients. I wanted to get back to Japan for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The desire to be in places other than Chicago was intense. Some of that desire has faded, replaced with a gratitude for the discoveries waiting in my own neighborhood and around Chicagoland. Chicago has a scorching hot street art scene at the end of 2021, none hotter than the 60654 zip code containing large portions of the River West neighborhood and River North where this piece is located.

I am grateful for the opportunity that arose from the pandemic that allowed me to discover the Chicago street art scene in new ways that wouldn’t have happened without walking miles through the neighborhoods near downtown. I am grateful for an increased awareness that enables me to notice the current state of a location and the changes that happen over time. I am grateful for the courage to explore the dark corners and alleys of this great city. I am grateful that artists and writers choose my literal stomping grounds as the location to express emotion, opinion, disagreement – ultimately art. I am grateful that the mediums and messages decay and will be replaced with the next evolution.

Chicago always bangs.