I have been trying to do a photo shoot with the Quannum guys for years!!! ESPECIALLY Blackalicious and the guys from Latyrx. I was so excited to get to shoot Lateef, Gab and Headnodic when they came through town as The Mighty Underdogs. Gab, XCel, Lateef, Lyrics Born…. They are oh so talented, I love everything they touch. From Blackalicious to The Maroons to The Might Underdogs and on and on and on. I went out to Boulder and caught them with about oh….fifty other fans. Which, for those of you familiar with these guys, is a SUPER light audience. All the better for ME. I stood RIGHT at the front of the stage and danced the night away. I threw my hands in the air, I waved them from side to side, I yelled and sang and had an amazing night. I had so much fun, I almost didn’t want to take pictures. But I did. Of course.
I remember the first time I saw Latyrx perform live. It was at a Bomb Party in the Bay. Lateef caught and held my attention. He’s dynamic, personable, and talented. I mean, which rapper isn’t?? But there’s something about Lateef……. I remember being on the road with Jeru, Latryx and DJ Shadow; my friend Kay was with me, and all we could talk about was Lateef. With those great big beautiful eyes and that dazzling smile. Of course, I told my boyfriend I was going to do a shoot with The Mighty Underdogs; knows all about my “crush” on Lateef, and he teased me relentlessly about my opportunity. I joked right back that I was going to tell Lateef he should to a remake of “Ooh We Love You Rakeem,” and call it “Ooh We Love You Lateef.” Who doesn’t have crushes on rapper? My girl Stef LOVES Nas. Common? Tam’s got the hots for him. LL Cool J would get the most from any number of my friends. But there’s something about Lateef……. *wink*
The Mighty Underdogs feat. DOOM “Gunfight”
The Mighty Underdogs “Want You Back”
Check the portfolio for new portaits, and for live shots.
The X Ecutioners shoot was in interesting one. I reached out to Rob Swift, per JS One’s advice, and Rob actually hit me right back. We agreed to meet, and do the shoot. I really wish I could take at least thirty minutes with each artist I work with. It’s hard when there’s less time. With the X-Ecutioners, we had triple trouble. We met up late, at night, inside a club. I really prefer to use natural lighting – I am not a fan of the flash. In a club its dark, with hardly any available lighting. Shooting with a flash can make photos so……flat for lack of a better term. I really looked hard in the club to find spot lighting to use so that the photos wouldn’t all be so harshly lit. We found some interesting places to shoot in the club. DJ Boogie Blind and I found a mural of Jerry Garcia in the men’s restroom. There was a back room in the club that provided a few options as well. I need to get this out of the way – DJ Boogie Blind is a nut. We met before when he was here djing with Pharoahe Monch, and I was glad to see him again. He had some very silly ideas for photos; very creative. We shot in an old fashioned phone booth, behind the bar with him serving a woman a record, and took photos of him getting down and dirty with a mural of a neked woman. Super silly, but I have to say, he really made me laugh! Thanks Shoes!!!
I like the photos that I got of the guys, especially the ones where I was able to use the available light, and make the photos looks kinda spooky……but I wish we would have had some time outdoors. I think I would have liked the portraits so much better. I also shot the guys as the warmed up, make sure you check the “Photo Essays” section to see those. Many thanks to the other members of the X-Ecutioners as well; Total Eclipse, DJ Precision, and Rob Swift. Roc Raida was on the road with Busta Rhymes so I didn’t get to meet him, but maybe next time.
X-Ecutioners Showcase
X-Ecutioners feat. Ghostface, Trife & Black Thought “Live From the PJ’s”
* Bonus * Rob Swift & Bob James at the Knitting Factory (Live)
Waking up is hard for me in general. After a long day of photo shoots and staying up late, waking up on my second day in Philly was very hard. I managed to rally though, and headed out to meet Truck North and Bear One. Craig had the day off, so we rolled over to Larry Gold Studios. When we got there Bear One took us to “The Roots Room.” The Roots have their own room yo…covered in graff…it’s a pretty cool room, but there were no Roots present the day I was there. I had hoped that maybe I’d run into Patti LaBelle or someone, hahahaha. The studio was beautiful, and we were able to use a couple different spaces in the studio. I couldn’t get over how much Truck North reminded me of Biggie. Looks wise it was incredible. I’m sure he hears that all the time, but every time I look at the photos of Truck a little voice in my head says “Get it? Biggie.”
Truck and Bear were mad cool. If you’ve seen The Roots live over the last couple years you’ve probably seen Truck North as their supporting act. He’s also appeared on several tracks with The Roots including “Singing Man” and “Carolina.” Truck North, Black Thought and Dice Raw under the alias of The Money Making Jam Boys are working on a release as well.
