Michael Benabib

Last updated
Michael Benabib
Michael Benabib.jpg
Born Manhattan, New York
Occupation Portrait Photographer
CitizenshipAmerican
Relatives Roberto Benabib (brother), Kim Benabib (brother)

Michael Benabib is an American portrait photographer, known for his portraits of David Bowie, Tupac Shakur, [1] Sean Combs, [2] and Keith Richards among others. Notable portrait photography of public figures include Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz and Loretta Lynch. His work has appeared in publications including Vanity Fair, [3] Vogue, [4] GQ, Rolling Stone, Vibe, [5] ESPN magazine, The Wall Street Journal, [6] The New York Times, [7] NPR [8] and Newsweek. [9] His work was included to photography collections on display by The Smithsonian [10] [11] [12] [13] and MoMa. [1]

Contents

Hip-hop photography

In the 1980s, Michael freelanced with Rush Management and Def Jam Records; [14] his photography of musicians include Rakim, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, among many others.

In 2007, Watson-Guptill Publications and Billboards Books published “In Ya Grill: The Faces Of Hip-Hop” the hip-hop photography of Michael Benabib and text by Bill Adler. [15]

Career

In 1995, his editorial photography assignments for magazines include The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, [9] Rolling Stone, Adweek, [16] Forbes, [17] ESPN Magazine, and Bloomberg Markets Magazine. [18]

In 1997, his editorial magazine photography led to advertising assignments for brands including Heineken, Nissan, Sprite, Lugz, PETA and Planned Parenthood.

In the early 2000s, his assignments include Forbes Life Magazine and Fortune 500 companies such as American Express, CitiBank and Pfizer, among others.

Exhibitions

In 2003, The Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery founded by Bill Adler, largely devoted to hip-hop photography, curated a one-man show showcasing the work of photographer Michael Benabib. [19] In September 2015, the Eyejammie Photo Collection was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African-American History and Culture. [10]

In 2017, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) exhibition titled “Is Fashion Modern?” includes his photography of Tupac Shakur.

In 2017, Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African-American History and Culture exhibition titled “More Than A Picture” includes his photography acquired from the Eyejammie Photo Collection. [20]

In 2018, The Smithsonian exhibition titled “Represent” includes his hip-hop photography of MC Lyte, Tupac Shakur, and Mary J. Blige. This exhibition showcases different photographs than those displayed at The Smithsonian's exhibition in 2017. [21]

In June 2018, Bond Street Print Shop photography exhibition fundraiser to benefit Southern Poverty Law Center including print sales of his portrait photography.

In 2019, The Annenberg Space For Photography in Culver City, California hosted an exhibit entitled Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop, based upon the contents of the book in association with the museum's 10th anniversary. The exhibit included his photography. [22]

In 2020, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop was exhibited at the International Center of Photography in New York as part of the inauguration of the ICP's new location at 79 Essex Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. [23]

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupac Shakur</span> American rapper (1971–1996)

Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Notorious B.I.G.</span> American rapper (1972–1997)

Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suge Knight</span> American music executive (born 1965)

Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. is an American music executive and convicted felon who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in the 1990s. This feat is attributed to the record label's first two album releases: Dr. Dre's The Chronic in 1992 and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in 1993. Knight is serving a 28-year sentence in prison for a fatal hit-and-run in 2015.

<i>Me Against the World</i> 1995 studio album by 2Pac

Me Against the World is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope Records and Out da Gutta Records and distributed by Atlantic Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and poverty.

<i>The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory</i> 1996 studio album by 2Pac

The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is the fifth studio album by American rapper Tupac Shakur, his first posthumous album and the last released with his creative input. Recorded in July and August 1996, it was released on November 5, 1996, almost two months after his death, under the stage name of Makaveli, through Death Row Records, Makaveli Records and Interscope Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Powell</span> American poet

Kevin Powell is an American writer, activist, and television personality. Powell is the author of 14 books, including The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood and When We Free the World published in 2020. Powell was a senior writer during the founding years of Vibe magazine from 1992 to 1996. Powell's activism has focused on ending poverty, advocating for social justice and counteracting violence against women and girls through local, national and international initiatives. He was a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Brooklyn, New York, in 2008 and 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hit 'Em Up</span> 1996 song by 2Pac featuring the Outlawz

"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by American rapper 2Pac, featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, chiefly Shakur's former friend turned rival, the Notorious B.I.G.. The song was recorded at Can Am Studios in 1996. A previous version of the song was recorded in October 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dear Mama</span> 1995 single by Tupac Shakur

"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album, Me Against the World (1995). It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, Shakur details his childhood poverty and his mother's addiction to crack cocaine, but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother supersede bad memories. The song became his first top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. It also topped the Hot Rap Singles chart for five weeks. As of March 2021, the song is certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry</span> 1990s dispute between artists / fans of the East Coast and West Coast hip hop scenes in the US

The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a dispute between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States, especially from the mid-1990s. Focal points of the feud were East Coast–based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label, Bad Boy Records, and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur with Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label, Death Row Records. The feud culminated in the murders of both rappers in drive-by shootings. Although several suspects have been identified, both murders remain unsolved.

