Biography

Michael McLeer, better known as Kaves, is an American fine art painter, graffiti artist, illustrator, director, actor, author, rapper, and entrepreneur. From Brooklyn, New York, Kaves started doing graffitis in the 1980s. Part of the early 1980s train car movement, his talent got noticed, and appeared in Henry Chalfant's book Spraycan Art (1987). Shortly after, with his brother, they created the hip-hop group Lordz of Brooklyn. They had four releases All in the Family (1995), Graffiti Roc (2003),The Brooklyn Way (2006), and Family Reunion (2020).

Separately from the group Kaves found success becoming a visual artists. He is a world re-known fine art painter, and continued making graffiti murals. He illustrated children's books Hip-Hop Alphabet (2017), The ABCs of Metallica (2019) and The ABCs of The Grateful Dead (2022). He has designed logos, illustrated, and made custom art for major companies (Jaguar, Aston Martin, Beaujolais nouveau, etc), and musicians (Beastie Boys, Metallica, Everlast). His NFT collection "The Family Mooks" grossed three million dollars.

As a thespian he acted in numerous projects, and for his directorial debut The Shoemaker (2010), he won Best Short film at The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. As an entrepreneur, mastering the art of tattooing, he ran several parlors. His restaurant "The Brooklyn Firefly" is a space for artists to perform and showcase their talents. Furthermore, he co-authored the book Skin Graf: Masters of Graffiti Tattoo (2013).