Put it On
The beauty of the golden-era, hip-hop portrait.
Written by Craig Berry
Designer & Writer
As a record collector, I spend a lot of time looking at records; each time I visit a shop, hundreds of records flick through my fingers as I’m either looking for something specific or randomly browsing and seeing what catches my eye. After a while, I began to notice stylistic trends across genres: rock records being generally dark or illustrative, dance records being graphic and hip-hop records being photographic, specifically portraits of its larger-than-life artists.
Hip-hop music has given us some of the most iconic photographs in music during its relatively short history; it’s always been a visual art form, first expressed by its graffiti pioneers, breakdancers and then through photography and music videos.
Having a great album or single cover can be as important to the artist as the music that it holds. With hip-hop album covers featuring portraits, sometimes the image can be about putting yourself on, repping you and your crew. It can also give an indication about the style of hip-hop; compare De La Soul’s – 3 Feet High and Rising to Gravediggaz’ – 6 Feet Deep and you can see how this works.
Stylised portraits can immediately tell a story and give the viewer an idea of the theme and content of the record when combined with a powerful title such as Public Enemy’s — It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back; featuring the artists shrouded in darkness in a prison cell, you know it’s going to be filled with strong messages. A great album cover is something that can create an open dialogue — along with the lyrics — the image gives this sense of theme (or multiple themes) and is a way that people can connect to it.
The covers are also a way of documenting the genre through the years visually; starting with the 1970s and 1980s classic hip-hop culture like Run D.M.C. and Grandmaster Flash, into the late 1980s and early 90s on a more jazzy, positive-minded Native Tongues tip. The mid-1990s was more gritty and dark, musically and visually with the likes of Nas, Mobb Deep & Wu-Tang Clan and into the West Coast gangster rap image of money, cars, girls and violence with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dreand the Death Row Records label crew.
What I also find interesting is the process of the design of the album/single cover, the photos used are of course selected from a full shoot and it’s fascinating to discover the outtakes and shots not used. Paired with bold typography which relates to the group’s image and often featuring the artist or groups graphic logo or symbol: a part worthy of its own blog post.
Back in 2018, I visited the exhibition, Street Dreams at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. It focused on fashion and specifically how hip-hop took over and transformed mainstream fashion.
Of course, a way to document hip-hop fashion is through these album and single covers and it was here that I first became aware of iconic hip-hop photographers like Janette Beckman, Dana Lixenberg and Jameel Shabazz. And through Instagram pages like @contacthigh, @hiphopphotomuseum and @strappedarchives I discovered more photographers like Danny Clinch, Sue Kwon, Lisa Leone and Chi Modu, seeing that these people (and more) shot a lot of these iconic covers and in general, some amazing candid hip-hop photographs which captured each artist’s persona perfectly.
“It is amazing, 30 years later, people going ‘oh you photographed legends.’ I guess I did, but they weren’t legends when I was taking pictures of them”.
Janette Beckman on photographing hip-hop legends.
I want to focus on, and dedicate this piece to Chi Modu who sadly passed away in May 2021. He was one of the most active photographers in the 1990s hip-hop scene, my personal favourite era of the genre (specifically 1993–1995). Modu was given his break shooting covers for The Source; the definitive magazine of hip-hop culture at the time, for whom he shot over 30 covers and through which he developed relationships with icons of the genre including Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Mobb Deep and Method Man, most of whom were not famous at the time and were just up and coming artists.
What is great about Modu’s photography is how he was able to capture these artists naturally and to show them as real people through candid and unexpected moments; capturing images through his unique perspective, that most people would never witness.
“When I set out to take these photographs. I knew they were important. I wanted to make sure the images stayed within the community. I wanted to make sure the person who created them was from the community. Historically that never really happens. Most of the visuals of the greats are owned and controlled by other people. That’s tricky because then they can put their interpretation on it. But when you look at my photographs, I’m there with them. I’m one of them even though I’m an observer. I was close enough to live it, and I had the skills to document and record it.”
Chi Modu on his approach to photography.
Of the artists shot by Modu, Tupac Shakur appears to be one of the most extensive with numerous shoots in his portfolio and one of, if not the most, influential hip-hop artists of all time with an amazing life and message. Often conveyed through the media at the time for his Thug Life, West Coast gangster image; rapping about drugs and violence. However, the photographs of Tupac by Modu show a different side of him; a more human side and showing him as a real person and not a celebrity persona.
“Before he was loved by the world, he was a young man trying to make his way in a society that is extremely cruel to the less fortunate. He made it his mission to speak for those in his community who needed to hear “keep your head up!” As I travel the globe, I’m amazed at how many people have told me that Tupac saved their lives. His words and passion inspired a generation, and these pictures that we created together help to keep that inspiration alive.”
Chi Modu on Tupac Shakur.
I personally think that since the 1990s, hip-hop photography, and hip-hop album/single covers have not been the same. Maybe because major labels are less inclined to put out a cover with a strong message? Maybe because art direction pushes a concept beyond a simple photograph now. Maybe because photography and design has developed and it’s not necesarily deemed accepted to have something so simple.
Maybe it’s because of the amount of hip-hop artists that have been/are around so it’s hard to stand out. Maybe it’s because album artwork now has to live beyond just a record and be able to be translated into endless merchandise items. Whatever it may be, of course certain artists break this mould and this is a way for me to separate the real hip-hop heads from the casual rappers.
¹ Albums gif
Outkast – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) Photo: Timothy White
N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton (1988) Photo: Eric Poppleton
Naughty by Nature – 19 Naughty III (1993) Photo: Kristine Larsen
Craig Mack – Project: Funk Da World (1994) Photo: Michael Lavine
Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995) Photo: Danny Hastings
Gang Starr – Hard to Earn (1993) Photo: Danny Hastings
Eric B. & Rakim – Follow the Leader (1988) Photo: Drew Carolan
Black Moon – Enta Da Stage (1992) Photo: Chi Modu
Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions… (1988) Photo: Glen Friedman
Onyx – Bacdafucup (1993) Photo: Gary Spector
Grand Puba – 2000 (1995) Photo: Joshua Jordan
Roxanne Shanté – Bad Sister (1989) Photo: George DuBose
² Singles gif
Souls of Mischief – 93 ’til Infinity (1993) Photo: Michael Miller
Public Enemy – Shut Em Down (1991) Photo: Danny Clinch
Method Man – Bring the Pain (1994) Photo: Chi Modu
A Tribe Called Quest – Check the Rhime (1991) Photo: Joe Grant
EPMD – So Whatcha Sayin’ (1989) Photo: Janette Beckman
Eric B. & Rakim – Follow the Leader (1988) Photo: Drew Carolan
Gang Starr – Just to Get a Rep (1990) Photo: Renee Cox
Outkast – Player’s Ball (1993) Photo: Timothy White
Big L – Put It On (1995) Photo: Danny Clinch
Raekwon – Criminology (1995) Photo: Danny Hastings
De La Soul – Say No Go (1989) Photo: Johnnie Miles
KRS One – Sound of Da Police (1993) Photo: Danny Hastings
Read more blog posts on craig-berry.co.uk or my Medium page.
