KevinNottingham.com » Grafitti

Photos From Public Enemy’s Fear Of A Black Planet 20th Anniversary Tour in Atlanta

Kevin — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 00:43:05 +0000

I’m happy to announce that KN.com has officially brought on a contributing photographer, Carolyn Grady of Rhythmic Images Photography. Carolyn will be providing photos to the site from certain events that she attends in Atlanta. Her first submission is from Public Enemy’s recent stop in Atlanta for their Fear of A Black Planet 20th Anniversary Tour. More photos after the cut…

Wale: Attention Deficit [Album Cover]

Kevin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:16:45 +0000

The album cover for Wale‘s upcoming debut album has been floating around the Net this evening. I love a good cover. This one is actually pretty dope… has me anticipating the album a little more. See it in full after the cut. What do you think? And how important is an album cover to you?

Takin’ It To The Streets…

Kevin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:08:04 +0000

Somone sent me this pic that they found in a train station in Dortmund, Germany. Proof that we are definitely global! Guess I should make it out to Germany one day…

Wu-Tang Meets Blue Note

Kevin — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:00:28 +0000

Imagine the Wu’s greatest work had it been part of the Blue Note catalog… that’s exactly what was designer Logan Walters‘ inspiration as he reimagined his Wu-Tang Clan catelog. His project is to redesign all 21 off Wu’s covers. Part one has him seven down. Head over to check them out in hi-res and if you’re daring enough, replace the original covers in your collection with these vintage ones!

[read full article...]

After Midnight with Hip Hop Artist Steven Lopez

Kevin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:43:43 +0000

I love looking at art just as much as I love hip hop. Props to J. Rizzle for turn me onto this artist by the name of Steven Lopez. The above video is the latest of him painting Erykah Badu, but if you check out his Vimeo site, he has some of Sade, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and more. Check it out!

Damu + Joe Buck: Madvillain ReVISION

Kevin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:22:00 +0000

This right here is just dope.as.fuck. Who here doesn’t like Madvillain? Album Cover ReVISIONS is a spontaneous, ongoing digital art project originally conceived by acclaimed painter/illustrator/designer Joe Buck, along with Redefinition Records. Imagined as a way to pay tribute to, and expand upon a noteworthy theme or piece of art, the Album Cover ReVISION series allows the incredibly talented Buck to revise and present his vision of a particular album or single’s cover image as he sees fit.

For the Madvillain ReVISION, Damu The Fudgemunk helped out with a little tribute of his own to Madvillainy. I wonder if Damu had my Madvillain sample set loaded in his MPC? Check the video and download after the cut and check here for the full details.

DOWNLOAD

Let’s Talk with Kagan McLeod

Sean Deez — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:00:35 +0000

Canadian Interviewer, Nardwuar, was interviewing some guy named Jay-Z when a piece of art caught my attention. Nardwuar brought out a poster, an amazing poster seen above, and Jay-Z was in awe. This poster featured a head shot of every MC you could think of (including some soul pioneers and important figures) and even had a little tidbit about each artist on the backside. To date, it has blown the socks off of guys like Kangol Kid, NYOIL, Dana Dane, and your boy, Deez. In fact, it impressed me so much that I had to seek out the creator, Kagan McLeod, who in my luck, lives in Toronto. KevinNottingham.com is about so much more than the music. Sure, the music is up close and primary, but, it is artwork like Kagan’s that makes the culture so special and gives it a purpose. We felt that it was important to cover a piece of art that Hip Hop fans reading the interview could appreciate and undoubtedly will want to buy. I got a chance to kick it with Kagan at Toronto’s Hip Hop Karaoke and watch him do his best Jaz-O impression on stage before we kicked into interview mode. There was plenty to talk about ranging from his controversial encounter with Eric B, kicking it on stage with Masta Ace, missing some of the old and new, the story behind the piece, and, because it’s what we do, sampling.

SD: Kagan, it was a pleasure to see you rip a microphone. You seemed focused and in the zone! Hidden talents, man. Of course, this is the token intro part: tell everyone who you are, what you do, why you are here, and anything else you think would be beneficial.

KM: Thanks Sean. I’m an illustrator working mostly for newspapers and magazines in the United States and Canada. I do regular work for Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Portfolio and Men’s Health and have done illustrations for GQ, New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. I dabble in comics too, and I like rap.

SD: Thank you for my copies of your famous poster, I’ll be sure to frame them. It does seem like clever (indirect) marketing though. Do you think it forces people to buy two copies? I don’t feel as if you are doing justice to the piece if one side is plastered up against the wall. I feel like I’d need a spinning frame or something [laughs].

