Jes One— Venice 2 the Valley
Jes One is a foundational figure in West Los Angeles graffiti history—a Venice native whose family roots on Palms Boulevard stretch back to the 1950s. As a co-founder of USK (Unique Style Kings) in 1988, he helped establish one of the most recognized graffiti crews on the West Side, building a cultural movement that bridged Venice, the Valley, Santa Monica, and Culver City.
Growing up between Venice and the San Fernando Valley gave Jes a unique vantage point—fluent in both the grit of Oakwood and the sprawl of Sylmar. His graffiti career began in the late ’80s alongside cousins Ro, Frank (Sep), Ozer, transforming the alley behind his grandfather’s house on Palms into one of Venice’s first legitimate graffiti yards. While Venice Beach drew bombers from across LA, the USK Alley became sacred ground—a proving spot where writers earned permission, not just wall space.
Jes’s story is more than tags and throwies. It’s about choosing a path when the odds were stacked, honoring lineage while carving your own legacy, and understanding that where you’re from shapes who you become—but doesn’t have to define your limits.
In October 2024, Jes returned to the alley behind Palms Boulevard—the birthplace of USK and a Venice graffiti landmark that no longer exists in its original form. Walking through gentrified silence, he traced the walls where he, Ro, Ozer, and the crew first pieced, bombed, and built a movement. This is real deal, graffiti archaeology.
Beyond the graffiti, there’s the person. In this sit-down interview, Jes reflects on his generational roots in Venice, the birth of the seminal West Los Angeles graffiti crew USK, and what it meant to be raised and influenced by both Venice and the Valley. He talks about crew being family, the evolution of graffiti culture from the ’80s to now, and the choices that kept him on a path different from the ones laid out by circumstance.
