When Chicago artist Chris Devins devoted much of his weekend to painting an Eminem mural in the rapper’s hometown of Detroit, he likely wasn’t expecting it to be defaced a day later — but that’s exactly what happened to his work.
Devins spent Saturday (September 4) drawing a young Eminem onto a wall in the Cass Corridor neighborhood of Midtown Detroit. He began at around 1 p.m. and finished six hours later, with members of the public taking photos and paying respect throughout the day. But by the next day, the six-foot tall portrait had been vandalized with 18 bird head sketches drawn with a Sharpie.
“Only one day after it’s completion, some idiot in Detroit already defaced the new M mural,” he wrote on Instagram. “You can’t give some people anything good. Dumb. I can probably fix it but damn….”
Chris Devins wasn’t hired by anyone, but decided to do the Eminem mural simply as an act of “tactical urbanism” while in town with his wife for Labor Day weekend. Speaking to The Detroit News about the incident, he said he “felt terrible” and called the graffiti “disrespectful.”
“I was devastated,” he said. “Who would do that? That’s against the rules of street art. I want to restore it to its original value. I would like to re-present it to the community in its unblemished form.
“It was a great wall. It looked like it was going to sit there for a second, so I thought it could use some beautification. It really enhances that wall. To me, it’s totally appropriate. I wanted to do him looking young and fresh. I didn’t put up anything ugly.”
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He added, “There was time and effort spent to make sure it was something people would want, and to make it relatable to the community. It’s not just usual tagging.”
Devins has previously painted murals of rappers such as Juice WRLD and King Von in Chicago, with the latter catching police attention after officers decided they wanted it taken down.
“Their complaints were that the mural would promote gang retaliation: people coming to shoot up the mural,” Delilah Martinez, who commissioned the Von artwork, told Complex in August. “And they were worried about people in that area. After they said all that, they were like, ‘This has been going on for years.’ And I’m like yes! That has nothing to do with the mural!”
That’s not official anything. defaced? who puts up a mural if dude ain’t dead? this doesn’t count because it was a grown ass man-boy getting a kick out of ruining someone else’s shit. but this definitely doesn’t count because dude is alive and kicking and wouldn’t want a damned Stan-ish painting of him on a wall …
Learn english ya inbred moron.
U goin to catch bullet inbred
You’re a complete moron. Look up the word “defaced.” Idiot
A Drake mural would never get defaced.
A Drake mural would never exist
Story of Adonis lyrics written all over it
Drake has surpassed em. em had a 4 year run where he was top dog. (99-03) since encore he’s been on a consistent downslide. Drake has been on an 11 year run. no new rapper has eclipsed him. unprecedented type shit. Eminem is and his biblical lyrical miracle gimmick style is washed up.
It would be painted with a porn face shot of cum all over it with Drake smiling. Next to it there would be a mural of Boosie looking disgusted and angry.
Given the demographics and hatred long entrenched in Detroit, most likely some fatherless burn loot murder thugs did this.
What kind of meth are you on this week cletus?
King Von mural needs to be taken down because it promotes retaliation… Resident says “that shit been going on way before the mural” so tell me again how great your neighborhood is lolololol we kill each other with or without murals mfs!!
Good ‘ who the fuxx is he and tell me again what how he contributs to the world we live in and please don’t say it’s the ganster/and or so called hip hop music he does .. lol if anything that’s hurting us a people or persons .. lol what’s not you name:
What is a ganster?
A gangster a little rodent you can keep as a pet. Like a gerbil
Eminem’s wasn’t a gangster until he graduated To one.
Just because you don’t get any relativity or value out of his music doesn’t mean others don’t. Speak for yourself and keep it that way.
Yea he’s done nothing for Detroit and he’s not even from Detroit big difference in the other side of eight mile
That reply was suppochadse to go to @Peso313.
Stop fooling urself.we get u dislike him, if his music is not doing anything for u it definitely helped someone. ?
Fool. Stop Fooling
EM should of stayed out of politics
What about kid mullet?
His music has literally been political from day 1? What are you even on about?
Why ,r u scared that he is gonna expose something
He should be exposing the fact that all the politicians are just as bad as the next creepy Joe is not an exception has a genda is to make the Americans poor so that he can sell us to China no cap. Eminem panders to the f***** scumbag they could have drawn cheap instead of birds Eminem is my favorite artist stuff minus the pandering to the fake woke. Chris Webby as much more level-headed and even Tom MacDonald Has a better grasp on politics Eminem is a sheep a sheep a sheep it should have drawn sheep sheep sheep SHEEP BAHHHHH
I like painting. Mother once painted Eminem and I sunbathing on the grey and smooth stoned beach front of Myrtle Beach on the balcony one day while my classmate Phillip and I played Village Square with boxcars and little coal sheds fashioned out of old hat boxes bought from the market for when she would gather with her friends for socials.
Ayyy little Johnny is pencil write on my wall for the house room window I look at it by next street sometimes if I like to view on it. Bird heads make me all the time smile when the boy with red hat put them to it in the night time. He make us shush with it or less they put him in jail time for Detroit City only.
What?
people are trash
Wet mayonnaise
Racist scumbag. Go burn down a Wendy’s and prove the white man right. Ur disrespectful and still hate America for what they did 400 years ago. GTFOH. I love black culture and hate the fact we are in a race war. Why can’t we get along. I’ve never been disrespectful to a single person of color for any reason. Well, except just then, slightly.
never have i done that to any street art no matter how fucking annoying it can be lest i be shot dead outside my house a huhu.
Typical black men ……..morons will still be killing each other for years to come….my ass black too though
Ya well typically you think that as you forget that little maggot is white privilege at the worst form
Em probably likes the fact that it got vandalized right away….keeping it real all the way. Why wouldn’t it get vandalized? He made a career out of making people hate him, it wouldn’t make sense if it didnt get disrespected. And I actually like Ems music for the most part.
Your dumb an probably one of the idiots who tried to stop him. Just because your offended he raps on real shit not just rhymes that make no sense
His rap is NOT REAL SHIT.. I HAVE LIVED ON 8MILE ALL MY LIFE AND MY MOTHER AND FATHER AND THEIR PARENTS.. HE LIED ABOUT US NOW WE ARE STUCK LIVING IN HIS FAKE RAP.. SO HE CAN GET RICH AND SHIT ON 8MILES REAL PEOPLE’S.. THEY ARE VERY HURT BY HIM SPILLING OUT THE GARBAGE, HE INSISTING IS HERE..he needs to get a clue or change the name of his song and movie to 7mile..
He was born in Missouri and raised in Warren. He claims Detroit because of the “street cred” it so conveniently gives him with the people who don’t know any better. He also bit Cage’s entire persona. He’s as fake as a $3 bill. Fuck Marshall.