Rare street art befitting of a posh gallery has been found in the basement of a West Midlands tower block offering a glimpse of the year 1986
Hidden away in the basement of a West Midlands residential tower block are pristine pieces of street art by DJ and actor Goldie.
The graffiti dates back nearly 40 years, depicting the talented artist’s name alongside a painting of the African continent.
Real name Clifford Joseph Price MBE, Goldie was born in nearby Walsall but grew up in the Heath Town area of Wolverhampton.
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The 59-year-old was a pioneer of the UK’s jungle and drum-and-bass scene during the 1990s, while he also starred in films such as The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Guy Ritchie’s Snatch (2000).
Goldie was also a prominent street artist during the 1980s, particularly in the West Midlands region and the tower blocks of Heath Town where he grew up.
READ MORE: Inside Wolverhampton tower where Goldie’s pristine graffiti has been hidden away for nearly 40 years
Some of his artwork, located in the stairwells of high rise flats in the Wolverhampton estate, have since been painted over and lost to time.
But located in the service basement of the 10-storey Hawthorn House, where’s it’s believed Goldie lived, are some of his paintings dating back to 1986.
With the basement off limits to the general public, the graffiti has remained pristine and preserved over the years like it was just painted yesterday.
The largest piece is Goldie’s name plastered along the length of a wall, while a smaller, adjoining wall, features the outline of Africa with a shimmering interior.
Elsewhere in the basement, there’s tags from other street artists too, including from ones that came from New York, such as ‘T-Kid’.
The word ‘Bronx’ also feature in the basement, a nod to the American graffiti artists who ventured over to Heath Town.
The basement offers a fascinating time capsule into the not-so-distant past.
A door in the basement features layers upon layers of old nightclub posters which have worn away.
While a red hose reel, wound up in a coil, is adorned with small black writing – more tags from graffiti artists.
There’s also tags from the man himself ‘Goldie’.
Elsewhere, a floor above is thought to house further work from Goldie but this is no longer accessible.
He earned his nickname from the light-coloured dreadlocks he once sported, original called ‘Goldilocks’, but this was shortened to its present form when he cut his hair.
Being a prominent street artist, Goldie is believed to be friends with Banksy.
In 2017, during an interview, Goldie appeared to let slip the name of the mysterious street artist, referring to him as ‘Robert’.
Speaking on the podcast of hip hop artist Scroobius Pip, Goldie said: “Give me a bubble letter and put it on a t-shirt and write ‘Banksy’ on it and we’re sorted. We can sell it now.
“No disrespect to Robert, I think he is a brilliant artist. I think he has flipped the world of art over.”
Goldie paused for a few seconds before changing topic.
Goldie’s graffiti is set to feature in an upcoming book about UK street art called Old So Kool, which can be pre-ordered here for £40.
It will be the third instalment of the book.
Meanwhile, it’s believed plans are underway to preserve Goldie’s street art in the basement.
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