BORN JOSE REZA IN 1971 AND RAISED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF PICO-UNION, LOS ANGELES. PRIME IS CONSIDERED TO BE A FOUNDING FATHER OF LOS ANGELES STYLE GRAFFITI AND ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS IN THE HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES PUBLIC WALL WRITING. JOSE BEGAN WRITING THE TAG “PRIME” IN THE EARLY 1980’S. PRIME IS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE “KILL 2 SUCCEED” (K2S) GRAFFITI CREW, ESTABLISHED IN 1985.
PRIME GAINED INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE IN 1987 WHEN HIS WORK WAS FEATURED IN THE SEMINAL BOOK SPRAY CAN ART. SPRAY CAN ART IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST DOCUMENTS OF GRAFFITI CULTURE AND INSPIRED ADDITIONAL MOVEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD. IN THE BOOK, “GRAFFITI L.A.”, STEVE GRODY WRITES OF PRIME THAT “HIS BATTLE PIECE REPRESENTING K2S CREW AGAINST WCA CREW IN 1985 IS ARGUABLY THE SINGLE MOST INFLUENTIAL PIECE IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF L.A. STYLE”.
PRIME’S RECENT WORK CAN BE SEEN IN THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION AMONG SUCH ARTISTS AS ED MOSES, DAVID HOCKEY, GAJIN FUJITA, PATSSI VALDEZ, MATSUMI KANEMITSU, JIM MCHUGH AT THE EMOA AT THE LA ART SHOW, AT THE MESA ARTS MUSEUM, HE IS ALSO TEACHING A CALLIGRAPHY COURSE AT ESMOA