I can remember vividly growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland. I had just purchased a new boom box with money from cutting lawns and raking leaves. My friend named Joe Mantey, who I knew well because alphabetically we were always somehow next to each other in grade school, said he was coming over with this RUN DMC cassette he just bought called “Raising Hell.” I remember hearing one tune in particular that changed my world…

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“I’ll go photo for photo with anybody in the world.” — Jonathan Mannion

Discovery is such a huge part of why I’ve always loved music, and back in 1991, my foundation was shaken by the discovery of dancehall. It was Supercat and Shabba Ranks that opened up that world to me. Back then, with no iTunes, I was left buying cassettes and CDs and believe me, I bought everything I could get my hands on in that category—singles, imports, etc… I became a true fan of Shabba Ranks’ delivery, prowess on the mic, basslines, and I was intrigued by the slang. Some lyrics took a minute for me to decipher, but once I caught hold, it was on. I felt like I had cracked the code.

As far as we’re concerned, everyone should remember Shabba Ranks. At least once a week.

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I realized the amount of respect that I have for Nas while working with him yesterday. Typically I focus so hard on guiding emotion for the still images, as it’s normally for an album cover or magazine cover, that I often times don’t get to have in depth conversations on the day of the shoot. Yesterday however, I had a unique experience, getting a chance to interview him about part of his early musical journey. It was more than insightful, revealing the depth of his character, professionalism and how much his journey means to him…

More words and pics here.

Behind the scenes of Jonathan Mannion’s shoot for the Bushmills’ “Since Way Back” ad campaign, which should be blanketing New York City this week.

Not for nothing: Though we prefer the refinement of a single malt Scotch, we have have been known to quench our thirst with a decent Whiskey on occasion.

After the jump: Maestro Knows | Episode 4: Estevan Oriol + Maestro Knows | NYC Edition: Jonathan Mannion

Thinking of one of my favorite places in the world I always mention Paris in my top 3. I have traveled to some incredible countries during my career (Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, Trinidad, Jamaica, London) but I have some of the best memories about being in Paris. It just makes sense to me and always feels special.

More words and pics here.

It’s rare that an artist changes the game so completely. I can remember only a few times in the last few years where all attention moved from whatever else was happening to acknowledge, admire and downright “jock” an artist… It has happened again… Drake has arrived onto the scene as a Legend and a Veteran despite being a Freshman. Being featured on anyone who is anyone’s tracks he has made an impact like we haven’t witnessed. The only parallel I can draw appropriately is LeBron arriving on the scene…

More words and pics here.

We’re pretty sure this isn’t a new video, but it’s new to us. So there.

I had the unique pleasure of working with Gangstarr (GURU and DJ PREMIER) a number of years back as they released their 10 year anniversary album “Full Clip: A Decade of Gangstarr.” We shot somewhere near the Brooklyn / Queens border in an abandoned train tunnel. The photos to me represented all that Gangstarr stood for… two legends in the game, no gimmicks, feet firmly planted, focused and confident.

More words and pics here.

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