KM: You’re right – I wanted it to be something in between a cheap poster and an artist’s print. At $25 you can’t complain about the price for the art and amount of information you’re getting, so yeah, there’s the option to buy two copies. The back of the poster is meant to be a legend to the front – I got the idea when I started working the whole thing out. The front is consistent, with each artist shown as equals with the rest, regardless of levels of fame. The back acts as a who’s who and provides the most basic amount of context that would fit in the space I had.

SD: Funny you mentioned “shown as equals” because Masta Ace watched YOU kick one of the greatest verses of all time with G Rap’s and BDK’s time on ÒSymphony.Ó He was on the sidelines [laughs]. You had top billing over one of the greatest to touch the mic man, how’d that feel? Did he see the poster?

KM: You’re talking about the Hip Hop Karoake anniversary last year – Masta Ace was host. My buddy Gersh and I wanted to do “The Symphony,” and the next thing we knew, Ace had said he would do his verse with us. It was definitely intimidating, to impersonate G Rap and Kane in front of someone who recorded with them. But it’s still karaoke so it’s meant to be just for fun. It is, however, the best way to get to be a rapper without any of the work – you already know the songs and the audience already likes them! But yeah, I was able to give him a copy of the poster to take home with him.

SD: The reason why I bring this up is because, it is so freaking evident that you love hip hop. And it’s amazing to see the legends for 10 minutes be in awe. This is a reaction you must get anytime you show the poster to an artist, that moment of awe; that moment of them on the side of the stage watching you do your thing. Would you agree? After experiencing what it was like to be on stage (even if it was for fun) like that, can you bridge the gap between your piece of art and the art of rhyme?

KM: As I was doing the poster I thought some of the people on it would see it, but I definitely couldn’t see myself presenting it to any of them! It is a great feeling, not only to meet people who you’ve listened to for half your life, but to have them compliment you! Of course I would second guess myself as to how I put the history down, I hadn’t lived IN it, but I absorbed it from far away. I was reassured by UTFO’s Kangol Kid, that it is what it is, one artist’s interpretation. It reminds me of this Ras Kass line “Now I’m a rap fan who never saw Bam rock a park in the Bronx but I still snap skulls after dark!”

As far as rapping vs. art — they’re both forms of communication that can provoke a strong reaction. But it takes a different type of person to do each well.

SD: What do you think the biggest difference is between the rapper and the artist?

KM: I found when meeting rappers that they have a natural cadence and outgoingness that an artist doesn’t need to do their thing. I could never be as comfortable on camera as some of these guys.

SD: By now, people have hopefully taken a moment to acknowledge the featured piece. We’ll talk about that one for now. Let’s start from the ground up though man; what was the process? How did it start? How did it end and when did you know that you were finished? How long did it take?

KM: I started by making a list of everyone I thought should be on it, then I started putting them in order mostly based on when their first album came out. A lot of people had singles out way before albums, but I tried to stick to my criteria. From reading magazines and watching Rap City back in the day I had a pretty good clue as to who was important but still had to do some research, especially for the old school. Everything always opened up a new door, and I would always find someone new to add in even after I started drawing. The most current stuff was difficult as well; I didn’t want to make the mistake of putting anyone on who was a flash in the pan. I thought Lupe was a good person to end it on. He’s probably the newest rapper that I really like.

SD: At what point of your career did you do this? Did you feel like it was a necessary piece to add to your resume, or was this more about the love of hip hop?

KM: I’ve been working professionally for 9 years, and finished the piece last year.

It was definitely more for fun than career opportunities. I knew it would be cool because the most hardcore heads would react to it (they always try to stump me with someone who’s not on there) and casual fans would also like it and hopefully learn something. I’m interested in the history, which comes from being interested in sampling – whether it’s finding the Funky Drummer or who first said that high pitched “Oh my god!”.

I tried to get it all on one piece of paper. Hardcore fans are very nerdy about rap, so whether they praise this or have beefs with it, I’m glad they’re talking about it.

I did manage to get the piece into the American Illustration annual this year, so it definitely isn’t hurting my career.

SD: We’ll talk more about sampling in just a second, but, because this was done for fun, do you think anyone could do this piece? By that, I mean do you think non-artistic people, such as myself, could do their own version of this, and present it to the people you have and get the same response? Be honest. Did you put a ton of emphasis on the actual drawings of the artists, or did you do just enough to get the gist of it and move on?

KM: The drawing style is a matter of taste, I guess. I wanted to keep the drawings loose, (I freestyled them without pencil, and if the likeness was off I would adjust it in photoshop), a style that definitely takes some practice. I think if I did them photorealistically I would a) kill myself doing them, and b) have something without any personality. We could definitely critique the individual drawings all day but I left each one when I was satisfied with it and that’s what it is.

And of course anyone can give it a go, but I did it first!

SD: What was the hardest part of this poster in Pre-development, during the whole process, and the post finished piece? Was there ever a time you just wanted to quit?

