[3] Instead of tagging the more formulaic nickname and number combination that Diaz had learned from his cousin, the pair scribbled phrases in public space throughout Lower Manhattan that were poetic and sarcastic and intended as provocations for any person who encountered them.

[6][9] For instance, The Village Voice published a feature on SAMO© in 1978, which brought artworld visibility to the duo and put an end to their street anonymity.

[3] After the Village Voice article was published, Basquiat appeared on Glenn O'Brien's television show TV Party as SAMO© without Diaz present, claiming work under that name was done by him alone.

[14][15] Today, Diaz makes work from liberated New York metro signs that he cuts up and re-configures into his own text from the preexisting signage letters.

called City of Kings that brought together narratives, photographs, videos and ephemera from 1970s and 80s graffiti icons exploring the interplay of politics, economics and the practice of art.

[3] Such a recognition would have been unthinkable during the 1970s and 80s when Diaz and Basquiat were writing as SAMO since then-Mayor Ed Koch was especially punitive of graffiti, calling for "wild wolves" to be used to protect parked subway trains.