If you've spent any time around Chrome Hearts pieces, you've probably seen the artwork even if you didn't know the name behind it: a black-and-white checkerboard pattern packed with cartoon teeth, wide eyes, and grinning mouths. That's Matty Boy. His style has become one of the most recognizable signatures in streetwear and tattoo culture, and it shows up on everything from hoodies to hats to framed prints. Here's who he is and why his work matters when you're buying or selling a piece.
A Tattoo Artist First
Matty Boy built his name as a tattoo artist out of Los Angeles, working in a bold, cartoonish black-and-white style long before it became a streetwear staple. That tattoo background is a big part of why his checkerboard patterns and character faces read so cleanly on fabric — the same thick outlines and high contrast that work on skin translate directly onto a t-shirt or hoodie panel.
The Checkerboard Style
There's no single official name for it, but the look is unmistakable once you've seen it: repeating black-and-white squares broken up by grinning teeth, cartoon eyes, and lips. It's playful and a little unsettling at the same time, which is part of what makes it stand out against more traditional streetwear graphics.
Teeth, Eyes, and Grins
The teeth and eyeball motifs are the most consistent thread running through his work, whether it's a single grinning mouth on a sleeve or a full checkerboard panel covering the back of a jacket. Once you know to look for it, you'll start noticing it everywhere.
Bold Cartoon Lettering
His hand-drawn, bubble-style lettering shows up just as often as the character art, stacked in bright colors on tees and hoodie sleeves. It has the same rough, hand-done feel as the rest of his work, which is part of the appeal for collectors.
The Chrome Hearts Connection
Matty Boy has collaborated with Chrome Hearts for years, and that partnership is a big reason his art reaches so many people. Pieces built around his designs sit alongside Chrome Hearts' usual cross-and-dagger motifs, giving them a distinct identity within the brand's much wider catalog. If you come across a Chrome Hearts tee, hoodie, or hat with his checkerboard or teeth artwork, it's tied to one of these collaborations rather than the brand's standard line.
ANTi and Beyond Clothing
ANTi is one of the labels tied to his work, showing up on trucker hats and apparel alongside his character art and bubble lettering. Along with Chrome Hearts collaborations, pieces under names like this are part of the same design world and tend to hold strong interest with collectors who follow his output closely.
Beyond Clothing: Art Prints and More
Matty Boy's work isn't limited to apparel. Framed prints featuring his checkerboard and teeth imagery have become collectible in their own right, often sold in small runs the same way limited clothing drops are. Graphic tees pairing his character art with bold, colorful lettering are another common format, and they tend to hold up well since the print quality and detail are usually a step above a basic screen-printed graphic.
What to Look for When Buying or Selling
Because his art is so distinctive, it's also worth being careful about. Condition matters a lot here — cracked or faded prints lower the value noticeably, since the sharpness of the linework is a big part of what makes these pieces desirable. Stitching quality, tags, and overall wear all factor into what a piece is worth, the same way they would for any collectible streetwear.
If you're not sure whether something is a genuine collaboration piece or just inspired by the style, that's exactly the kind of thing worth having checked in person rather than guessing from photos alone.