KM: It took longer than I thought it would (about 6 months for each side) but as the space filled up, imagining the final [piece] kept me going. The hardest part was definitely finding new (old) artists all the time and trying to find a space to squeeze them in. Maybe I’d hear a shout out on a later record to an earlier pioneer I’d never heard of, and then look him up.

SD: Speaking of the older artist and getting back to something you mentioned earlier, samples, one thing KevinNottingham.com heads will love are your two pieces devoted to the classic and frequently sampled tracks, “Sing a Song” by Sly & the Family Stone, and “Atomic Dog” by George Clinton. These seem just as difficult to produce as the History of Rap piece; can you explain the process of these?

KM: Like I said, sampling has always been interesting to me and I picked a few tracks that I could pick apart and show visually who took what and what for. It was originally for a graffiti art show called Heroes and Icons and I figured this could be appropriate. I did a lot of infographics work when I got out of school, plus some comic books, so this kind of words-and-pictures thing came up as a way to illustrate something non-visual like music.

SD: Where’d the idea for the Equalization Soundwaves come from? Are they accurate? Why these?

KM: The soundwaves are accurate, traced from screengrabs of the songs. I chose these songs because they were used so many times and chopped into so many other classics. The relationship between the old stuff and new stuff is great!

SD: We are ALL about the blending of old and new. It’s evident, then, that you do have an appreciation for the samples. If you could do one Issac Hayes joint, which one would you do? What about James Brown? Do you have a vision for these?

KM: I wanted to do 10 but only got three done. For the rest I would have done a Bob James one; “Nautilus,” something Roy Ayers, maybe “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” or We Live In Brooklyn.” Definitely Isaac Hayes’ “Walk on By” or something like that. “Funky Drummer” for James Brown. The Meters,”Handclapping Song.” Just the most classic of classics.

SD: This should cause a good discussion with the readers. But, referring back to the Sly and Clinton pieces, both of those are almost like one large puzzle. I found my eye traveling all over the place. Did you want this to happen, an unsettling eye? There’s tons to look at, including the album art work within the art work and the text. Would you consider these two pieces in particular more jam packed than your History of Rap piece?

KM: I definitely think there’s more to digest in the History of Rap, but the idea for these pieces is an intro about the original song, an illustration of the band, and a timeline of the song and who sampled what parts. Hope it wasn’t too confusing!

SD: Going back to the History of Rap, you seemed to have the very touchy and dangerous responsibility of choosing what picture you’d choose to portray the artist as. Dana Dane’s picture is, as he claimed, probably the only time you’ll see me without a Kangol hat on. Are you worried that some artists make take offense to what they look like? What picture was the most risky? Most difficult one to draw? How controversial did you consider getting, for example: Slick Rick without the eye patch, Chuck D without a hat, numerous artists without a Kangol?

KM: For the most part I tried to illustrate the artists how they were when they first came out. But with Dana Dane I used reference from his second album for some reason, where he was shown without a Kangol. I don’t think any of the artists would be embarrassed by their portrayal with a certain style – be it a jheri curl, an afro or lines in the eyebrows – it’s a moment in time, that’s how it was. I didn’t think I was being controversial at all with my choices.

SD: What was your goal in choosing a 1989 Pos and Tru as opposed to a mid-to-late 90′s De La Soul? Using them as reference, I mean to ask, why did you choose a particular picture from the past or present to depict a particular artist? It’s pretty refreshing (and kind of funny too) to see pictures of Bo$ with her toque and Busta’s short and soon to be dreaded hair. But, even with reference to Busta, why that one, the Leaders of the New School one and not the more familiar dreaded dude?

KM: It was a tough call, especially when so many people’s iconic looks had morphed over the years. But the piece being in chronological order would have looked weird if De La were amongst all of their ’89 contemporaries with ’94 haircuts. Same with Busta next to the Leaders. And Tupac in Digital Underground – I gave him the Juice haircut even though the backwards bandana is the more iconic look. NWA’s got to go together, so Ice Cube’s got to have the jheri curls! I drew Lil’ Wayne from an old Hot Boyz picture and I don’t even think I had any idea how famous he was becoming. He’s almost unrecognizable without the tattoos and stuff.

SD: The jheri curl is soooo necessary though. It should be mentioned that there aren’t DJ’s on the poster. It’s a little bittersweet because a guy like DJ Premier isn’t on it, but Pete Rock, a guy who rapped (most likely someone else’s lyrics) but wasn’t really known for that, is. Surely, guys like DJ Premier, Marley Marl, and Easy Mo Bee deserve a place on here more so than some of the MC’s, would you agree?

