TODAY THE GRAFFITI COMMUNITY HAS LOST ONE OF LEGENDARY ICONS, IZ THE WIZ. FROM FAR ROCKAWAY QUEENS, KING OF THE CC TRAINS BACK IN THE LATE 70'S AND OF THE A'S TO BASICALLY GOING ALL OUT- ALL CITY. IZ WAS THE MAN WITH JUST HIS TWO LETTER THROW UP HE REMAINED TRUE TO HIS STYLE AND A STAPLE TO GRAFFITI HISTORY. THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME I MET IZ THE WIZ WAS WHEN HE HAD A SOLO SHOW AT THE OLD SOMA GALLERY IN THE EAST VILLAGE. HE WAS SITTING ALONE IN A DESK AND ASKED ME IF I WAS A WRITER -I EMBARRASSINGLY SAID YES. IZ HAD THE REPUTATION OF ALWAYS BEING A GOOD GUY - NOONE CAN SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT HIM. WHEN I TRAVELED TO TO CASTELLON DE LA PALMA, SPAIN ...THERE WAS A GRAFF JAM GOING ON AND ONE KID CAME UP TO ME AND JUST PROFESSED HIS LOVE FOR IZ. IZ YOUR IMPACT STILL AND WILL ALWAYS REMAIN AN INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON.