“It’s the Yay baby brothah and I thought you knew.” – Zion I.
I’d been trying to shoot Zion I for a couple of years. Every time I thought it was going to happen, something came up. Usually it was on my end, it seemed like every time they were in Colorado, I was somewhere else. This time we got it done, but we cut it close.
I met up with Zion I in Boulder the same day I was scheduled to fly back East. They were on the road with Kev Choice and The Bayliens Crew.
I was warned about the Bayliens by Tim House, the tour road manager. He told me they were crazy. Yo! They were so much fun!! They LOVED the camera, and it made the shoot so much fun. The photos of these dudes came out lovely. My man Enzyme Dynamite was KILLING me. He loved the camera, he couldn’t get enough of the camera, he asked to take more photos after the other cats split!
He and his crew were mad cool dudes, and so I had to do some diggin’, had to hear what these dudes sounded like. Normally I like to stick around and hear/shoot the show, but I was leaving for the East Coast that night, and didn’t get to. My fabulous boyfriend send me a video they did for their track “Bubble Gum.” The video fit these kids personality to a “t.” It’s funny and silly and reminds me of videos people used to put out when Hip Hop was fun; I especially love the beads Enzyme is rocking – straight ’92. Check it out below.
The Bayliens feat. Cait La Dee “Bubble Gum”
The Bayliens “Welcome to the Bay”
The Bayliens “Rockstar Status”
Cop their album Crop Circleshere or download it here
One of the cool things about Kev Choice, is that he is a trained classical pianist. This is not something you often find in Hip Hop; a pianist who raps??? I read up on him before I went to the shoot, and found his history to be interesting. He’s worked with Yukmouth and Numskull, Martin Luther, DJ Quik, Amel Larrieux, Too $hort, Lauryn Hill, Lyrics Born, Goapele, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and more. He raps, plays the piano, directs his own ensemble, composes, produces, and has two feet in different aspects of the game – a twenty year veteran in both the hip hop and jazz worlds.
As we walked the Boulder streets he hipped me to McCoy Turner, a pianist who played with John Coltrane. Turner was in Boulder two nights after these guys, and Kev was dying to stay to check him out, but the tour had to go on. We also spoke about Ben Folds, you know I had to bring up my favorite pianist!! I encouraged Kev to check him out, don’t front Kev!!
Kev Choice “Time Is Now”
Kev Choice feat. Zumbi “Back Home”
Download Kev Choice’s mixtape The Bailout for FREEhere
Zion I; the dynamic duo from The Bay. Consisting of Zumbi (formerly MC Zion) and AmpLive, Zion I has been rocking it for over ten years. Their first EP came out in 97 and they are still going strong. As I mentioned earlier, I had been trying to shoot Zion I for a few years. My boyfriend made a bet with me that I couldn’t get AmpLive to smile. It seems every photo he’d seen of Amp had the same facial expression. I got to the shoot determined to make him smile, and wouldn’t you know…….I couldn’t do it. But I almost did. I have to say there is a hint of a smile in this photo here….
It was right after I told him he should go do something he enjoyed….of course I was teasing him, and he ALMOST smiled. But he didn’t. I lost the bet. Not something I am proud of. Be sure to pick up a copy of Zion I’s album The Take Over. You can purchase it here. You can also cop Zion I shirts, mixtape and previous releases here
Zion I “Geek to the Beat”
Zion I “Juicy Juice”
Zion I “The Antenna”
Zion I “The Rebel”
Zion I feat. Ty & Jennifer Johns “Legacy”
Zion I & DJ Toure “World Class Bounce”
* Bonus *
Download Zion I Search & Seizure mixtape for FREEhere
Big up to Tim House. He has been more than willing to work with me, and hook me up with artists as he can. Many thanks to you Mr. House, your help is appreciated.
“Born and raised in Philly
We go jam and jam and jam actin’ silly” – Fresh Prince
Imagine this. You meet up with an emcee to do a photoshoot at a Community Center in the city. The Community Center has been chosen because of the graffiti on the walls, the art is incredible! You ask said emcee where he would like to start the shoot, “Over there by the wall, over there by that wall, and on the swings.”
