Graffiti artist Said Sabbah, known as DAIS, began his journey in Meknes through hip hop culture and quickly turned street art into a full-time pursuit. In recent years, he has expanded his practice by painting on Moroccan carpets, blending graffiti with traditional craft to create a distinctive artistic signature. A teenager from Meknes, Said Sabbah discovered graffiti through his passion for hip hop culture and breakdance in the early 2000s. Now a 35-year-old established graffiti artist, he was first introduced to this form of art, originating in the late 1960s and early 1970s in New York City, through his uncle, who lived in the United States. «My uncle lived in the U.S., and whenever he came back to Morocco, he would bring us gifts», Said, known by his tag name DAIS, reminisced in a call with Yabiladi. «He knew I loved breakdancing, and one day he brought me a magazine that featured a picture of graffiti. The moment I saw it, I was inspired». Said, then only 13, wasted no time. He headed to his parents' rooftop and began drawing, a passion he had already been developing. «I tagged all the walls, the ground… the entire roof was covered in graffiti», he recalled. He then moved to his room, covering every wall and the ceiling, and eventually attempted to tag the staircase. «That's when my parents intervened, 'You need to calm down a bit'», he joked. When he was told he couldn't go any further with his tags indoors, Said took to the streets. Alongside friends who shared the same passion, he ventured into the risky endeavor of painting walls around the city. «We used to head to the railway sidings to paint graffiti. No one would say anything there. That's how it all started», he shared. New to the scene and with few resources, Said had to improvise. «I had a few spray cans, but mostly I used leftover paint from my brother's workshop. He worked in space management and installed roller shades», he recounted. «Whatever paint he had left over, I took. One day he found my stash and said, 'So that's where all my paint's been going!' After that, he started giving it to me willingly». Growing up in Meknes, a city known for its rap scene and love for hip hop culture, Said, like many of his friends, didn't rely on the internet or TV for inspiration. «We mostly learned about hip hop and graffiti from friends who lived abroad and visited during the holidays», he explained. «They would bring magazines, photos. Some would take pictures of graffiti abroad and show them to us. The Bronx, Brooklyn…» Daily Dedication to Graffiti So immersed was Said in graffiti that, for him, every day meant a new tag or a new wall. «It was risky», he recalled. «Sometimes I would get caught by the police or the property owners and I'd beg them to let me go. To them, it was a weird thing to be doing». In 2009, he finally landed his first paid project after years of graffitiing the streets of Meknes. «I painted for a video game store and earned 2,000 dirhams. I spent all of it on spray cans, only to find out they were expired, which is why they were cheap», he joked. By 2010, while still devoted to graffiti, Said began working on his own sketches, experimenting and exploring new visual ideas. His family's support was constant. «When we used to paint graffiti, we always added an image next to the letters, not just tags. People liked that more; they found it more expressive. That's thanks to my father», Said remembered. At just 10 years old, his father would gather him and his siblings after the Isha prayer for a drawing session. «We'd draw something and show it to him. He'd give us feedback, 'This is good,' or 'You should've made this bigger,' or 'Try again.' That made me love drawing. It helped me develop the skill, even when it came to graffiti». From hip hop to Moroccan roots As DAIS gained recognition in the graffiti community, with hundreds of pieces across Morocco and beyond, that same skill would inspire a unique project, one that didn't drift far from graffiti but remained deeply rooted in Moroccan culture. Said began painting on carpets, upcycling traditional Moroccan rugs without erasing their original motifs, but instead, «giving them a new life», as he put it. The idea came to him during a visit to Khenifra, when his mother asked him to help sell a carpet. The spark only materialized in 2020, when he seriously committed to the concept: researching, testing, and experimenting. He began painting Amazigh women's faces on handwoven and industrial rugs. His first batch of 13 carpets was eventually sold through a friend to one of Agadir's most luxurious hotels. «The painting on a carpet is like getting a tattoo, it doesn't erase the original motif, it overlays it», he explained. «I recycle old carpets that I buy at auction, giving them a second life. The aim is to preserve the original pattern underneath». He added, «It's risky», since each sketch is a one-shot effort, where one mistake could ruin the whole design. But Said knows the drill, «a trade secret», he said with a nod. Said now works with a team in Agadir that manages communications, sales, and client relations for his carpet art. Meanwhile, graffiti remains central to his life. «This is my job, and I've been doing it for a while now. I give it my all, graffiti, art, carpets», he proudly said. Wandering the streets of Casablanca, you might come across one of Said's works: a young boy's face on Boulevard Tan-Tan, or another on Boulevard Mohammed VI near the gas station. His murals are found not only in Morocco but also in Spain, Portugal, Senegal, and Saudi Arabia. In addition to public art, he's been commissioned by major companies like Orange and OCP to produce private pieces. «Today, it's more accepted. People recognize it. It's becoming part of both public and private spaces», he said. «Back in the day, my friend and I would go around asking people if we could paint on their walls or buildings. Some said yes. Others said, 'No, I want a waterfall,' or 'I want horses.' They didn't get it. Thank God, now people get it». Beyond his own art, Said is also passionate about passing on his love for graffiti to the next generation. He has conducted workshops for children in both Morocco and abroad, including in Belgium. Even as he expands his work internationally, Said remains deeply connected to Meknes, the city where he is based and where it all began.
