Powers is from Philadelphia and took classes at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, and the University of the Arts.

In 1994, Powers moved to New York City to expand On the Go magazine, a hip hop magazine founded by Powers.

Working under the name 'Espo', he painted throughout the city becoming known during the late 1990s for his thematic graffiti 'pieces', for On the Go magazine, and for his 1999 book The Art of Getting Over, which placed stories told by other graffiti writers alongside photos of their work. His graffiti work often blurred the lines between illegal and legal, for example by creating pieces that appeared to be legitimate advertisements or by painting abandoned shop fronts in daylight.

Stephen Powers painted the walls of ALICE gallery for his solo show 'Visual Blues' In 2000, Powers gave up graffiti to become a full-time studio artist. He is now a mixed media artist, working in drawing, painting, printmaking, and installation art. Power's work has been shown in the Venice and Liverpool biennials, as well as shows at New York City's Deitch Gallery.