Reef The Lost Cauze, hopped happily onto the swings and pumped as I clicked….
Reef also killed me with his shirt. I’m not a huge fan of shirts that have words on them in general. Specifically for photo shoots, it’s a bad idea. The words can get cut off, and look funky, and they distract from the photograph. This shirt was most definitely distracting. Most likely because of the HUGE “F*CK YOU PAY ME” that ran across the shirt. I get it, it’s cool, ….and it’s the name of your label, but yo…….that’s a big one……
Reef has been mad busy; releasing several projects over the last year. He put out his latest solo album A Vicious Cycle (purchase it here), released a collaborative project with producer Stress titled The Stress Files (Cop it here), dropped two EP’s (Big Deal EP and The King and the Cauze EP with King Magnetic), as well as a mixtape with King Magnetic (The King and the Cauze Mixtape) which Reef describes in the following way: “We heard the ’80s were back but all we saw was the nerd version of the ’80s, so this is our contribution to the retro movement — the birth of gangster rap.” You can download the The King and the Cauze Mixtape for FREEhere. Also, be on the lookout for the The King and the Cauze album dropping soon.
Reef The Lost Cauze “I Wonder” (Produced by Marco Polo)
Reef the Lost Cauze “Commander in Chief”
Reef The Lost Cauze “The Sound of Philadelphia”
Reef the Lost Cauze “Home”
Reef the Lost Cauze “So Sharp”
Reef the Lost Cauze & King Magnetic “The King & The Cauze”
Reef the Lost Cauze feat. Brother Ali “Big Deal (remix)”
I shot all day at the community center I mentioned before. It’s a local landmark, where the infamous B Boy BBQ takes place every summer. The walls around the center are beautiful. There’s even a few pieces by Pose2 the bummer thing about those particular pieces is that they are behind a big old fence. I tried to get Reef to jump the fence, but he wasn’t havin’ it. So, I tried again with Aeon…he was down. The photos behind the fence are some of my favorites of this up and coming producer.
Be on the lookout for Aeon’s work. He has worked with a lot of the new cats on the scene, Amanda Diva, Tanya Morgan & Mickey Factz to name a few. He also produced the first single (“Girl Talk”) from Che Grand’s debut album Everything’s Good Ugly (in stores 06/09/09). I posted some of his production work and remixes below.
Usher “Love In This Club (Aeon Remix)”
Tanya Morgan feat. Phonte & Brittany Bosco “She’s Gone (aka Without You)” (produced by Aeon)
Torae “Switch (Aeon Remix)”
Heavyweight “Ubiquitous” (produced by Aeon)
Panacea “Katana (Aeon Remix)”
Mickey Factz feat. Tanya Morgan “We Ain’t” (produced by Aeon)
Holly Weerd “Weirdo (Aeon Remix)”
I always consider the light when I’m shooting outside. What’s the weather like, is it raining etc. One thing that doesn’t usually interfere is wind. I think this is because I’m usually shooting men…..which I would love to change (Female artists! Step up!) The wind was killing me while I was shooting Zarinah a.k.a Goldie Jawn. I mean, KILLING ME. It blew her hair around like crazy. It was driving us both NUTS. I’d show you her wind blown look, but I think she’d kill me…lol!!! Look out for Zarinah’s upcoming mixtape Dope Becomes Her.
Zarinah “Touch My Body”
Zarinah & Jonifin “Dangerous”
The last shoot of the day was with producer Haji Rana Pinya of the group Dumhi. We went to his house to do the shoot, and I was just a little bit bummed when I saw the way he had his house lit. There was little to no light. Ugh. I really didn’t want to use flash, I hate flash, it makes the photos so flat. So I started looking at ways to use the available lighting and my really fast lens. We went out onto his back porch and I set him under the porch light. He pulled out a smoke, and I started clicking. I was really excited about one particular photograph of him lighting the smoke. It’s looking down, you can see the brim of his hat, and his hands cupped to keep the wind from killing the flame. Looking at the image in the camera, I thought it might be a really great image…but alas….you just can’t tell what it is….
You can find out more about Haj and his group Dumhi, as well as download his latest EP Flowers for FREE at Dumhi.com. Check out some of his music below.
