His big break came when he befriended the then relatively unknown rap artist Kanye West. Elderkin had heard a Kanye mixtape and tried to contact the rapper by looking up him up on KanyeWest.com. The website came up as unregistered but available for registration, so he bought the domain name on an impulse. Without a monetary transaction, Elderkin agreed to transfer the domain name provided he could meet the new artist and do a photoshoot with him; these images went on to be the artist’s first publicity photos.

Kanye West’s First Press Photos (2003)

Look below to see more of Nabil’s work:

Nabil also happens to run the videography game, with endless accreditation on some of this century’s top music videos. See some of his most legendary videos below!

Nas, Damian Marley – Patience

SZA – Love Galore (ft. Travis Scott)

Frank Ocean – Swim Good

Kayne West – Welcome To Heartbreak

You can check out more of Nabil’s work at NABIL.com

Suggested Articles:

RESPECT. Photo of the Day: Celebrating B.I.G. 20 Years Later

PICS: Chronixx Performs in London

The post RESPECT.’s Photographer of The Week appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

If you aren’t familiar with photographer and Hip Hop music video guru, Nabil, then you lied, and haven’t picked up the latest issue of RESPECT. like you said you would. Nabil shot some awesome photos of Frank Ocean for the print mag, and he most recently directed Frank Ocean‘s “Novacane” and “Swim Good”… not to mention posting new pics on his blog almost daily.

Check out some of our favorite behind-the-scenes Nabil pics after the jump.

with Canadian rapper K’naan, on a plane to Africa

photographer’s wet dream?

Stillmatic

Bodega boots

on-set with Frank at the ocean

The post ‘Nabil Likes You’ Blog Behind-the-Scene Photos appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

A new Nas & Damien Marley video directed by Nabil Elderkin. This is trippy.

The post “Patience” by Distant Relatives appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

I want to focus a bit on your new book that documents not just Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark tour, but also gives great insight into the behind the scenes of what might go down as one of the best concert series ever. What kind of planning took place to get this project off the ground?

No planning…just me on the road shooting.

The images of the performances themselves are pretty amazing. How do you cover an event that’s on such a large scale? What amount of equipment and staff does it take?

Not a whole lof of equipment—2 cameras and 3 lenses, that’s it; and a few memory cards. I definitely do a LOT of running around. I appreciate the compliment. I am very unhappy with the printing and the colors of the book, to be honest. They didn’t translate the colors that were captured in the final output, or get close to my match prints, but it is what it is. I really didn’t have the printing control. [It] was more in the publisher’s hands which won’t happen again when I do my next book.

So after the photography was done, how massive was the process of editing it down to a book?

It was a nightmare! There are hundres of great shots that had to get cut out—lots of legal issues and clearance problems when you are working with a high profile person like Kanye.

More words and pics here.

No planning.. just me on the road shooting.

The images of the performances themselves are pretty stunning. How do you cover an event that’s on such a large scale? What amount of equipment and staff does it take?

Not a whole lot of equipment, 2 cameras and 3 lenses.. thats it.. and a few memory cards. I definitely do a LOT of running around! I appreciate the compliment, I am very unhappy with the printing and colors of the book to be honest, they didnt translate the color that were captured in the final output, or get close to my match prints, but it is what it is. I really didn’t have the printing control was more in the publishers hands which wont happen again when I do my next book.

So after the the photography part was done, how massive was the process of editing it down into a book?

The post Nabil Elderkin Interview @ Letter to Jane appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Directed by Nabil Elderkin.

Uganda has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child. In the South, children face the threat of poverty and disease. In the North, these threats are enflamed by a brutal, mindless war inflicted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (L.R.A.) that has divided families, displaced millions, and led to the abduction and mutilation of tens of thousands of children resulting in the deterioration of identity and culture.

Bouncing Cats is the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of
Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on b-boy culture and breakdance. In 2006, Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and A.I.D.S. orphan created Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.). The dream was to establish a free workshop that would empower, rehabilitate and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture. Based in Kampala, Uganda, B.P.U. has recently expanded to include permanent classes in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Abramz teaches classes three times a week to more than 300 kids from all parts of the country. Many of the children are homeless, victims of war and poverty, and few can afford proper schooling yet they walk from miles away to attend the B.P.U. classes. As Abramz says, “This is where many people’s pride is. It’s a skill that no one can take away from us.”

Crazy Legs, one of the founding members of the seminal Rock Steady Crew visited Uganda after receiving an invitation from Abramz to teach b-boy classes. What he discovered upon his arrival was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Traveling throughout Uganda, from the southern slums to the war-torn North, Crazy Legs encountered a passion for hip-hop and desire to learn amongst the most squalid conditions.

Bouncing Cats follows Abramz, Crazy Legs, and Breakdance Project Uganda on a journey to use hip-hop culture for positive social change. The film features narration by Common and interviews with Mos Def, Will-I-Am, and K’Naan.

The post Bouncing Cats (Trailer) by Nabil Elderkin appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

More photos here.

Related: Kanye’s Photographer Nabil Elderkin Ain’t No Joke, Naibil Elderkin @ I the Beholder, KiD CuDi x Nabil Elderkin @ Dat New Cudi

Previously: Kanye West | Wireless Music Festival July 2009 Photos

The post (More) “Glow In the Dark” Photos | Kanye West x Nabil Elderkin appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Kanye West threw up some nice images from one of his performances in London last summer on his blog. Unfortunately, there’s no photo attribution, so we’re not sure who to thank.

(vi@ Nah Right)

UPDATE: Photos were taken by Nabil Elderkin, who has more Kanye tour photos here. Video promo for Kanye + Elderkin’s  Glow in The Dark photobook after the jump.

The post Kanye West | Wireless Music Festival July 2009 Photos appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.