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)

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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)

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)

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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)

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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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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)

"Beat Bop" - Art legend Jean-Michel Basquiat designed the cover for the influential 1983 12-inch "Beat Bop" from K-Rob and pioneering rapper Rammellzee. Basquiat paid to produce and distribute the record as well, which was originally intended as a rap battle between him and Ram about his street-art cred.   (Photo: Profile Records)

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"Beat Bop" - Art legend Jean-Michel Basquiat designed the cover for the influential 1983 12-inch "Beat Bop" from K-Rob and pioneering rapper Rammellzee. Basquiat paid to produce and distribute the record as well, which was originally intended as a rap battle between him and Ram about his street-art cred.   (Photo: Profile Records)

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The Legends of Hip Hop - Groundbreaking street artist Justin BUA's 2011 book, The Legends of Hip Hop, features 50 portraits of rap greats, including Snoop Dogg, Afrika Bambaataa and Jay-Z.  (Photo: Harper Design)

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The Legends of Hip Hop - Groundbreaking street artist Justin BUA's 2011 book, The Legends of Hip Hop, features 50 portraits of rap greats, including Snoop Dogg, Afrika Bambaataa and Jay-Z.  (Photo: Harper Design)

Pharrell: Yi Zhou's Muse - Pharrell has played a starring role in two trippy short films by Chinese surrealist artist Yi Zhou, The Ear and The Greatness. (Photo: Yi Zhou Studio)

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Pharrell: Yi Zhou's Muse - Pharrell has played a starring role in two trippy short films by Chinese surrealist artist Yi Zhou, The Ear and The Greatness. (Photo: Yi Zhou Studio)

Ras Kass, Van Gogh - Cali rap vet Ras Kass named his second album after the legendary Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, and the album artwork featured the impressionistic style he made famous. (Photo: Zoo Life Records)

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Ras Kass, Van Gogh - Cali rap vet Ras Kass named his second album after the legendary Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, and the album artwork featured the impressionistic style he made famous. (Photo: Zoo Life Records)

Kehinde Wiley - Kehinde Wiley — whom New York magazine recently described as "the hip hop world’s favorite fine artist ... and the gallery world’s most popular hip hop ambassador" — has become one of the world highest-earning artists with his larger-than-life, Renaissance-style portraits, often of young Black men in hip hop-inspired clothing posing heroically.  (Photo:   Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for PUMA)

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Kehinde Wiley - Kehinde Wiley — whom New York magazine recently described as "the hip hop world’s favorite fine artist ... and the gallery world’s most popular hip hop ambassador" — has become one of the world highest-earning artists with his larger-than-life, Renaissance-style portraits, often of young Black men in hip hop-inspired clothing posing heroically.  (Photo:   Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for PUMA)

Picasso: Hip Hop's Favorite Artist? - Rappers have long name-dropped legendary painter Pablo Picasso to get a leg up on competition. Some rappers, like Nacho Picasso and Poe Picasso, named themselves after him. Bigger names have incorporated him into their rhymes. "You draw? Better be Picasso, you know, the best," Jay-Z rapped in 1996 on "Friend or Foe." Meanwhile, on "It's All About the Benjaminz," Sheek spit, "I'm strictly tryin to cop those colossal-sized Picassos." (Photo:  RALPH GATTI/AFP/Getty Images)

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Picasso: Hip Hop's Favorite Artist? - Rappers have long name-dropped legendary painter Pablo Picasso to get a leg up on competition. Some rappers, like Nacho Picasso and Poe Picasso, named themselves after him. Bigger names have incorporated him into their rhymes. "You draw? Better be Picasso, you know, the best," Jay-Z rapped in 1996 on "Friend or Foe." Meanwhile, on "It's All About the Benjaminz," Sheek spit, "I'm strictly tryin to cop those colossal-sized Picassos." (Photo:  RALPH GATTI/AFP/Getty Images)