Haji Rana Pinya “My Funny Valentine”
Haji Rana Pinya “I Want To Follow Rainbows”
Haji Rana Pinya feat. Sadat X “The Yoga At Home Theme Song”
Haji Rana Pinya feat. Random & Trek Life “The Benefits of Practice”
Dumhi “Do What You Do”
Even though I didn’t photograph DJ Statik in Philly – he is from Philly, so I’ll tell you a bit about our shoot here. Statik (a.k.a. Mr. Sonny James), who is a member of The Illvibe Collective , came through Denver with Mr. Lif. They are on this huge, giant, world wide tour. From Philly to Denver to Seattle to Australia and back again. Statik was mad cool, I really enjoyed talking with him while we did the shoot. We found an old abandoned building, and just walked around the building getting different shots. We talked about Philly, (he strongly discouraged me from moving there), the public education system in Philly (horrible according to him) and the dream of living in places other than where we both live. Statik’s a mad cool person, and a very talented DJ. Below is some old footage of Statik performing at the Winter Music Conference in 2001 and a promo for the 7th year (It is now in it’s 8th) of his crew’s club night The BODYROCK
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.
One city, two days, sixteen photoshoots. This photographer took Philadelphia by storm. I met some of the coolest people, suffered through some of the coldest weather, and drove through some of the worst traffic. I learned a lot about Hip Hop in Philadelphia from those closest to the heart of the matter. The trip was as short as it was long, but this blog is longer. So I’m going to break it down to two posts. Here’s part one….
DAY ONE
Many thanks first and foremost to my wonderful boyfriend Craig (aka Fizz) who set up many of the shoots, and who also introduced me to Steff Douglas (aka Stef Tataz, aka Miss Douglas) who set up the shoots that Craig didn’t. Miss Douglas, whom I had never met, hooked me up!!! Much thanks to Miss Douglas!!! Now I would like to introduce you to Philly’s phinest….
Mutlu – I met up with Mutlu on the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum. (You may recognize the steps from the first Rocky movie.) It was absolutely FREEZING when we headed off to meet Mutlu at the museum. The icy cold touched my bones and made them crack. So where does Craig decide to park? Ohhh about ten miles from the museum. So here I am trudging over miles and miles to reach the joint in the freezing freezing cold. We finally met up with Mutlu and took photos all around the museum, you can see Ben Franklin and the city behind him in some of the photos.
During the shoot we spoke about touring, different venue’s he’d played in. He loves playing The Moore in Seattle, as well as the Crocodile Cafe. In Boulder he likes The Fox. We had wardrobe challenges – to wear the scarf or to not wear the scarf. We talked about his album, and his plans to tour in Amos Lee’s band this spring. Mutlu’s got a great laugh and blue blue eyes, he was very gracious and I enjoyed working with him.
Mutlu released an EP in 2004/2005 that was produced by Amos Lee. Mutlu’s first full length CD Livin’ It was produced by T-Bone Wolk, and featured guest appearances by Daryl Hall, Amos Lee, G. Love, Raheem DeVaughn, Mercedes Martinez, and Sharon Little and songwriting collaborations with Amos Lee, Ben Arnold, Scot Sax, Mike Ojike McHenry and Tony Reyes. Check Mutlu’s myspace here.
Mutlu “Little Things” (Live in Houston)
Mutlu “On Your Own”
Mutlu “Best In Me”
Mutlu “Caramel”
Below is a video of Mutlu singing an unreleased song titled “Board Games” while opening for Amos Lee at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, VA . He describes the song as “if Justin Timberlake or Usher sang a song about the more sensual side of board games”
Kuf Knotz is a Philadelphia area emcee and front man of a group called The Hustle, and the childhood friend of Craig. Craig had to work during my first day of photoshoots, so after the Mutlu shoot, he hopped the L and left me to find Kuf Knots. We also met up at the art museum, Kuf had an idea for a photoshoot in the area. After we finished up the first part of the shoot, we jumped in the car for what we thought was going to be a quick trip around the block…….
