“The chicks like Usher, but you don’t see him flaunting chicks. I guess he was married for a long time. I just thought it would be cool to put him in this context that I’ve never seen him in: Women like this dude; let’s put him in between a girl’s legs. I don’t know if Jonnetta, his mom, would be happy, but it made sense to me. The girl was a random model who shot for editorial for GQ, but they never used that shot. I was looking at the print and I was like, ‘This looks like where Usher should be.’”

Usher photo by K. Capello featured in RESPECT #2 published 2010.

About Kenneth Cappello

While working as a “drunk barback,” he “began building sets as a hired carpenter for this guy named David LaChapelle,” he shares. “I had no idea how huge he was when I got hired. I got onto his set and was like, Oh, shit, this is where photos come from—this is a photo studio, this is a stylist, this is where photos are made. That really cracked my head open to take what I had always done just as ‘this thing’ to another level.”

RESPECT.

The post Flash Moment: USHER by Photographic Wiz KENNETH CAPPELLO appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Stussy is thirty, and as part of the celebrations for its 30th anniversary, has collaborated with Ricoh for an exhibition in Tokyo, showcasing images taken by artists using the Ricoh GR ditigal camera. Thirty artists, such as Rip Zinger, Josh Cheuse and Angela Boatwright were given cameras and asked to document their lives. The results will be on display at Tokyo’s San-Ai Dream Center, starting April 15th, 2010. The show closes on the 25th of the same month, so don’t put off seeing this great exhibit!

(vi@ Format)

The post Stussy x Ricoh GR Digital III | Artist Project appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Last year, Kenneth Cappello snapped Kobe Bryant and Lil’ Wayne for Vibe magazine. Yesterday, Street Gangs uploaded this behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot to their Youtube channel. It includes a quick sit-down with Cappello holding a camouflage-sporting teacup doggie of some sort. Unfortunately, the dog is mostly obscured by the interviewer’s mic. It really is a cute little pup.

The post Kenneth Cappello Shoots Kobe Bryant + Lil’ Wayne appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

LATE PASS: Last week, RESPECT. contributor Kenneth Cappello threw up some images on his blog, including this one of the Clipse. The story behind this photoshoot includes angry rednecks, a rainstorm and an unimpressed Pusha T. Unfortunately, we couldn’t fit it all in the magazine. But keep checking back. We’ll be posting an extended version of our conversation with KC right here. We’re pretty sure you’ll get a kick out of his experiences with R. Kelly and Mike Tyson, as well as his thoughts on Game.

RELATED: Cappello also recently took some shots of Supreme’s Spring/Summer 2010 line with pro skater Jason Dill. Which means that he not only has a better wardrobe than us, but he also gets to hang out with cooler people.

The post Kenneth Cappello Contact Sheets appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.