Dan's NYC Cover Artist Bisco Smith: Cypher of the Brooklyn Beat

Step into a Bisco Smith exhibition, and it’s like walking into a rap battle where every line hangs in the air, a lyric left dangling with tension, waiting for the next beat. Smith’s canvases throb with an unmistakable rhythm—the sort of pulse that only someone who grew up in Brooklyn’s streets can understand.

A master of blending poetry, graffiti, and calligraphy, Bisco’s work isn’t just seen; it’s felt, a living flow of beats, bars, and brushstrokes.

On a chilly Saturday, October 26, Bisco brought his world to DTR Modern Gallery in Soho, transforming the space into a masterclass on the art of expression. It wasn’t just an art talk; it was part storytelling, part poetry slam, and part workshop. As he wove through tales of growing up in Brooklyn, experimenting with street art, and blending his two loves — hip-hop and visual art — he invited us into the craft that goes beyond paint and spray cans.

About Dan’s NYC Cover Artist Bisco Smith

Rhymes on the Street, Lines on the Canvas

Before he was a celebrated artist, Bisco was just a kid on Brooklyn’s bustling streets, soaking up the soundscapes of 90s and 00’s hip-hop and testing the limits of public walls. Like graffiti itself, his journey began in rebellion—art by way of survival and self-expression against the odds. Where others saw empty alleys, he saw blank canvases; where some heard the noise of the city, he heard potential, a rhythm waiting to be written.

Bisco’s roots run deep in the freestyle tradition, and you can feel it in his work. He talks about painting the way a rapper describes a cipher: it’s in the moment, off the cuff, instinctual. A swipe of black ink here, a spray of white paint there—his canvases aren’t just visual; they’re audible. You can almost hear the beat drop, feel the bass hum in your bones. Each piece in his recent show at DTR Modern Gallery (INNERSTATES closed November 14) carries that same energy, a snapshot of motion, a song made visible.

Freestyle Lyricism Meets Calligraphic Flair

Bisco’s love for lyricism shines through in his brushwork — thick, bold lines that slash across the canvas like lines in a verse. His style feels like visual hip-hop, a calligraphic flow that dances between spontaneity and control. His pieces are structured, but they also leave room for improv, for the unexpected — a nod to the roots of freestyle rap, where each verse builds on the one before it, a conversation in real-time. And like the best MCs, he knows when to keep it tight and when to let it ride. His calligraphy has a freestyle looseness but with an elegance that’s refined and disciplined—a mix of street wisdom and art school polish.

Watching Bisco work is like watching a DJ spin vinyl. He’ll lay down a base rhythm, some underpainting, and then start layering on top of it, each brushstroke another beat in the song. As he explained during his art talk, every piece is built on rhythm. Music doesn’t just inspire him — it drives him. He paints to music, letting the tempo dictate his pace, his mood, and the very lines he lays down.

“It’s not just about the paint,” he told the crowd. “It’s about the beat, the movement. The energy is what makes it real.”

The Art of Giving Back: Teaching and Storytelling

At the gallery on Saturday, Bisco didn’t just talk about his art — he showed us his heart. Teaching others, especially young artists, is something he holds close. He talked about his passion for mentorship and about seeing the next generation finding their voice.

“Graffiti, hip-hop, this was all about community,” he said, his voice full of Brooklyn grit and warmth. “I want to pass that along. Art saved me, man, and if I can help someone else find their way, that’s everything.”

During his talk, he demonstrated his brush techniques, breaking down how he layers his calligraphy like a rapper building out bars. He encouraged the audience to feel the flow, to find their rhythm, to let go and let their hand tell the story. It was a peek into the mind of someone who lives and breathes art, someone who understands that creation is about movement, about pushing and pulling, about rhythm and release.

From Street Cred to Canvas Kingship

Bisco’s journey from Brooklyn’s streets to the Soho art scene has been a wild ride, but he hasn’t left his roots behind. His work is as much a tribute to the people and places that raised him as it is a testament to his own evolution. His style remains raw, unapologetically street, but with a sophistication that could only come from a lifelong dedication to the craft.

Even as his work gains international acclaim, with collaborations from Nike to Adidas, Bisco’s focus stays local, personal, and purposeful. Every line, every letter, every brushstroke is infused with the spirit of hip-hop, a love for the game that transcends fame or fortune. In his hands, the canvas becomes a beatbox, a microphone, a love letter to Brooklyn and to the culture that shaped him.

Catch Bisco’s work when you’re able and let the canvas take you on a journey through streets, stories, and songs you can almost hear. The beat is his, but the experience is yours.

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