You know….when we first got to the museum Craig and I couldn’t figure out what was going on in that part of town that would require a few hundred police cars, helicopters and closed off streets. When Kuf and I got in the car, and couldn’t move for close to thirty minutes, and we figured it out. A police officer had been shot in Philly sometime during the previous weeks, and we were stuck in the middle of the funeral traffic. We literally sat in the same place in the car for thirty minutes. Do you know how awkward things like that can be? I’m steady STRETCHING for things to talk about. It was not easy. BUT we finally got moving and headed over to a bar Kuf knew about.
We parked the car, and crossed the street, and I’m not kidding, we had just walked in front of a stopped car when BAM!!!!!!! A car hits some ice and hits another car and TAKES OFF! Talk about Philadelphia Freedom! Guess it’s a free enough place where people can feel free to hit and run!!! Once we got into the bar Kuf warmed up a bit, both literally and figuratively, and we started talking about the Philly Hip Hop scene. He told me about how it incorporates a lot of different styles and sounds, and how it’s a great place for music. He is a founding member of a fourteen artist collective called The Burndown Allstars. He collaborated with Mutlu and fellow Burndown Allstar Dave Quicks, releasing an album called Karmiq. Check out Kuf Knotz – on his myspace page here and get The Hustle’s music via I-Tunes.
The Hustle “Philadelphia” (Live @ World Cafe Live)
Really feat. Kuf Knotz “Brand New Vibe”
Here are two older songs by Kuf Knotz. I am not sure where “Travelin’” is from but “Conversate” is from Kuf’s original, long defunct group Subtle Ground.
Kuf Knotz “Travelin’”
Kuf Knotz “Conversate”
Kuf Knotz is also currently working on a project with Dave Vegas, whom he brought along to the shoot. When I saw Dave coming up the street, the first thing I noticed was his great hair. I couldn’t wait to photograph this guy, his hair reminded of Heat Miser – you know – they guy from the Christmas cartoon, and I just knew he’d shoot like a Rockstar. With his great hair, and his huge sunglasses, he’d be so much fun to photograph, and he was. Dave has a real nice dude, super cool. Dave and I chatted about his album Lady Luck, his day job, and his collaborative work with Kuf. Be on the look out for the collaboration between Dave and Kuf.
I left Dave Vegas and headed out to meet Dave Ghetto at Kazoo’s Barbershop in downtown Philly. The GPS said it was a mile and a half away and that’d take me 7 minutes to get there. Driving down Chestnut street through downtown Philadelphia was ridonculous. Seriously. It took me 45 minutes to go a mile and a half. Poor Dave…I kept sending him text messages like “I’m almost there” and “I’m on Chestnut and blah blah blah” thinking I’ve got to be close! But nooooooo.. 45 minutes. All of which was spent fighting a Pilsner Beer Truck for space on the road. It was worse than driving in Manhattan. I finally got to the spot, and found Dave.
Dave and I walked the streets of downtown Philly. While we walked we had an interesting conversation about Hip Hop in Philly that was close to opposite of the one I’d just had with Kuf. Dave’s has been on the scene forever. I think he sees the scene as a little less open to new artists. Heads tend to stay immersed in the Boom Bap Mentality of Philly Days Gone By and seemingly shy away from embracing new and upcoming artists that don’t fit that traditional mold. We spoke about how that can be a fairly typical scenario in hip hop communities around the country. But I did ask him, if that was true about the Philly scene, how did The Roots fit in? They definitely didn’t fit into the traditional Hip Hop mold when they first hit the scene – live instruments??? No DJ??? That sparked an interesting conversation and brought the topic around to Hustle Simmons Dave’s group with Philadelphia Beatsmith – Tha S Ence. We spoke about how local media has said that Hustle Simmon’s is next in line to take The Root’s spot as Philly’s Premier Hip Hop group. To quote Philadelphia’s The City Paper:
With The Roots in Jimmy Fallon’s grill, Philly must venerate its newest hip-hop heroes, MC Dave Ghetto and programmer/producer Tha S Ence. Hustle Simmons’ dramatic eponymous debut dropped. We talked it up. But the praise is not enough. We have to move units. Buy three for the woman or man you love this Valentine’s Day — all y’all.