Ernie Paniccioli is an American photographer of hip hop culture who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was inducted into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown Anthem</span> 1992 single by Naughty by Nature

"Uptown Anthem" is a 1992 song by hip-hop group Naughty by Nature. It was made for the soundtrack for the movie Juice. Naughty by Nature rapper Treach had a cameo acting role in the movie. Rapper 2Pac, who stars in the film, is featured in the video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janette Beckman</span> British documentary photographer

Janette Beckman is a British documentary photographer who currently lives in New York City. Beckman describes herself as a documentary photographer. While she produces a lot of work on location, she is also a studio portrait photographer. Her work has appeared on records for the major labels, and in magazines including Esquire,Rolling Stone,Glamour,Italian Vogue,The Times,Newsweek,Jalouse,Mojo and others.

Bill Adler is an American music journalist and critic who specializes in hip-hop. Since the early 1980s he has promoted hip-hop in a variety of capacities, including as a publicist, biographer, record label executive, documentary filmmaker, museum consultant, art gallerist, curator, and archivist. He is known best for his tenure as director of publicity at Def Jam Recordings (1984–1990), the period of his career to which the critic Robert Christgau was referring when he described Adler as a "legendary publicist".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cey Adams</span> American visual artist

Cey Adams is an American visual artist, graphic designer and author. He was the founding creative director of Def Jam Recordings and is known for his work with Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige. He has been described as "legendary" for his work in hip-hop graphic design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ King Assassin</span> American rapper

Craig Venegas Alvarado, known by his stage name DJ King Assassin, is an American disc jockey, producer, and engineer from Los Angeles, California.

The Hip Hop Smithsonian is a compilation of photographs of hip hop artists collected by Bill Adler. These photos represent the diversity of the hip hop culture and depicts the community that it brings forward. It includes artists such as Tupac, Mary J. Blige, Run DMC, and many more. The collection was later moved to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History, which is where the name "Hip Hop Smithsonian" comes from (Nodijimbadem).

Vikki Tobak is a culture journalist, author, independent curator, and producer born in Soviet-era Kazakhstan who was raised in the United States. She reports about and creates content regarding politics, arts, social justice and music photography.

<i>Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop</i> 2018 book by Vikki Tobak

Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop is a 2018 photography book created and written by Vikki Tobak and ongoing exhibition series. The volume features contact prints from analog photography sessions of hip hop artists during roughly forty-years, from the beginnings of the genre in the late 1970s until the late 2000s.

Adama Delphine Fawundu is a Sierra Leonean-American multi-disciplinary photographer and visual artist promoting African culture and heritage, a co-founder and author of MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora – a journal and book representing female photographers of African descent. Her works have been presented in numerous exhibitions worldwide. She uses multiple mediums to create works with themes about identity, utopia, decolonization, and stories of the past, present and future. She is a Professor of Visual Arts at Columbia University.

Christopher Chijioke"Chi" Modu was a Nigerian-born American photographer known for his photos of various pioneering hip-hop music entertainers which "helped set the visual template for dozens of hip-hop stars." Hypebeast, which interviewed him in 2017, covered his 2021 death.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Paola Antonelli; Michelle Millar Fisher (5 October 2017). Items - Is Fashion Modern?. Moma. p. 52. ISBN   978-1-63345-036-3.
  2. Tobak, Vikki (2016-09-29). "Contact High: Photographer Michael Benabib On Shooting Bad Boy's "Family" Portrait". Mass Appeal. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  3. Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Publications. May 1993. p. 136.
  4. Vogue. Condé Nast Publications. November 1997. p. 348.
  5. Vibe. Time Publishing Ventures, Incorporated. January 2008. p. 28.
  6. Journal, Wall Street (2018-04-11). "On Working With Financial Executives". WSJ. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  7. Mitchell, Elvis (2000-09-17). "Double Shift Times Six". The New York Times Web Archive. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  8. "First Listen: Marnie Stern, 'The Chronicles Of Marnia'". NPR.org. 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  9. 1 2 Newsweek. Newsweek, Inc. 1994. p. 56.
  10. 1 2 "Eyejammie Hip-Hop Photo Collection Acquired by National Museum of African American History and Culture". Newsdesk. 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  11. "See icons of hip-hop at the African American Museum". Washington Post. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  12. Gonzalez, David (2016-02-25). "Photographing Hip-Hop's Golden Era". Lens Blog. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  13. "From Duke Ellington to Public Enemy: Images of Hip-Hop and Its Cultural Roots". The New York Times. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  14. Bill Adler; Dan Charnas (2011). Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label. Random House Incorporated. ISBN   978-0-8478-3371-9.
  15. In Ya Grill: The Faces of Hip Hop. Billboard Books. 2007. ISBN   978-0-8230-7885-1.
  16. Adweek. A/S/M Communications. November 2000.
  17. Jones, Finn-Olaf (2010-10-22). "Off the Beaten Track". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  18. Bloomberg Markets. Bloomberg, L.P. July 2004. p. 92.
  19. "Altpick.com : News : Benabib's First One Man Show". Altpick.com. 2003-03-20. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  20. "Photograph of MC Lyte in her dressing room". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  21. "Hip-Hop Photo Collection on Display in "Represent" Exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture". National Museum of African American History and Culture. 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  22. "'Contact High' Photography Exhibit in LA to Showcase Intimate Visual History of Hip-Hop"". Billboard. 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  23. "Event Recap: Opening Reception for the new ICP and its inaugural exhibitions". YRBmag. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2020-05-25.