KM: Absolutely — if this were a hip hop poster. But the goal for this one was rap, one element of hip hop’s four. I do make the clarification in the first bit of text on the back. It was tough to cut out the DJs, especially the most famous ones, but it also would have doubled the poster size to include them all. It was another way for me to narrow the project down, and include more obscure rappers. I’m still having a hard time finding a track that Pretty Lou from the Lost Boyz raps onÉ but he’s listed as a vocalist. Anyway, most of the DJs get mentioned on the back of the poster, regardless.

SD: To further emphasize the DJ, we recently interviewed DJ K.O. When asked about the role of the DJ, he replied, “[DJ's] are the backbone of the industry.” Do you think you are conveying a special importance on the MC and kind of shun the importance of the DJ with the piece? You walk a fine line when you include a lot of soul influences and even Muhammad Ali, but not DJ’s. What has that response been?

KM: I don’t mean to shun anyone; it’s just focusing on one element. The first few rows aren’t meant to be rap’s influences, it is rap’s forefathers. James Brown is on this piece because he rapped (check King Heroin), not because he’s heavily sampled. Muhammad Ali is on it because he rapped in interviews before fights. Pete Rock had solo tracks (even if they were written by Grand Puba) so he definitely has a voice in rap. De La’s Maseo could have been on there too. Basically, I simplified it so I could specifically show ‘rap’ in greater detail.

SD: You told me earlier that you caught some flack from Eric B. Tell us about that.

KM: Apparently he and Chuck Chillout were not impressed that they weren’t included, but didn’t take the time to actually look at the poster. I believe he said that “if [he] wasn’t on it, then [I] don’t know anything about hip hop.” If there was a list of the greatest boxers, I wouldn’t expect to see Don King on it, even though he’s got a lot to do with some of the greatest boxers. So it’s unfortunate that Eric B felt that he was left out, but that wasn’t meant to be the case.

SD: Do you plan on doing one with strictly DJ’s and Producers on it? That could be very dope; I certainly will put that in the suggestion box.

KM: I agree, that would be another great project. Among the DJs, there’s definitely a great amount of stand out personalities, but for the most part they aren’t as recognizable. If DJs are the backbone, then MCs are the face. For that reason, rappers make more sense for a poster like this; they’re known for being in the forefront, their personalities and character. The same is true for DJs, b-boys and writers, but in a different way. It’s more about what they can do with their hands, bodies or art. MCs are the ones that need the charisma to control the crowd – a DJ does it with music.

It’s like the relationship between actors and directors – they need each other and the public loves their combined efforts, but it’s the actors who generally get the fame.

Like Mister Cee told Kane “I’m always in the background, supplying the sound, but my props is yet to be found!”

SD: Great analogy with cinema. How do you feel about this poster serving as an educative tool for young and old alike? I feel as if I know my hip hop quite well, but there are at least 7 names on this list that I’ve never heard of or been familiar with. Do you see this poster, 5-10 years from now, hanging up in a classroom surrounded by kids talking hip hop? Isn’t that the dream life though [laughs]. I feel that the hip hop world owes you a huge thank you because something like this can easily make that push for some Hip Hop Classroom talk.

KM: Wow, that’s definitely nice to hear. I’m curious, which 7 names?

SD: [laughs] Damn. Okay. Rammellzee, a lot of the early 80 crews I don’t know each MC by name, Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, Cheryl the Pearl, Def Jef, and I think it ends there. But then, you Google a lot of these cats then you are like, “ohhhh yeah.” But, moving on.

KM: [laughs] After talking with a number of people I think “A History of Rap” would have been better than “The History of Rap.” There’s so many ways and directions you can go with something like this, and I tried to be as neutral as I could with the info. But I definitely have no place saying this is the definitive history, nor did I mean to give that impression. In any case, to give people a springboard for discussion or further research is definitely what I hoped for. So if I make that happen somewhere in the world then I’m happy.

SD: Well, I mean, it’s evident that you made me, a hip hop writer, go to the internet and look up a thing or two. Before we make this interview ridiculously long, we’ll cut it here. Any last words to say?

KM: Yes, sorry to Lovebug Starski for not including you on the poster! I knew you DJ’ed, but didn’t find out about your rap recordings until the poster was printed. My other biggest regret is Da Bush Babees, one of my favourite rap groups who weren’t included as an oversight.

Also, I’ve got a 400-page martial arts-themed comic called Infinite Kung Fu coming out next year from Top Shelf Comics – the first parts are online here!

SD: Really appreciate your time and this interview bro. It’s a pleasure to know you and your pieces of art. They are more than welcome in this world of hip hop.

KM: I appreciate talking with you guys as well, thanks!

Here are some links that you can get at Kagan at, buy the poster, talk about the poster, etc. Enjoy!

You can buy the poster at any of the following online retailers:

Common by Euqnichtims

Kevin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:41:05 +0000

Kanye Art!

Kevin — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:00:40 +0000

My man Cinque hit me up with some original artwork he did of Kanye West. Very tight work! Check em out…