DECEASED ASIAN HIP-HOP FIGURES & FRIENDS R.I.P.
DJ
Nujabes / 瀬葉 淳 🇯🇵
A very talented Japanese DJ and music producer.
Age: 36
Cause: Car accident
7/2/1974 - 26/2/2010
JJJ / Souma 🇯🇵
Leading figure in Japan's underground music scene.
Age: 35
Cause: Bone cancer
29/9/1989 - 13/4/2025
EMCEE
Fresh Kid Ice 🇹🇹🇨🇳
/ Christopher Wong Won
The first Asian American rapper, a Miami Bass pioneer, and a music producer.
Age: 53
Cause: Hepatitis C
29/05/1964 - 13/07/2017
Francis Magalona 🇵🇭
An influential figure in Pinoy hip hop.
Age: 44
Cause:
4/10/1964 - 6/3/2009
Shawn / 宋岳庭 🇹🇼
A genius Taiwanese rapper, lyricist and composer who died too young.
Age: 23
Cause: Bone cancer
6/11/1978 - 9/8/2002
MC Dogg 🇭🇰
Born in the dark side, rest in the bright side, a rapper from Hong Kong.
Age: 42
Cause: Cancer
1976 - 2018
HIP HOP / BREAK-DANCER
-
WRITER
Tsang Tsou Choi / 曾灶財 🇭🇰
King of Kowloon, known for his Chinese graffiti.
Age: 85
Cause: Heart Attack
12/11/1921 - 15/7/2007
TIE / SEO 🇨🇳🇵🇭
Legendary and well respected San Francisco graffiti writer.
Age: 18
Cause: Shot and killed
19/6/1979 - 18/3/1998
Muth / Dado 🇮🇩
Pioneering graffiti writer of Jakarta graff scene.
Age: 42
7/8/1981 - July 2024
Shone
Age: 48
1978 - 2024
DECEASED INTERNATIONAL HIP-HOP FIGURES & FRIENDS R.I.P.
DJ
Jam Master Jay
The legendary turntablist and core musical force behind Run-DMC.
Age: 37
Cause: Shot and killed
21/1/1965 - 30/10/2002
DJ Bigga Rankin
influential Southern mixtape pioneer and "Godfather of Southern Hip-Hop,".
Age: 62
Cause: Health struggles
2/8/1962 - 20/7/2026
EMCEE
MC Sparky D
Pioneering female battle-rap trailblazer.
Age: 61
2/6/1965 - 4/7/2026
HIP HOP / BREAK-DANCER
Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quiñones
A legendary street dancer, actor, and choreographer.
Age: 65
Cause: arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease
1955 - 2020
Wayne Frost
Hip Hop dance pioneer and a member of the legendary Rock Steady Crew.
Age: 44
Cause: Long illness
1963 - 2008
WRITER
PHASE 2 🇺🇸
Legendary and pioneering Bronx writer, inventing the "softie" bubble-letter style and advancing aerosol art.
Age: 64
Cause: Lou Gehrig's disease
1955 - 2019
Dondi White 🇺🇸
One of the most influential subway graffiti writers of the New York City golden age.
Age: 37
Cause: AIDS-related complications
7/4/1961 - 2/10/1998
DG 🇺🇸
Legendary Queens train writer, founder of NWC (New Wave Crew).
Age: 42
Cause: Subway electrocution
1972 - 2014
OZ 🇩🇪
A legendary German graffiti artist based in Hamburg.
Age: 64
Cause: Killed by train
7/1/1950 - 25/9/2014
Alesh One 🇩🇪
Pioneering Czech graffiti writer based in Hamburg.
Age: 54
Cause: Cancer
1972 - 13/7/2026
* We are certain there are other names that have not been listed, we will be updating this page. If a friend of yours from the Hip Hop scene has sadly passed away, or if you know someone who should be included on this list, please contact us or help fill in the form.
ASIA GRAFFITI CREWS
CAMBODIA
CHINA
ABS
AST
BAG Basketball And Graffiti
BBC Bloodbro Crew
BWC
FRI Friday Crew
GT Got Talent
HB Hubest
IDT Independent
KWAN Kwan Yin Crew
MIG Made In Guangzhou
OCT
OSF
OGS
PEN Paint Every Night
SDF
TMM
TYC
VENUS
YPC Yellowperil Crew
HONG KONG
5D ("Faster" in Cantonese)
AK
BNS Bombing Never Stop ♀
BSD Back Street Dogs
CEA Chinese Evolutional Aerosol ⚑
FDC Fuck Da Cops
FHK Fuck Hong Kong / Fuck Hello Kitty
FTZ From The Zoo
FUD Freelance Urban Decoration
H Hiddener Crew
KB Kong Boyz / Kong Brothers
KBNS Kong Brothers N Sisters
KRS Karoshi 過勞死
PDW
RECAP
SAG Something About Graffiti
SBC Sabbath Breaker Crew ♀
SC Sabcat
SHS Stay Home Son
UP Urban Production
UR
INDIA
DIS Doing Insane Shit
FIR
NDS New Delhi Styles
INDONESIA
ARTCOHOLIC
BAD0285
BTV
CBC Character Brothers Crew
FAT
KDS King Destroy Squad
KS Krime Scheme
MASE
NBC Nobody Cares
OBC Our Bad Control
OK Otak Kanan
PWS Potato With Salt
TMR Takin More Risks
UBC Underground Bizniz Club
UK Upper Killaz
JAPAN
246 (Route 246, a major route in Tokyo)
CMK Cream Monks Krew
M2D
VGA Vanguard Graffiti Art
MALAYSIA
PHB (or PHBKLK) PhobiaKlik
PWC Phiber Wryte Cru
NBK North Bound Krew
THE PHILIPPINES
36C Terror State Crisis
618 618 Maoy Crew
ACW Anonymous City Writers
ASA
BC Baliw Cru
BBC Brain Bombing Crew
CIS Crime In Style
DKS Dirty Kids South
DNB Day Night Bombers
FOE
KIRUV Keep It Rockin' Under Vandals
KST
LGS Laguna Graff Squad
MSF
PBC Pinoy Bomber Crew
PSI
PSP
RPG Randon Patterned Gestures
S4A Streets 4 Arts / Spray 4 Action
SBA Samahan Batang Aerosol ⚑
SDFK
SWL Style Without Limit
UBC
SINGAPORE
DTB Duct Tape Bandits
ECB East Coast Bombers ⚑
OAC Operation Art Core / Artkore
PB Project Burners
RSCLS Rascals
TAC Titan Aerosol Crew
TFK Three Flare Krew
TOG The Other Guys
ZNC Zinc Nite Crew
SOUTH KOREA
JNJ JAY N JOE
IFK
MV Madvictor
RUNDIX
SM Soul Mates
W Wontak Crew
TAIWAN
4Crew Four Crew
FCS Face Color Squad
IVP
NDC No Detail Crew
UKA
V6 Virus Six
THAILAND
BAI BAI Family
HD Heads Down
PMT Poh Meung Tai
("Your father is death" in Thai)
T5F
TM Team Mask
YBR Young Blood Real / Yak Bok Rak
("I wanna say I love you" in Thai)
VIETNAM
⚑ = First graffiti crew from the country ♀ = Female Crew
* The crews information might not be accurate. If you find your crew that is missing on the above list, you are welcome to add your crew(s) by sending us an email or a direct message via Instagram @invasianmagazine. Please let us know if you find any mistakes.