Hiphopobit: Rammellzee

Rammellzee, the New Yorker who went from spraypainting trains to inspiring a whole subculture, has died.

You can argue over whether he was an afro-futurist or gothic futurist, but you can't deny the painty fingers he left all over the street art and hip-hop worlds. There were records, performance art outbursts and manifesto-driven self mythologising interludes; he was the original gangsta duck style rapper and, more importantly, managed to get that term into the New York Times.

Rammellzee was 49; he had been ill for some time. He died Sunday in Queens.