The funniest part about the shoot was Truck North calling me old. Ok he didn’t REALLY call me old, but he kinda did though….. We were shooting in the recording studio, and I wanted him to spit something into the mic so it didn’t look like he was just standing in front of a microphone. He didn’t know what to rap so I just started throwing out song titles. “Potholes In My Lawn!” He said, “I’m too young to do that one!! I came up more on Stakes Is High. (That’s where he called me old….) “Award Tour” Didn’t know it. I was about to throw out a third song when he was like forget it, and just started spitting his own rhymes from “‘09 Mentality” (listen below) which were very very nice indeed. Above and beyond The Roots, Truck has also worked with Wale, Rosco P Coldchain, Saigon and more. Watch out for Truck North, you don’t want him to run you over.
Truck North “‘09 Mentality”
More Truck tracks: Truck North “Hard Times” (Prod. by Bear One)
Truck North feat Wale “Flyer Than the Rest”
Truck North “D.Y.B”
Originally we were supposed to hook up with Reef The Lost Cauze after Truck, but Reef had to go to New York last minute to audition for a part. Reef – I hope you got the part, and we’ll make it happen next time!
So we had enough time to grab some lunch and then met up with Todd Craig, author of tor’cha (support Mr. Craig and cop his fabulous book directly from his site here.) Todd came to Philly from New York just to get some photos taken. He SWEARS that when he told people I was taking his photos, they got all weird and excited and acted like they knew my name. (I’m becoming household yo!) Big ups to Mr. Len and Che Tucker for knowing my name and my work. Next time I’m in New York/Philly, we’ll have to do a shoot. Mr. Len’s a pretty famous dj, he does a lunchtime mix daily for xxl.com, and Che is a fantastic artist. Check them out ya’ll. Spread the love. (Che…I want some of them shoes…)
Todd’s girl is the infamous Miss Douglas (aka Stef Tataz) an amazing woman. As I mentioned before, she came through with the connections for me setting up photo shoots left and right on nothing but a days notice. Stef and I bonded before we even met, she is mad cool, knows her hip hop and has been down forever. I shot Stef and Todd together, wandering the streets of Northern Liberties chopping it up. I learned about Todd’s book tor’cha and I learned about Stef’s Hip Hop History. The four of us, Craig included, really clicked. I enjoyed my time with Todd and Stef immensely.
Mr. Craig is not only an author, he’s got his Masters in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and was accepted to several writing residencies including residencies with the Ucross Foundation, Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow, Jentel Foundation and he held an Associate Artist position at Atlantic Center for the Arts with Anne Waldman. When asked about Todd and his book, Bobbito Garcia said;
“Todd Craig’s writing can hold more weight than the mighty 59th Street bridge during rush hour. He is a combo of Zora Neale Hurston and Bonz Malone. A classic slice of New York pizza. Hold the swine.”
College professors are using tor’cha in their classes, tor’cha recently sold out of it’s first printing, and a second printing is going to press as we speak. This is a rarity in the world of small press printing, and a HUGE accomplishment. The second pressing of tor’cha will also feature an author photo taken by yours truly!! Very exciting!
The ten-chapter novel is a coming of age story of three African-American brothers growing up in the inner-city. Each chapter is based on one of the Ten Commandments, while drawing its moral from Supreme Mathematics, an Islamic concept originated from the Nation of Gods and Earths.
tor’cha also comes complete with a free soundtrack to the novel. A collection of songs written for and dedicated to the book combined with songs heavily aligned with the mood and feel of the novel, the soundtrack includes songs by artists Mobb Deep, Big Noyd, G3, Big Twinz, Chinky, Stamma Ramma, Truck North, Kice of Course, Mental Case, Un Pacino, Nyce and various others. The soundtrack also highlights production from Havoc, Mr. Len, Bear-One, 100 Milez, Sean Strange and DSMOOTH.
Below are two tracks from the tor’cha soundtrack. On the title track QB representatives Havoc, G3, Big Twins, Big Noyd spitting over a chopped up Blue’s riff provided by Bear-One. While “That’s The Set-Up Right There” finds newcomers Kice of Course and Mental Case converting the narrative and plot from a chapter in the book into rap form.
Havoc, G3, Big Twins, Big Noyd “tor’cha” (Produced by Bear-One)
Kice of Course and Mental Case “That’s the Set-Up Right There” (Produced by Havoc)
Congratulations Todd!
Miss Douglas’s story is impressive as well. Working with Rich Medina and Bobbito she helped run Footwork, an infamous hot spot for hip hop love in both Philly and New York. Footwork was more than just a record/clothing/sneaker spot, they hosted live events where many then-unknown Philly artists got their start. Miss Douglas was co-founder of Beat Society - a Producer Showcase that started in Philadelphia and took over the world of beat making. What started out as a website turned into a monthly party; Stef booked the shows and co-hosted the events, and made even more noise. Before they knew what was happening the idea had been stolen and turned into a touring powerhouse, causing Hezekiah: the emcee/producer who masterminded Beat Society, to punch said thief in the face.
