The 3 game rules that every street graffiti crew should know

street graffiti cover

Creativity, continuity and good skills are not the only requirements to become a famous street graffiti writer in your area.

Whether you paint in your community, the city/county where you live in, or even in the whole country, there’s something that you need to know.

It’s just a matter of risk and hard-work!



But apart from that, there are some rules that everybody should know (even if you are not a street graffiti addict like us).

What are the codes for street graffiti?

neko madrid

According to a recent study published by two university professors at UCM (Madrid’s Complutense College), there are codes to follow.

These rules are not written anywhere, but they are widely accepted by writers interested in obtaining flawless fame.

Please note that not all the members of the graffiti community respect them.

1-. Authority & recognition from/to others.

graffiti tour madrid

First thing you need to know if you are starting in this industry, is to respect others’ artworks.

  • A newcomer will never ‘tag’ using other people’s name.
  • Graffiti writers do not paint over other people’s works.

On the other hand, there is a huge controversy out there. What’s a better option, quality over quantity, or the opposite?

2-. Don’t become a copycat, use your style!

urban art

If you are an amateur graffiti writer from Madrid, and you got to this article, could you please tell us if you read these tags (names) on the streets?

  • Muelle
  • Kors
  • Karen
  • Chuso

Innovation is a key term on the street art and graffiti communities.

The more creative you are, the more difference will exist between your design and the rest out there.

One discussion that currently exists is whether or not to repaint an artwork you did several years ago (with the paint almost gone).

What would you do?

3-. Street graffiti hierarchy.

tag picture by R2hox

Any given organization must have a hierarchy defined, and so it does the street graffiti.

One the one hand you may find old-school writers, while you may observe freshers on the other side.

  • Tags
  • Throw-ups
  • Characters/ figures (known as ‘potas’ in Spanish)

These are some techniques used, but do any of them have a special place booked in the walls? Who did get there first?

– A marker’s tag cannot be covered by another marker.

– A tag with spray paint is allowed on top.

– Throw-up permitted too.

Ana María Vigara Tauste, university professor

Which are the most famous street graffiti crews based in Spain?



Rons crew graffiti
Photo by Cras, Fuenlabrada

Teenagers and adults of all ages may have observed the following names along the roads and train lines around the country.

All of them remain unknown, make their names more interesting & catchy.

Let’s start with several questions that paople may ask themselves:

  • How do they reach to those locations?
  • How many are they?
  • How long does it take them to finish the artwork?

1-. Farlopa

Farlopa crew
Photography by Cras Fuenla

If you drove from Madrid to Valencia, Barcelona to Alicante or down south want you may have spotted their artworks.

They love rolling with paint on abandoned buildings, almost derilict warehouses and train tracks’ walls.

Members of this famous crew are:

  • Shit
  • Daro
  • Iwana
  • Coue

2-. Ron’s club, “remember our names”

Rons in the roads
Ron’s crew Picture by Cras, Fuenlabrada

The Spanish graffiti movement observed how teenagers who started when they were 14 years old, are now out of the game.

Others, on the other hand, have pursued their dream for recognition.

Ron’s team operates both in Madrid and in La Mancha region, particularly around Alcázar de San Juan, where some of them have participated in graffiti and street art related events.

3-. Rexs crew

Rexs crew
El Barto Magazine

How many times have you seen their name in the roads?

Graffiti is for most of them a way of living, a life’s philosophy and a cultural way to build up a community.

A crew is created because of same interests, goals and spirit, and Rexs crew represents that.

Javier Garcia, Cooltourspain

4-. 4:20

4:20 street graffiti
Pic by Cras

What’s 420? Have you ever read it? What does it mean?

4/20 refers to a yearly celebration related to Marihuana. It is celebrated on 20th April across the world, with people demonstrating for the legalization of the green herb.

It is also a group of friends in Spain who paint with long sticks, scribbling their names with regular home paint. They sometimes use ladders or scaffolding to develop their artworks.

Who does represent the street graffiti in Madrid?



Our first few paragraphs talked about the street graffiti in roads around the Spanish territory.

Let’s pay attention to those groups who are active in the capital city. You may have seen some of them:

5-. ‘Super Rancios’ group

Picture taken in Madrid

Rancio is the Spanish word that you would use to define a culinary product that is rancid, like a watermelon that doesn’t taste good.

This crew is made up, among other names:

  • Sabek
  • El Rey de la Ruina
  • Dingo Perro Mudo
  • Tal Toys
  • Show

They also use the expression ‘Super Random’ as a expression to their era, people born between 1980 and 1992.

6-. Papis crew

picture by Papis crew

The group was born in 2014, with members from Aluche, Villaverde Alto, Campamento…

Colorful throw-ups are their signature, developing the majority of them on metal shutters, road walls and in trains. They love painting in the metro systems of different European cities.

7-. HDA crew, creativity and imagination

Hartos de arte
HDA by Dug da Bug

‘Hartos de arte’ (Fed up by art) is a street graffiti crew working on the graphic design, illustration, and urban art cultures.

Hard work and visibility on the streets made HDA members exhibit in different art galleries around Spain (Barcelona and Madrid mostly). Some of them are currently living in other European countries.

  • Ringo
  • Apes
  • Resto
  • Sperm

What’s our opinion about the most famous street graffiti crew around the world?

1up madrid

1UP is an approximate 25 people crew from Berlin, Germany.

We saw their work in Indonesia and we respect this name. They are amazing! They have collaborated with the restoration coral reef project, and brought their ‘United power’ and mushrooms signs all over.

You can see their work in our Street art tour Lavapiés.



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