The Birth of Hip-Hop Architecture

When people think about hip-hop, minds begin to wander towards the rhythmic style of music made for bobbing heads and mumbling along to rap lyrics that accompany the funky street sounds of hip-hop music. 

What a lot of people don’t realize, however, is that hip-hop is more than just a style of music. Hip-hop is a movement, that blends culture with art to create something truly unique. What started on the streets of New York City’s Bronx in the 1970s as a blend of African American, Latino, and Caribbean cultures became an artistic movement that took the world by storm. The unique blend of rapping, DJs, breakdancing, graffiti, and more prove to be a cultural art form for many.

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The New Otis of Soul

One good thing about music, is when it hits you feel no pain,  according to Bob Marley  in “Trenchtown Rocks.” But, boy was he right! When a song is carefully created and beautifully produced, it has the power to actually move souls, and there’s nothing painful about it. 

R&B has always taken soulful songs and combined them with sultry voices to create its one-of-a-kind sound. But R&B has made many turns over the years. From Whitney Houston and Mary J. Blige to Marvin Gaye to Usher Raymond, the genre has always had a wide array of artists. And lately, new artists have proven that the classic sound has many more curbs to turn.

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Taylor Sheridan: “1923”

Whether as a history professor tracking down fabled artifacts in Indiana Jones or as the fearless “Han Solo” rebelling against the Empire in Star Wars, in the 1980s and 1990s Harrison Ford was one of the most sought-after actors Hollywood had to offer. 

Fans can finally see him in action again in his latest role in the TV show "1923," a prequel to the popular TV show “Yellowstone.” As “Jacob Dutton,” he is reviving the family history of the "Yellowstone Farm" alongside Helen Mirren. 

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Apo Whang-od: Generational Markings

When you love something, it’s easy to get lost in that activity for so long, a whole lifetime could go by. That’s what it was like for Apo Whang-od, the 106-year-old Filipino tattoo artist who dedicated her entire existence to the art of tattooing. 

Beginning her tattoo journey as a teen, Whang-od learned the art of hand-tapping as a teenager. Under her father’s instruction, she soaked up a wealth of information. Hand-tapping  is the art of tattooing skin without the use of a tattoo machine, with the use of needles or other materials to tap ink into the skin manually. This skill requires a significant amount of time and effort, and Whang-od tattooed thousands of people, making her tattoo skills strengthen over time. 

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Fintan Whelan: Raw Silk & Oil on Canvas

Temptation is not simply an emotion. “Temptation” is the name of a piece of art.

It is 95 centimeters long and 120 centimeters in height. It's a painting with a fibrous quality – chaotic yet controlled swishes of rust orange and jade green hues clash, overlap, fade, and burst in colorful unison. And just beneath its titillating title, the description of the piece reads:

“Mixed Media, raw silk & oil on canvas.” 

“Temptation” is one of many paintings created by abstract, German-based artist Fintan Whelan.

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