Tats Cru

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Tats Cru
Top Artistic Talent[1]
Founders
Founded atNew York
TypeGraffiti crew
HeadquartersHunts Point[2]
Location
Key people
WebsiteOfficial website

'Tats Cru, also known as The Mural Kings, is a collective of Bronx-based graffiti artists.[3][4]

The group was originally formed in 1980 by Wilfredo “BIO” Feliciano along with BRIM (Brim Fuentes) and MACK. Later they were joined by BG183 (Sotero Ortiz), and Nicer (Hector Nazario).[3] Initially the crew would paint at block parties and on subway cars together under the name T.A.T Cru changing the styling to TATS CRU in the early 90's.[3][4]

The membership over the years has evolved to include a number of other artists at different times.[5] In particular it came to include Basque born artists HOW and NOSM (Raoul and Davide Perré).[6][5] Today the core membership of the TATS Cru is BIO, Nicer and BG183.[7]

Work

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The collective is known for creating New York City–style memorial murals. Notably creating a graffiti mural of the late Puerto Rican hip hip artist Big Pun in 2000. It's a mural that the crew have subsequently refreshed multiple times. Overall since the 1990's the group is estimated to have created around 120 RIP Murals.[8]

Tats Cru's work work has also included tributes to artists and performers such as Jennifer Lopez, Nas, Missy Elliott, Rick Ross, DJ Kool Herc, Nicki Minaj, and Metallica.[9] They have also produced murals and advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, from local businesses to multinational corporations such as Coca-Cola and Sony.[9]

Mural by Tats Cru on Piotrkowska Street, Łódź

Core Members

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Bio

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Wilfredo “BIO” Feliciano is a Puerto Rican–American graffiti artist based in New York City.[10] He began his artistic career painting on New York City subway cars with the TAT Cru in the early 1980s. Alongside his fellow crew members Nicer and BG183, he went on to co-found Tats Cru as a business, producing murals across the city. Before pursuing art full-time, Feliciano worked for a nonprofit organization while taking on small art jobs. He decided to commit to an artistic career after losing his job and learning he was going to be a father, describing the decision as a leap of faith.[10]

For more than three decades, Feliciano has worked as a professional muralist and painter. He has created murals for corporations, small businesses, schools, films, and music videos, while also producing canvas works and exhibiting internationally. His practice has included collaborations with companies on products featuring his artwork, and he continues to develop new prints and mural projects.[10] He has also articulated his professional values, emphasising reliability, respect, and maintaining high quality in all projects.[10]

Nicer

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Hector “Nicer” Nazario is an American graffiti artist and muralist from the Bronx, New York, and a founding member of the Bronx graffiti collective Tats Cru.[11] He began tagging subway cars and walls in the early 1980s, working with classmates Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano and Sotero “BG183” Ortiz, whom he met at James Monroe High School in the South Bronx.[11]

Over more than three decades, Nazario has contributed to Tats Cru’s transition from clandestine subway graffiti to widely commissioned murals and institutional projects. In a 2013 gathering at the Bronx Documentary Center, he described how early graffiti functioned as a form of communication across boroughs, with trains painted in the Bronx traveling into Manhattan and Brooklyn.[12] He has worked collaboratively on murals for hip hop artists, local businesses, and public art projects, helping to reposition graffiti from illicit expression to recognized cultural and artistic practice.[11]

BG183

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BG183 (born Sotero Ortiz) is an American graffiti artist and a core member of the Bronx-based collective Tats Cru. He was born and raised in the South Bronx.[13]

Ortiz began drawing at an early age and started painting graffiti on New York City trains as a teenager. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has become known for his intricate lettering, dynamic characters, and complex backgrounds.[13] His work has been exhibited in institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, as well as international galleries. Ortiz has collaborated with major brands and created murals commemorating figures from hip hop and local culture.[14][13]

Notable Other Members

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HOW and NOSM

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Raoul “How” Perré and Davide “Nosm” Perré are twin graffiti artists from New York City.[15] Born in San Sebastián, Spain, they grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany, and began doing graffiti in 1988. As teenagers, they traveled internationally, painting walls and trains. While visiting New York City in 1997, they were invited to join TATS Cru and permanently relocated to the city in 1999.[16][15][5]

Over their careers, the Perré twins have created murals worldwide, blending their European upbringing with New York graffiti traditions. Their artistic style is characterized by a limited color palette of red, black, and white, meticulous linework, and intricate symbolic imagery. Their work often combines graffiti roots with fine art elements, including dynamic patterns and collage techniques, resulting in complex, large-scale murals that are simultaneously graphic and expressive.[17][18] They have traveled to over 60 countries to create murals, maintaining a strong street art presence while also exhibiting in galleries.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Wright, Sarah H. (28 September 2005). "Artists describe their 'Journey From Subways'". MIT News.
  2. ^ Nicer. "Tats Cru". wideopenwalls.com.
  3. ^ a b c Tats Cru profile, Beyond the Streets. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Tats Cru – Thrive Collective". Thrive Collective. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Debra Scherer (January 18, 2022). "How and Nosm". The Culture Crush. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  6. ^ "How & Nosm". Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  7. ^ Christine DeFazio (October 5, 2025). "Exploring the History of Hip-Hop & The Bronx with Tats Cru". UP Magazine. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  8. ^ "Big Pun Mural". City Lore. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  9. ^ a b "TATS CRU". Pop International Galleries. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d "Meet Wilfredo "Bio" Feliciano". Bold Journey. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  11. ^ a b c "Tats Cru: The Mural Kings of the Bronx". ABC News. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  12. ^ "UP6: Exploring the History of Hip-Hop & The Bronx with Tats Cru". UP Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  13. ^ a b c "TATS CRU – Wide Open Walls". Wide Open Walls. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  14. ^ Lois Stavsky (November 2, 2015). "Speaking with BG 183 Tats Cru at His Solo Exhibit in Hunts Point". StreetArtNYC. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Rosenbaum, Andrew (6 July 2003). "Graffiti With a German (and Bronx) Accent". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
  16. ^ Webb, Brett (November 2001). "Art Crimes Interview". Retrieved 8 December 2008.
  17. ^ "About How and Nosm". Street Art Bio. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  18. ^ a b "How & Nosm". Thinkspace Projects. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
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