When Rap Meets the Art World

Hip hop and high art have been colliding long before Dame.

When Rap Meets the Art World - Damon Dash may not be a huge force in the rap industry anymore, but he's leaving a mark on the art world. A little over a year after his DD172 art gallery and event space closed its doors, the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder plans to open a new Chelsea gallery, Poppington, on September 27. A rap mogul opening a gallery may sound like an odd story, but we've been here before — there's a long history of hip hop and high art colliding. Read on for a look. —Alex Gale  (Photos from left: Theo Wargo/Getty Images, 60 Orchard)
Fab 5 Freddy - Fab 5 Freddy was an influential street artist years before he became the host of Yo! MTV Raps, and a key early link between graffiti and the art world. In 1980, inspired by Andy Warhol, he painted a subway car with cartoon-style images of huge Campbell's soup cans. In 1981, along with legends Futura 2000 and Keith Haring, he helped curate the graffiti-centered exhibit "Beyond Words," which featured their art along with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Afrika Bambaataa and others, at the Mudd Club — perhaps the first time graffiti was shown in a downtown New York gallery.  (Photo: Christopher Bollen)
Swizz Beatz - Swizz in many ways is carrying the torch Fab 5 first lit. He paints (decently) collects art and he recently launched a line of Reebok footwear and apparel that incorporates the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring with the brand's classic kicks.   (Photo: Swizz Beatz)Kanye Meets Murakami - Yeezy tapped Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami to design the surreal, anime-inspired cover for his 2007 album Graduation.  (Photo: Def Jam)

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When Rap Meets the Art World - Damon Dash may not be a huge force in the rap industry anymore, but he's leaving a mark on the art world. A little over a year after his DD172 art gallery and event space closed its doors, the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder plans to open a new Chelsea gallery, Poppington, on September 27. A rap mogul opening a gallery may sound like an odd story, but we've been here before — there's a long history of hip hop and high art colliding. Read on for a look. —Alex Gale (Photos from left: Theo Wargo/Getty Images, 60 Orchard)

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