way back in 1995 when i started taking pictures of my friends skateboarding with my first camera, i could never have guessed how things would have turned out today.  it’s been a long, strange trip but along the way i’ve met some truly amazing people.

back in high school, i listened to the best radio station i’ve ever heard, and i was turned on to a lot of great music.  i remember making mixtapes, digging the crates at jelly’s, and learning about the DJ, emcee, and hip hop culture.  in that culture, which has impacted my life so profoundly, there were a few legends that i learned about and listened to.  part of what makes someone or something legendary is that very inaccessibility that makes that thing or person a figure that exists but will never be a part of your world.  kind of like the often-overused metaphorical “unicorn”, it’s something that you kind of grow up knowing about but never expecting to actually see.

well, last week i got to shoot portraits of a living legend in the world of hip hop, a man who helped create the music that is a big part of my everyday life.  i could babble about the technical bits of the shoot but why do that when i can just gush about it like a total fanboy?

kool herc’s an amazing, genuine kind of dude.  i was fortunate enough to have a lot of time to chill with him.  the shoot was truly an honor, and….just wow.

-a

PS: a few portraits i shot this will be run as an ad for nextdoor in contrast magazine, and look out for the press photos who knows where??  ha.

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