Art

Knickstape

The Knicks and hip-hop have always moved together. This piece is a reminder of where it came from — an orange cassette tape with the ribbon spilling into a hand-lettered NY.

Anthony Mason in the Beastie Boys' “Root Down” music video, 1995 — Anthony Mason in the Beastie Boys' “Root Down” music video (1995). Another example of the longstanding connection between the Knicks and hip-hop.

The Knicks and hip-hop have been intertwined since the beginning.

Rappers shouted out the Knicks in their verses. Players listen to hip-hop before tip-off. Artists sat courtside. The Garden became part of the culture.

50 Cent and Fat Joe courtside at the Knicks game

The Mecca of Basketball. The Mecca of Hip-Hop. Same city. Same soul.

But there was a specific era that hit different.

Melo. JR. Amar'e. Linsanity. And Shump — who brought the hi-top back and carried himself like he stepped out of the 90s.

That whole team felt different. Diverse. Just like New York itself.

They started calling themselves “Knickstape.” And it fit perfectly.

As a designer, a die-hard Knicks fan, and a hip-hop head — I had to make something.

A cassette tape. Because that's what that era was. Mixtapes. Boom boxes. Raw culture.

I wanted it to feel like that golden era. Raw. Gritty. New York.

For the lettering — I wasn't going to fake it. I didn't want some font pretending to be New York graffiti culture.

So I reached out to a friend. A real writer. We worked on it until it felt right. Because if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right.

Original hand-drawn “Knickstape” graffiti lettering sketch — “Knickstape” sketch.

I researched real 90s cassette tapes. Studied the labels. The textures. The wear. I wanted it to feel like something you'd find at the bottom of a shoebox. Something that had lived a life.

Then I thought about the iconic Wu-Tang Purple Tape. Instantly recognizable. What if I did that? But orange.

Raekwon's “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx,” the Wu-Tang “purple tape”

And then — the tape. As I was sketching, it just came out of nowhere. The cassette tape spilling out — forming the “NY” in script.

Final Knickstape design — an orange cassette tape with the spilled ribbon forming an NY in script — The final “Knickstape” design.

Growing up in New York, these two worlds were never separate to me. The Knicks and hip-hop have always moved together. From the parks to the Garden. This piece is a reminder of where it came from. What it meant. What it still means.