Hustle Simmons has that next big thang buzz, they’ve got street credibility, they’ve got talent and know how. They’re going to go a long way. Hustle Simmons’s album is available on Amazon.com (CD & MP3), as well as other fine retailers and features Buff1, DJ Cru Cut, Al Mighty, Richie Rasheen, and Fel Sweetenberg. Check out some of the videos from the project below as well as a couple freestyles from Dave and be sure to check out his site breakbreadprojects.com
Hustle Simmons “Everybody” (Directed by Hezekiah)
Hustle Simmons feat. 84 & Fel Sweetenberg “The Run Down” (Directed by Hezekiah)
Dave Ghetto “Dynomite”
Dave Ghetto “Be Easy”
I got lost leaving downtown Philly. There are so many slight right and slight left turns trying to get around Ben Franklin I was spinning in circles. Round and round and round….I finally got out of downtown and headed to meet DJ Ultraviolet and Hezekiah. By this time I was exhausted, had eaten a frozen Mac and Cheese in the Whole Foods cafeteria, and had to pee soooooooo bad. So I didn’t call DJ Ultraviolet like I promised I would when I was on my way. I waited til I got to the spot – La Va – where we were supposed to meet. Everyone in Philly had been mad cool up til this point. But homeboy behind the bar had MAD ATTITUDE. Whatever, I ordered my humus and hit the bathroom. After I’d eaten, I called Ultraviolet and she headed over. While I was waiting, I couldn’t place the music playing in La Va. It was so familiar……it sounded like home….
Ultraviolet showed up, and we shot some flicks inside the cafe, while we talked about her life as a DJ. What was funny about Ultraviolet was that I learned more about her later from other people than I did from her! She and Monie Love used to throw parties called LADIES LOVE HIP HOP a long running event in the Philly area. She also threw parties with DJ Ca$h Money called Living Legends. Both parties are legendary in the Philly Hip Hop scene, and she is much revered. She’s worked with everyone from Bahamadia to Jean Grae to Lady Bug Mecca and more. She’s even got a digital record label called Bee Eater and she just signed Fel Sweetenberg.
Ultraviolet spotted Hezekiah walking across the street. So the three of us headed out of doors. The two of them were KILLING ME. Hezekiah told jokes for days. This guy is a clown for sure! We had so much fun walking around. Hezekiah asked the Post Man if we could take photos in his truck – he said no. Hezekiah found a bike chained to a porch, and jumped on it the photos are hilarious. Hezekiah brought out the best in Ultraviolet, once she saw how goofy he was, she really got into the shoot and forgot about the cold she was fighting (poor thing). It was great working with the two of them together. Here’s what Hezekiah didn’t do. He didn’t tell me, when I asked him, about the projects he was working on. Just this and that, and la de da, nothing specific, nothing fabulous. This guy……
We get back to La Va, and meet up with DJ Truth, owner of Good Hands Records, a Philly Record label. Truth is a music industry veteran, and I spent some time in the business as well. We talked about the woes of the music industry. We touched on everything from CD’s being replaced by MP3’s to friends losing jobs to smaller labels replacing bigger labels to the return of the successful independent label. Good Hands has worked with some great artists including Camp Lo, Kurupt, Killah Priest, Craig G, Marley Marl, and more. On February 24th, they are dropping a new album by Lil’ Scrappy “Silence and Secrecy: Black Rag Gang.”
Truth and I headed back to La Va, and Hezekiah and Ultraviolet were still there. I got something hot to drink, the guy behind the bar was still being a jerk. It was then that it hit me who he was listening to. “Is this Built To Spill?” I asked. Homeboy looked at me like I was from another planet. “Yeah…” he said. “Yeah man, I knew I recognized this!!” We then had a nice little conversation about Built To Spill, and I told him about their first album Ultimate Alternative Wavers, which he had never heard of before. Suddenly there was light in the barista’s eyes…and I had gained his respect. Two points for me.
