Since its inception, Hip-Hop has been an image-driven culture. From the earliest shots of Bronx b-boys up-rocking in 70s New York to classic album covers from the likes of Run-DMC, Ice-T and Jay-Z, photographs have often spoken a thousand words when communicating the styles, attitudes and flavours of Hip-Hop to the masses. Iconic visuals of artists such as Rakim, Ice Cube and Biggie have, in some cases, done almost as much to crystallize and define their legacy as their actual music.
Having had his work published in newspapers and magazines such as The Observer, URB and Hip-Hop Connection, former UK resident Tee Max recently unveiled his first photography exhibition in his new home of Stockholm, sharing an enviable collection of images encompassing some of the most recognizable figures in Hip-Hop.
The man behind the lens spoke to Old To The New about his exhibition “OK, You’ve Got 15 Minutes…”, favourite shots, and why Puffy is no longer his role model.
Music came first. I remember listening to pause tapes my dad had at home. Reggae. Pre-”Thriller” Michael Jackson. Then one year when I was really small, we had a family party, and someone left a whole bunch of 7″ records and LPs. Stuff like James Brown, Bill Withers and The S.O.S Band. It was like Christmas!
What initially drew me to photography though was my first trip abroad to Barbados. My mum loaned me her camera, I can’t even remember the name of it now. It was so basic, but I got some great images from it. I was 12-years-old. I didn’t pick up a camera again until I was in Sixth Form at school, which is where I learned about printing and how to use a camera properly.
Friends have been bugging me for years to do something like this, but I’ve always resisted. My choice for doing it now was simply timing. I moved out to Stockholm in June 2008 and hadn’t done much, apart from relearn Photoshop, which I hadn’t used in ten years.
In December last year I was walking back home from a lunch date with a friend, when I came across a very cool barbershop. It was old-school, with original chairs, shavers, the works. I stood there for a minute watching the guys work, and then moved on. Then stopped again when I saw the second half of the shop was filled with books and photographs hanging inside. I literary did a double take! I walked into the shop and looked around, and then asked one of the guys working, who happened to be one of the owners, how difficult it would be to get work exhibited in the shop. To cut a long story short, I handed them a few examples of my work and they loved them.
I’ve thought about exhibiting my work before, but never took it that seriously. It wasn’t until I walked up on that barbershop that it all made sense. Its a great place with great people working there.
It’s kinda hard to say. The Method Man shot has been a favourite for a long time because of the framing, his expression, and because it was a complete fluke. I like the Brat shot because of the quality and composition. The Keith Murray shot, again because of the composition, and Nas as it was my first assignment for Echoes magazine with writer Sonia Poulton.
You just kinda hope for the best! A classic case of that was a shoot I did with Mary J. Blige. Because another magazine overran, our time was cut in half. So from thirty minutes, I got fifteen. In the end, I only got nine frames because they had to leave to film a TV performance. But I got a great shot. In fact, the label liked it so much, they sent it to be used by The Face magazine, as they didn’t have any original photographs they could use. I was very proud of that achievement.
It all boils down to being professional and observing your surroundings. Due to time constraints, I only got to use the environments the artists were in at the time, which were mainly hotel rooms.
The WORST??!! Not sure I should say (laughs). P Diddy was one. Because I’d read about him and his achievements, I looked at him as a role model. I told him so when I met him in 1994 and he just shrugged his shoulders and sat there like a piece of washed-up driftwood. That was the last time I looked up to any artist.
The other one has to be, and don’t hurt me now, Luther Vandross. I got to shoot him at his home in upstate New York. When I put down a plastic film container on a small table in his study, he looked at me and said, “That’s a Tiffany table. Do you know how much that cost? Please remove that.” In both examples, I got terrible pictures. Nuff said.
The best was Mary J. because I expected the worst from her, but she shined. It was amazing. Nine frames, one golden shot. Priceless!
Which artists haven’t you photographed already that you’d like to and why?
Jay Electronica because of his energy and his vision. He’s an incredibly talented and gifted artist. Ty and Dizzee Rascal because I feel their experiences as UK artists should be documented. Black Milk because production-wise right now he’s on fire!
If I could follow them reportage style, like Dean Stock managed to do with James Dean for Magnum, I’d love to do something like that. Shooting portraits doesn’t really interest me anymore. Back in the 90s when Hip-Hop artists were coming up, there was still that element of humanity to the people and the scene. Now its all about lifestyle, which is something I’m not interested in.
The web has pretty much cheapened everything, including music and the whole creative experience. In saying that, everything changes, and people have to adapt and evolve. As technology made the camera smaller and more manageable, and processing film and prints moved out of purpose built darkrooms, it meant more people had access. I’m more than sure those using large format cameras saw that as a “dumbing down” of the art form in their day. But no, its not as easy to get commissions from magazines or get access to people nowadays, and everyone with a digital camera thinks they’re a photographer now. Composition in photography is a lost art. Now people just fix everything in Photoshop.
But these are the times we live in, so it’s up to the individual to be individual, and take their art that one-step further than the next person. I was never worried or concerned about other photographers copying my set-ups, or standing behind me while I was shooting, because I knew regardless of where they were, they would never see what I saw. That simple truth still holds firm today.
“OK, You’ve Got 15 Minutes…” will be open in Stockholm’s “Barber & Books” until the end of April.
1 response so far ↓
Tee Max // March 24, 2009 at 1:36 am |
thx for the love dude! feels very rite having this on ur site b!