Stef also coordinates Philly’s B-Boy BBQ, a family-friendly event founded by Pose2 that features artist showcases, impromptu MC cyphers and battles, breakdancing, DJing and live graf work. Be sure to make plans to check it out the second Saturday of June 2009. Below are videos from the event in 2006 & 2007.
I could go on and on telling you about Stef’s amazing history, (Hip Hop buyer for Cue Records, Legendary Philly DJ and Party Host, Internet Radio Host) but above and beyond all that, what is most important, is that Stef is a wonderful person. Gracious, kind, and giving. I couldn’t believe that she would go above and beyond for a total stranger, and help me get some really amazing shoots, meet some great people, and more. Stef, thanks so much for all you did for me while I was out there. I look forward to my next trip to Philly so we can build some more.
Stef, Todd, Craig and I stopped by Rich Medina’s house to meet Rich’s girl and their beautiful little boy. We had played with the idea of doing some family portraits, but it was dark, and cold, and there were some issues with eyebrows….ladies….I know you understand that problem. So we hung out, played with the baby, chatted, and Rich gave me a copy of his CD (Listen to “B-Boys To Men” off of the album below.)
Rich Medina “B-Boys To Men”
*Bonus* DJ Mitsu feat Rich Medina “Do Right”
Then we split to meet up with Junior and Lil Dave: hosts of the radio program Eavesdrop on WKDU. Eavesdrop broadcasts every Friday night from 6 to 9 on WKDU 91.7FM in Philadelphia. Junior scouts the world for the latest, hippest music to present to his fans. Everything from indie hip hop to rare grooves to house to afrobeat to broken beat and beyond. He is more than a dj. He also writes music reviews for Beautiful Decay Magazine, The Philadelphia Weekly, and writes a column for Dork Magazine.
Lil Dave is a member of the Illvibe Collective, a DJ Crew based in Philly comprised of Statik, Panek, Phillee Blunt, Lil Dave and Skipmode. Lil Dave’s roots are in hip hop but he also loves to present music that may be new and undiscovered to the masses. Everything from brazilia, to rare groove, to acid jazz to UK inspired Soul and beyond.
The idea was to shoot Junior and Lil Dave (who was feeling under the weather) while they did the show. When we got to the station though, we all got a little surprise. The show was being pre-empted for a live concert. So Junior, Lil Dave, and I took some shots in the record and CD rooms that turned out real nice. Both dudes were real chill, although I think they were holding back from killing the programmers at the radio station for not letting them know their show was going to be pre-empted. Apparantly emails get out to folks at the radio station about not leaving beverages near the boards, but don’t go out when shows are not going to be on the air. Shooot, I’d be mad too!
The shoot was quick and to the point, and it was getting late. We mostly shot in the radio station itself, although I did try to take some photos of Lil Dave and Junior leaning on a table that didn’t work out…at all…..
We finished up with Junior and Lil’ Dave and headed to Germantown to meet Writtenhouse. Craig saw Writtenhouse open for Little Brother and really liked them, so he reached out to them about doing a shoot. When we pulled up we were met by Writtenhouse’s manager, Dame, who looked straight like a young B Real. Dame took us upstairs to the studio, by the time we got there it was D.A.R.K. there wasn’t enough light to find your way let alone do a photo shoot. So we moved furniture around, took lamp shades off of lamps, put my flash on my camera and did the best that I could. Three was not the magic number, and it was hard finding ways to light the scene so that all three members of Writtenhouse were equally lit, no shadows, etc., etc…..lighting nightmare. But I do like the solo shots of the guys, and there’s a few group shots that came out nice.
There are three parts to Writtenhouse; MC Charlie K., drum machine player Chris Conway and producer Kush Shalimar. When comparing Writtenhouse to those who have come before them names like J Dilla and A Tribe Called Quest pop up.
You can download their mixtape, Sunshine Philadelphia Vol. 2, here
Writtenhouse “Inna Light”
Watch the interview that Writtenhouse did with 215hiphop.com below. The interview was shot in the same studio where I photographed them and you can see first hand how dark it was in there.
215hiphop.com Interviews Writtenhouse
WrittenHouse “The World” Live in Hartford, Conn
Writtenhouse live at the EMC release party.
After the Writtenhouse shoot, I was tempted to check out the circus training school across the street, but I decided to save it for the next trip. Craig and I met up with Stef and Todd for dinner back in Northern Liberties, and had a great time. After dinner we hung out with Craig’s cousin Caresh and his girl Cara, and then I headed back to the hotel. I had to be at work back in Denver the next day, and I was toast.
Many thanks to all the people who helped make this trip a success. First and foremost Craig made the trip possible, and supported me through the adventure. I love you so much for all your support. Much thanks to Miss Douglas who set up and coordinated many photo shoots last minute. And thanks to everyone I met along the way. I hope you enjoy the photos, and I look forward to returning to Philly soon.
