Legendary artist Cornbread wants people to stop defacing Philly murals

Philadelphia is called the “Mural Capital of the World” — a reputation it owes in part to the legendary street artist Darryl McCray, who’s regarded as the “Godfather of graffiti.” McCray, better known as Cornbread, began inscribing his name onto the walls of his juvenile center in the mid-1960s, becoming a living landmark to those who later celebrated his contributions to hip-hop and the world of street art. The Brewerytown native built his reputation as the “king of the walls” as a teenager. He tagged stone-covered buildings, construction sites, a police car, the hind side of a Philadelphia Zoo elephant, and even a jet owned by the Jackson 5. More often than not, his insignia would be buffed from the city’s walls, but his imprint inspired a wave of artists in Philly and New York City during the 1960s and ‘70s — and later the hip-hop revolution. McCray said Philly’s artistic movement helped spark the genre, with former graffiti writers eventually transitioning to the art of rhyme. The two intersect like North Philly cross streets, with each discipline influencing the other over the decades. “I don’t like when they say graffiti isn’t hip-hop,” McCray said. “There would be no hip-hop...