The Legend of

Darryl McCray AKA Cornbread is widely considered the very first modern graffiti writer. Based out of North Philadelphia, him and his friends began writing their monikers in public in the late 1960s with Darryl in particular writing ‘Cornbread loves Cynthia’ a declaration for a girl in his class at school that he would spray on his walk home. 

His prolific nature would eventually extend to worldwide recognition, among his greatest feats he is known for tagging a touring jet belonging to the Jackson 5 on their visit to Philadelphia, a stunt that would place his name firmly at the forefront of the culture. Following a newspaper article alleging that the writer was found shot to death, he broke into Philadelphia zoo and tagged a live elephant with the phrase ‘Cornbread lives’, an act that would later serve as inspiration for Banksy’s elephant featured in his LA exhibition ‘Barely legal’ in 2006. 

Cornbread uses his platform and fame to advocate for young Philadeplhia artists, working with the city’s well established and highly influential ‘Mural arts’ programme.