Books

  1. Bill Adler; Dan Charnas (2011). Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label . Random House Incorporated. ISBN   978-0-8478-3371-9.
  2. Paola Antonelli; Michelle Millar Fisher (5 October 2017). Items - Is Fashion Modern? . Moma. ISBN   978-1-63345-036-3.
  3. Tommy Hilfiger; David A. Keeps (1997). All-American: A Style Book. Universe Pub. ISBN   978-0-7893-0050-8.

General References

  1. Sussex Publishers, LLC (1996-06). Spy. Sussex Publishers, LLC. pp. 32, 33, 34, 35, 70. ISSN 08901759
  2. Elinor Lipman (2017-02-14). On Turpentine Lane. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. cover photo. ISBN   978-0-544-80827-0.
  3. Editors of Entertainment Weekly (2015-10-06). The Must List: Ranking the Best in 25 Years of Pop Culture. Liberty Street. p. 560. ISBN   978-1-61893-315-7.
  4. Minya Oh; Andrea Duncan Mao (2005-08-10). Bling Bling: Hip Hop's Crown Jewels. Wenner Books. p. 140. ISBN   978-1-932958-02-7.
  5. Reggie Osse; Gabriel Tolliver (2006-10-31). Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry Book. Bloomsbury USA.
  6. Cey Adams; Bill Adler (2008-10-14). DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop. HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0-06-143885-1.
  7. Black Enterprise. E.G. Graves Publishing Company. 1999–12. p. 124.
  8. Jay-Z (2010-12-07). Decoded (Enhanced Edition). Random House Publishing Group. p. 349. ISBN   978-0-679-60521-8.
  9. Michael W. Small (1992). Break it Down: The Inside Story from the New Leaders of Rap. Carol Pub. p. 223. ISBN   978-0-8065-1361-4.
  10. Que pasa. D.S. Magazines, Incorporated. 1988. p. 5.
  11. Oneworld. New Image Media, Incorporated. 2002. p. 34.
  12. Linda Saylor-Marchant (1992). Hammer: 2 Legit 2 Quit. Dillon Press. p. 4. ISBN   978-0-87518-522-4.
  13. Andre Stenson; Cloe Anderson; Dan Levine (2006-03). Avant-Guide New York City: Insiders' Guide to Progressive Culture. Empire Press. ISBN   978-1-891603-33-4.
  14. S. E. Cupp (2010-04-27). Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media's Attack on Christianity. Simon and Schuster. pp. cover photo. ISBN   978-1-4391-7645-0.
  15. Brian J. Robb (2002). Brad Pitt: The Rise to Stardom. Plexus. pp. cover photo. ISBN   978-0-85965-288-9.
  16. Alonzo Westbrook (2002-10-15). Hip Hoptionary TM: The Dictionary of Hip Hop Terminology. Crown/Archetype. ISBN   978-0-7679-0924-2.
  17. Lili Anolik (2019-01-08). Hollywood's Eve: Eve Babitz and the Secret History of L.A. Scribner. pp. Author photo. ISBN   978-1-5011-2581-2.
  18. Ronin Ro (2009-10-13). Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay. HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0-06-175069-4.
  19. S. E. Cupp; Brett Joshpe (2009-12-01). Why You're Wrong About the Right: Behind the Myths: The Surprising Truth About Conservatives. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-4165-6328-0.
  20. Stephen J. Dubner (2009-10-13). Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper. HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0-06-186079-9.
  21. Lauren Groveman (2001–08). Lauren Groveman's Kitchen: Nurturing Food for Family of Friends. Chronicle Books. pp. Author photo. ISBN   978-0-8118-3249-6.
  22. Futures for the Class of ... Scholastic, Incorporated. 1995.
  23. Hip-hop Connection. Popular Publications. 2007. p. 226.
  24. Anne M. Raso (1992-08-01). Kris Kross Krazy: A Biography. Random House. p. 56. ISBN   978-0-553-56179-1.
  25. Derek Winnert (1996). Barbra Streisand. Random House Value Pub. p. 4. ISBN   978-0-517-18450-9.
  26. Television Guide. Triangle Publications. 1991. p. 3.
  27. People. Time. 2005. p. 80.
  28. Jeff Chang (2007-04-01). Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. St. Martin's Press. p. 528. ISBN   978-1-4299-0269-4.
  29. James P. Othmer (2011-03-11). The Futurist. Doubleday Canada. ISBN   978-0-385-67377-8.