I had some time to kill so I sat and listened to the Truth, Ultraviolet and Hezekiah chop it up. I found it very interesting that when I asked Hezekiah about his upcoming projects he had less than three words to say, but oh boy…watch out….when sitting across from the label owner, the truth comes out….suddenly Hezekiah comes to LIFE! He’s working with Q Tip, he’s working with Posdnuos, he working with so and so and so and and so and so I was like “Hold up??? How come when I asked I got nothing….and this guy get’s the scoop???” It was pretty funny. But I told you, he’s funny guy!!! Check out some videos from Hez’s last album I Predict a Riot, as well as a video for “Many Moons” from his collaborative project with Producer/ Musician, Tone Whitfield (Bilal, John Legend, Erykah Badu, etc.) under the name Johnny Popcorn
Freeway feat. Hezekiah “As I Ever Been” (produced by Oddisee)
It was getting dark by the time I headed out to meet The Last Emperor. We planned on meeting at a clothing store called Made To Order it took me a minute to find the spot, and when I did my first concern was the lighting. But the lighting turned out to be great. The Last Emperor shots are some of my favorites. That’s saying a lot because to be honest, I love all the photos I took. But there’s something about the ones I got with Last Emp that just…I don’t know….they are dope. He was down to do whatever I asked, between cheesing it up and even getting down on the floor senior portrait style.
Last Emperor talked about his past and his future. During the 1990’s he was often compared lyrically to Rakim, he had mad buzz going on and was busy all the time, working with KRS One, Zac de la Rocha, Common, The Roots, Def Squad and Dr. Dre where he was signed to Aftermath Records, additionally he was signed to Rawkus Records, but didn’t release anything through Rawkus.
Then things slowed down and before he knew it he was working a 9 to 5 and it was three years later….but now all of the sudden….there’s been a resurrection. People are coming out the wood work looking to build with the Emperor and his producer MegaDemus. The weekend I was in Philly, Diamond D was coming to town to with with him, and an album titled Wizard’s Wardrobe is rumored to be released in 2009.
Mick Knox feat. The Last Emp & Baby Blak “The Anthem (the JockBox Joint)”
The Last Emperor “Blackboard Jungle”
The Last Emperor “Game Over”
Megademus feat. The Last Emp “Red Planet (Caution)”
Here is a fan made video of Emp’s classic song “Secret War”
The Last Emperor “Secret Wars”
Enough was enough. I trudged through the icy streets back to my rental car and went back to the hotel where I was greeted by a filthy disgusting room complete with a slime filled nasty bathtub. Best believe I had someone come clean that bad boy, and I got a free movie. And then. I went to bed.
This week flew by in a hurry. I couldn’t believe how fast it went by. I started the week off at work, of course, and on Wednesday while I was snackin’ on some popcorn a daggone kernel went and scratched my throat up, injury to the larynx. Poor me. Well the weekend rolls up on us, and my throat is worse than ever. The right side of my throat got all kinds of swollen…huge…giant size…supa sized even. So I got tested for strep. Nada. Nothin’.
Saturday morning, my throat was killing me, but I had to go to Rock The Bells. Headed to Fiddlers Green with the masses and eased past them as I collected my passes. RULES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS: You can only shoot during the first three songs of each set. You must meet at the side of the stage between five and ten minutes prior to each set. Sign this release that says you won’t sell any images. You may not reach out and touch any of the artists. (Pissed cuz I really was going to try and grab Method Man’s hand.)
Missed out on shooting Wale, who according to my boyfriend, is gonna be the next big thang, but I’m not trippin. I’ll catch him in Seattle… Had a good time shooting Jay Electronica, another up and coming mega star, what’s up with the staff though Jay? I’ll never forget you Jay Electronica. Jay came on the stage and really big-upped Supernatural. “Ya’ll are seeing some amazing emcees today!!! But nobody has been doing it as long as Supernatural! He’s so talented, he don’t even need to write his rhymes, he does everything off the top!! Supernatural and Scratch come out in between every act on Rock The Bells, they kill it every time!! Except today.” Thanks.
Big up to Emcee Zin who took my assistant Elizabeth and I back stage to meet Dead Prez. Once we got backstage I started looking for Tha Pharcyde’s manager Greg C., so I could present the guys with an issue of The Flavor with Tha Pharcyde on the cover. So I’m MINDING my business talking to ELIZABETH when this strange woman interrupts me and takes away my Flavor saying SHE will give it to Tha Pharcyde. She totally gangked me! I’ve lost my touch….I am…a sucker.
dead prez “Hip-Hop”
I found Tha Pharcyde though, and they liked the magazine, and I took a photo with them with the magazine, and nah nah nah nah lady.
