August 10th, 2011

I’m into non-conventional music packaging, no surprise there. Last week, a friend put me on to Bjork’s forthcoming release, Biophilia: The Ultimate Art Edition. This “super limited” version is designed by M/M Paris and comes in a lacquered, silkscreened oak box containing 2 cd’s (Biophilia, plus an exclusive live Bjork recording from the Manchester International Festival), 10 chrome plated tuning forks, and a numbered certificate. Only 200 will be produced. What I do find surprising is the price – $812. (more…)

July 5th, 2011

Last month Kwaku Alston asked if I would be interested in writing something for his blog, Art of Studio. The answer was yes, and this is what I came up with.

I’ve been passionate about art for as long as I can remember. Growing up art was a hobby, not a career option. Luckily, I had a teacher who changed all that. I took a drawing class in my first year of college. One day the teacher said she thought I’d be good at graphic design. I didn’t know what it was, but I was willing to try anything that offered the possibility of being a working artist and moving to NYC. She helped me put together a portfolio and apply to art schools. She was right. (more…)

June 27th, 2011

In the weeks before Decoded was released, Droga 5 launched a unique campaign to promote the book: Decode Jay-Z. Oversized pages were put in locations inspired by the text (a plaque in Marcy projects, the lining of a Gucci jacket, etc.) giving the words context. The only one I came across in my travels was the Politics as Usual billboard on Flatbush and Tillary in BK, which was expected because Jay-Z had this location on lock for years. Seeing Jigga’s words that large, without his picture or an in-store date, made them more powerful. To connect the dots, Bing launched an online game that directed fans to each of the page locations. This video shows the scale and effectiveness of the campaign.

RapRadar

May 23rd, 2011

Fast Company recognizes John Jay as one of the 100 Most Creative People In Business. In this video, John, the Executive Creative Director at Wieden + Kennedy, shares his wisdom on the importance of listening and understanding in creativity.

April 21st, 2011

Here’s a “Revolutions Per Minute” cover comp we banged out.  It wasn’t approved, but I am proud of it regardless.

April 19th, 2011

This MetroCard was a good look for Gang Starr when it came out in ‘98. I had the good sense to keep it. RIP Guru.

April 14th, 2011

The days leading up to “Meet The Artist” at the Apple Store in Soho were ambivalent times.  I promoted it to others but downplayed it to myself.  It was a big deal, but I needed to focus on presenting my work and creative process rather than thinking about the event itself.  That was the right approach for me because walking in and seeing my face on the screen was serious business.  I got nervous.

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March 7th, 2011

Complex Magazine recently put out a list of their 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Magazine Covers and another naming Hip Hop’s 50 Greatest Album Covers.   I am proud to say my work is on both.

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February 10th, 2011

Kareem Black, my friend and accomplished photographer/director, traveled to Haiti with a group of 6 other artists last year as part of a crew that came to be known as Le Set (Creole for the seven).  Le Set used their talents to document what they saw and planned to auction their pieces in an exhibit in NYC to raise money for those affected by the January 12, 2010 earthquake.  When Kareem got back to the city he gave me a few images and told me to do my thing.  This is what I came up with.

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December 7th, 2010

I saw this video on Hypebeast the other day.  Incredible.

November 26th, 2010

George Condo breaks down his “Beautiful Twisted” paintings in New York Magazine. Click here to check out the article.

November 8th, 2010

This documentary has been making its rounds on the internet.  Pretty interesting stuff. Spoiler alert: watching this video will make you want to read (or re-read) “The Tipping Point”.

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