ABC RadioPublic Enemy leader Chuck D is not only a legendary hip-hop star, he’s also a visual artist.
His first solo art exhibit is running through March in Pasadena, CA.
The rap legend tells ABC Radio that embarking on this new chapter in his artistic career boiled down to “knowing the fact that I could do something [else] creative and letting somebody know [about my other artistic love].”
He adds, “My father passed in 2016 in February and the therapy was actually going back into my roots of artistry and just doing a lot of artwork personally.”
“And through the form of social media I ran into a person who followed me on Twitter that ended up being my art agent that said, ‘Hey look. We should do this in galleries.'”
Chuck notes that his visual artwork is “half-therapy, but it was half-doing what I’ve always done all my life.”
“But now,” he continues, “With the term of ‘official,’ you know, galleries and all this other stuff, it’s like, ‘OK, why not?'”
The Prophets of Rage member, who has a degree in graphic design, has another side project that allows him to work with other visual artists.
“I have this thing called Mad Urgency, which is almost like a virtual ad agency of artists and graphic people who really are fantastic at expressing themselves,” he explains.
Chuck D’s “Behind the Seen” solo art exhibit will run throughout March at Gallery 30 South in Pasadena, California.
For more information, visit Gallery 30 South’s website.
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