Meth and Red came on stage after Immortal Technique who I didn’t photograph cuz I was sitting in Nas’s dressing room with Dead Prez, “What are all these people doing in Nas’s dressing room??? Did Green Lantern let them in?” I had to leave the Backstage area to shoot Meth and Red, and after that, it was no mas backstage. Then it started to rain….and we hid in the Frank 151 tent with DJ Low Key and Sounds Supreme, and wished we were fancy enough to have backstage access.
Redman & Method Man “How High”
Tha Pharcyde killed it though. Played allll the classics. It was great seeing them back together. Imani looked like he was so happy!!! Big smile the whole time.
Tha Pharcyde “Runnin”
By the time Nas came on though the rain was gone, and it was a beautiful night. I’ve been up close and personal with Nas before, if you haven’t heard the head story, let me know…so it was no big deal being that close to him again. Right…..it was super impressive to see how far he’s come, the last time I saw him perform was 1994 at The Flavor Party. He was dope.
Nas feat. Eban Thomas “You Can’t Stop Us Now”
Mos Def came on and rocked some Reggae tunes….while we waited for Black Star to perform….because A Tribe Called Quest didn’t (get well soon Phife)……and Talib took his sweet time coming on stage…. so I took my sore throat and went home.
Thought I was dying. ER doctor diagnosed me with NOTHING and sent me home with some Predsinone – steroids. There go my dreams of being a professional athlete.
Monday tried to get into the Dr, they said they could see me til the following week. Tuesday I called crying and begging to be seen, and they got me in. Turns out I did indeed have….a throat infection. One shot of penicillin in the rear, and a shot of steroids in the arm, and I headed to work. Yes. To work. Long story.
I was in the crowd mingling with the masses and my 70- 200 giant sized lens during The Coup and Flobots, but decided not to risk my life in the mosh pit from hell during Rage. But it sure was fun to watch them. Last time I saw Rage it was to a crowd that fit in a New York bar. This time they rocked the Denver Coliseum. Incredible.
Tried to catch up with the protest that followed, but lacking DNC credentials, I was denied. Check out B+’s shots on vibe.com though…dopeness…and follow Jeff’s blog, also on vibe.com as well as on his own site cantstopwontstop.com as he continues his political tour at the RNC in Minneapolis.
Topped the week off with photoshoots with M1 from Dead Prez and Rosa Clemente, Vice Presidential Candidate for the Green Party. The last few years in Rosa’s life have been incredible. Watch for her to hit your town on the election trail, and get to know more about her and The Green Party.
Next week I’m off to Seattle to shoot Rock The Bells at the Gorge in George, and to have a little art show at Spin’s Barbershop. Excellent opportunity to see my work up close and personal if you have not been able to, as well as to meet my fabulous boyfriend Craig who will be visiting the Pacific NW for the first time. And of course, see me and the kid. If you’re in Seattle, come on down.
Fresh Rhymes and Video Tape, a tour featuring Dilated Peoples, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, and 88 Keys made it’s last stop in Boulder, CO.
After unsuccessfully reaching the artists on the tour via their myspace and or band websites, I went straight to the top. Mr. Beni B. Grand Puba in charge of ABB Records, and got the go- ahead to shoot portraits of the artists, as well as the tour.
The day of the show, I got to the venue, and typical to hip hop fashion – waited. Soon enough though, I met up with two of the three Peoples, 88 Keys, The Alchemist, and Hines Buchanan – Aceyalone’s DJ. Mr. Alone…wanted to be alone…or at least he didn’t want his portrait taken.
The show was out of control. Rumor has it, it was the best show of the tour. The crowd was crazy. When I jumped into the mix to snap some shots of Aceylone performing, they started pushing me over to get me to get out of their way. Normally I would have pushed them back – push me and I’ll push you back – but I had a broken ankle/leg combination, and falling with my camera didn’t seem a good option. So I shot the rest of the show from the stage.
In other news, Radian Records recording artist/singer songwriter Lola Johnson features some of my photographs on their site. Check out Lola, she’s amazing.
