Street Style

THE RZA

The Wu-Tang Clan is back, their much-delayed LP will be released on December 2. The RZA (my archive photo above) is a vegan and featured in a PETA commercial. He told the NME “I think hip-hop has become more conscious about diet …My peers and people that are related to me appreciate the vegan lifestyle, it’s really spreading…. I don’t need a dead animal or dead piece of flesh to go into my live body. There’s nothing on this planet that doesn’t want to live. I had animals as friends, they were happy to see me in their own animal way. I’m quite sure they did not want to be on my plate.”

Brighton day out 1972

Photos from a day out by the sea in Brighton in 1971. I was wearing vintage shirt from jumble sale, levi jeans, platform shoes from Chelsea Cobbler, leather biker jacket gift from ‘Little John’. Victor is wearing vintage shirt from jumble sale, levi jeans, Eddie wears ripped T shirt, sandals and overalls from America.

Swoon in New Haven

Site Projects brought me to NewHaven to photograph Swoon (above with Olivia and Josh)  installing a beautiful piece of art close to Yale. And hung the JB_MASHUP show at Manjares Cafe  838 West Rock Ave.

Omaha Labor Day Parade 2014

Vietnam Veteran J Pestal on the float

Kids in Saints jerseys from the River City Reds

Girls from ‘North O’

The Rogers family from the Operating Engineers Union Local 57

The Labor Day Parade in Omaha starts early. People are gathering on Cass and 16th in downtown Omaha for the start of the parade. Floats, marching bands, unions of firemen, electrical workers, steel workers, a huge statue of a cow on a trailer, it seems like nothing has changed since the 1960’s here. It is beautiful sunny day and the people of the Great Plains are sitting expectantly on the curb waiting for the parade to start and to celebrate the flag and the idea of being American.

Omaha Intertribal Powwow

Umo^ho Indian Powwow “In the beginning our souls were like stars in the sky”

HIP HOP MASHUP


In July, on a hot summer night ,over 400 people converged on my studio to see the JB_HIP HOP MASHUP. From an idea curated by artist Cey Adams,  a list of his artist friends were sent a selection of my hip hop photos, they each chose an image to re-interpret in their own distinct styles. In true hip hop spirit the idea of re mixing and making something new from something old  – the MashUp came together.

We collaborated with the wonderful Juliet Silva Yee from Pop Up Art Event (PUAE) to make the event happen

Original artworks were created on archival prints by  Chino (Stetsasonic), Claw Money (Salt ‘n Pepa), Eric Adams (Flavor Flav), Faust (Afrika Bambaataa), Jester (EPMD), Morning Breath (Slick Rick), Revolt (Ultramagnetic MC’s), Trike (Dr Dre), Alice Mizrachi(Beastie Boys), T Kid (Fab 5 Freddy), Greg Lamarche (Big Daddy Kane),and Sharp (Donald D & Grandmixer DST)

I shot portraits of all the artists and each one gave a short description of why they chose the image and how they got their start in the world of graffiti.  Each one has a story, T Kid tells me ” I started writing graffiti at 12 years old when I was drafted into the neighborhood gang my first tag was king13 at 16 years of age (1977) after getting shot due to gang violence I changed my name to Tkid170 and became a king of subway graffiti I tagged the park I played in it was on Morrison Ave and Watson Ave South Bronx then it was nothing but subway cars”

‘BarStarzz’ Coney Island 4th July weekend

Company Freak Disco Collective

The Company Freak Disco Collective, led by Jason King, turned Central Park Summer Stage into a dance party today. Stars like Karl Dixon and Dawn Tallman (above), Ultra Nate, the ladies from Chic and many more brought back those Studio 54, Paradise Garage nights singing classic disco, soul and house – “dance dance dance dance ” – perfect start to the GayPride weekend.

Hip Hop from the Cornell collection

KEO (above) painted the mural of Bambaata outside the Gavin Brown Gallery. The show, curated by Johan Kugelberg features Buddy Esquire’s fliers, Joe Conzo’s photos, Charlie Ahearn’s Wild Style – and you can buy some of Bambaataa’s priceless records to play at home.

Imanuel aka BB7nyc  stylin’ and profilin’ outside the gallery

The Cold Crush crew.

Graffiti – Queens reigns supreme in June

One  weekend a year the area called Welling Court in Queens becomes a street art gallery. The project organized by Ad Hoc has grown each year with crews of legendary, groundbreaking, and up-and-coming artists transforming the neighborhood into a public art experience. This year saw legends like John Ahearn who cast street legend Smith (below), Cey (above), Lady Pink (below), and many more painting from dawn till dusk.

Cern One

Lady Pink

Alice and Trap

John Ahearn casting artist Smith

KR1