Lenz, French street artist from Toulouse, France traded spray cans for Legos a long time ago. At age 36, if you ask him how long it has been since he’s been playing with the geometrical plastic shapes he smoothly answers: “For the past 36 years.” The contrast of colors and the plastic texture he uses gives his work a vinyl look. Inspired by music and art, he draws inspiration from some of the greatest from Cope2 to Russel Simmons to Basquiat. He even honors them in some of his pieces by creating large portraits of them (see below).

Russel Simmons

Basquiat

COPE2

Lenz’s work also attempts to portray what the streets look like: painted, colorful and hectic.

“Wall Of Fame”

“Krylon”

The post Street Art: Lenz Spray Paints Walls With Legos appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Yesterday, the young, New York boom-bap revivalist known as Joey Bada$$ released a video for his Basquiat produced single, “Christ Conscious.” The single, along with “Big Dusty” will be included on his forthcoming LP, B4DA$$. The M-I-E directed video puts a modern twist on classic 90s boom-bap videos, particularly Big L’s “Put it On” video from 1995. In the video, Joey waves his arms around, sports a bucket hat, Timberlands and a New York hockey jersey, keeping the tradition of New York swagger typified by Big L and more recently A$AP Nast. There are however, subtle differences between the “Christ Conscious” video and those aforementioned. As he walks through the streets of Brooklyn, rectilinear video effects glimmer in the background. He also casually get’s seemingly possessed and levitated into the sky as the song fades. Watch the video below.

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Today would have marked the 43rd birthday of the legendary Tupac Shakur. Pac has graced the RESPECT. cover a couple of times, and its only right we remember his legacy today, as well. Artist Naturel came up with a Tupac/Basquiat hybrid concept and the pieces are very striking. Here’s the breakdown:

When I started this project a few weeks ago, I thought the whole Tupac and Basquait idea would be a cool little mash up, but then I started to realize that these two had very similar lives and careers. I realized that both Tupac and Basquait were very crude in their craft. Tupac wasn’t necessarily the best lyricist, he didn’t construct the best songs, but they were straight to the point. The crudeness, honesty and the instinct within those songs struck a chord. It was the same thing with Basquait, he wasn’t the most painterly of painters, but he was so instinctual that it embodied what it was to be an artist. Straight from the gut, straight from the heart.

Take a look at a few more shots below. You can purchase the prints here.

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Elliott Wilson, editor-in-chief of RESPECT., meets with Jigga to discuss myriad topics from the rapper’s lengthy and loaded career. With Magna Carta Holy Grail as a starting point, Jay Z addresses everything from collaborating with Justin Timberlake and collecting art, to shooting the Samsung commercial without a script, counting digital sales, and having bigger things to worry about than paparazzi. A man who wears many hats, Hov contends that this spectrum of roles reflects his individuality, asking “What’s the sense of being successful if you can’t still be yourself?”

Watch the first part of the interview below, and stay tuned for part two, scheduled to be released later today.

Update: Part two is now available as well. Continue on. 

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Txemy recreates pigment-like textures using spray paint. His pieces inspire the same madness with which artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock were driven. The Spanish artist from Barcelona has a talent for colors, with him, the brighter the better. Yet, his color palette is basic: blue, red, yellow and white on a solid black background. The contrast between his subject and his bold background depicts the deep emotion.

The falcon is a symbol of strength and  the skull fading reminiscent of the after life. Basquiat’s portrait is entittled “Basquia – Soul.” Txemy challenges the rules of portraiture by focusing on symbolism above superficial physical appearance.

The post Street Art: Txemy’s Color Lovin’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Nicolas Le Borgne aka Odo is a French artist and illustrator. Clearly influenced by: psychedelic pop culture, tattoo art and street artists, Odo transforms childish symbolic characters into chaotic monsters. Some of the artists that shaped his work include Barry Mcgee, Basquiat and David Choe.

The young artist’s pieces are rich and stimulating. The contrast of vibrant colors and death-like characters make his pieces that much stronger. The medium he uses vary from ballpoint pen and inks to coffee and tears. Odo is driven by his art. Each piece can take up to a month working 10 to 12 hours a day.

I don’t know about you, but his works made me want to get a tattoo…

The post Art: One Person’s Craziness Is Odo’s Reality appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.