Success can come with a hefty price in world of street art . Every crossover move is accompanied by cries of "selling out" and questions of authenticity. Take Shepard Fairey, who went from wheatpasting posters of Andre the Giant on the sides of buildings in NYC and Philadelphia to owning the thriving streetwear line Obey Clothing, designing the artwork for films like Walk the Line and albums like the Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business and the Smashing Pumpkins' Zeitgeist, and creating the now iconic "HOPE" poster supporting Barack Obama's presidential run.

Though Fairey hasn't completely abandoned his street art roots, nowadays he concentrates mostly on commissioned projects - a fact that many graffiti critics resent.

Read more after the jump.

Last week, the Echo Park, Los Angeles-based blog Eastsider LA reported that Fairey had recently sandblasted the walls of his Studio Number One gallery and ad agency, covering the surface with an anti-graffiti coating to ease the process of removing any spray-painted tags. Readers responded to the news by posting comments labeling Fairey a "hypocrite "and a "poser." Fairey responded by firing off a scathing letter to the Eastside LA staff, in which he proclaims his undying support of street art, reminds the public of his extensive arrest record for graffiti (he's been nabbed 15 times), and cites that his desire to keep the brick walls outside his studio unadorned should merely be construed as a personal preference.

So is Fairey a hypocrite for wanting the exterior of his business space to remain graffiti-free? Well, not really. While Fairey has done his fair share of guerrilla artwork, he was never a bomber. He wasn't sneaking into lay-ups or freight yards, racking up spray paint, and writing his name on every surface imaginable.

The act of bombing is, in and of itself, a political act, a way of expressing contempt for the "system." Fairey always seemed more interested in the reach yielded by public art than in the political significance of its creation. He seemed to enjoy getting the public's attention, but his art rarely had that middle-finger-in-the-air quality.While Fairey has advocated street art throughout his career, he always seemed to favor more deliberate works: elaborate murals and pieces with intricate lettering, sticker art, wheatpasted posters, etc. His stance on the aesthetic value of tags and throw-ups was never really established. He may be in favor of people having the right to express themselves in this fashion, but that doesn't mean he always finds these works pleasant to look at -- and, if the latter is the case, is he in the wrong for choosing to remove such works from his property? No, he isn't. He's not questioning a person's right to tag; he's exercising his right to have his studio maintain the appearance he desires for it.