According to Artnet News, Yasiin Bey is launching a new Hip-Hop inspired art gallery in the Port Morris neighborhood of the South Bronx, in New York.  Yasiin Bey and advertising executive Free Richardson have announced the opening of an art gallery next month dubbed, The Compound. The idea for the gallery emerged out of another Bronx-based space called The Compound, a studio and workshop facility that Richardson opened in 2008. The move reportedly comes in an attempt to keep Hip-Hop and art of all kinds in an area known for its rich history in the grander art community.

“The gallery will serve as a space for all mediums of art,” Yasiin Bey said. “Free will run day-to-day operations alongside staff and I will bring in curatorial and special projects.”

“For me everything is art. What often happens is that certain artists don’t get a fair chance, and a lot of galleries don’t accept certain artists. The whole blue-chip world isn’t fair because certain artists that are just as good will never be accepted,” Richardson adds.

The first show at The Compound will feature the work of Jonathan Mannion, a career photographer in Hip-Hop who has photographed genre icons including The Notorious B.I.G., Aaliyah, OutKast, Lauryn Hill, and of course Yasiin Bey himself.

Outkast by Jonathan Mannion courtesy of The Compound

There is no doubt that the launch of The Compound is Bey’s attempt to combat the issue of gentrification that many Bronx natives have been combating and stemming from the Brooklyn natives interview on The Ed Lover Podcast last weekend (Jul 13), where he spoke about childhood trips to the Bronx and affirming his love for the culture.

Details for the new gallery’s exhibition schedule are still being finalized.

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