Is Massive Attack Founder Robert Del Naja the Real Banksy?
Would that blow your mind?
by Brian Boucher
Robert “3D” del Naja, right, and Grantley “Daddy G” Marshall of British trip-hop band Massive Attack during a visit to the Burj al-Barajneh camp for Palestinian refugees, south of the Lebanese capital Beirut, on July 28, 2014. Photo Maya Hautefeuille/AFP/Getty Images.
What if one of the biggest stars of the trip hop genre were also the most famous street artist of our day?
Journalist Craig Williams says he’s got compelling evidence that Robert “3D” Del Naja is also the anonymous street artist Banksy, known for his cheeky stencil work and other street art projects worldwide, reports the Daily Mail.
Related: Yet Another Banksy Mural Destroyed by Clueless Construction Workers
Again and again, Williams claims, murals pop up in cities where Massive Attack has staged concerts, shortly after the performances take place. Not only that, but Del Naja was a graffiti artist in the 1980s and professes to be friendly with Banksy.
Massive Attack, which Del Naja co-founded in Bristol along with Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, debuted with the album Blue Lines in 1991; that LP and 1998’s Mezzanine are cited in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The band has sold more than 11 million records.
Related: Is Banksy’s Iconic ‘Spy Booth’ Mural Lost Forever?
To support his theory, Williams offers the following: Massive Attack appeared in San Francisco in late April 2010; a half-dozen Banksy murals appeared May 1. Just days later, the band played in Toronto and Banksy murals popped up in that city. The band took to the stage at the Hollywood Bowl in 2006; Banksy’s “Barely Legal” exhibition took place a week later.