Christian “TAMEARTZ” Rodriguez was born and raised in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico until the age of 9. He was drawn to the arts through his mother, who he watched draw for hours. His family moved to Philadelphia where he became
infatuated with the graffiti art style, writing and culture. Loving parents allowed him to use his bedroom as a canvas to prevent him from getting in trouble, despite his best efforts to leave his mark on the neighborhood. In the early 90’s he was mentored by DELTA aka KERS and later met ADER, SEVES, POLO, MARK, KAJA and other writers. During this time he honed his graffiti skill and style in Olde Kensington on the historic 5th & Cecil B Moore walls.

By the 2000’s, Chris became a father and joined the workforce starting his career at Temple University Hospital. During the weekends he would reconnect with the art and hip-hop scene. He began exhibiting his art nationwide in 2012, leading to his first solo show in 2014 San Luis, Colorado. Chris donated all of the proceeds from this to show to Move Mountains, a fundraiser benefiting children in area and later traveled to the city to drop off art supplies. His passion and commitment to community quickly grew from this experience and expanded upon his return home.

In 2018, Chris became the 1st graffiti artist in the world to be showcased in a three-month exhibition, Exploring Sovereignty, at The Philadelphia Museum of Art. The same year he was commissioned by the world-renowned Academy of Natural Sciences, making him the 1st graffiti artist in the world to paint a “graffiti style” dinosaur. He continues to be deeply involved in Philadelphia’s art and hip hop scene, hosting live graffiti productions, programming and fundraisers throughout the city.