The JB Mashup

Photo by Janette Beckman, art by Alice Mizrachi

This past Friday Flea Market Funk had the distinct pleasure of being photographed by legendary photographer Janette Beckman for an upcoming crate digging issue of Jocks & Nerds Magazine. We were in great company in front of the lens as Janette has taken photos of every important hip hop and punk band from the late 70’s to the 90’s, as well as being a talented photographer who has done fashion, major media campaigns, and editorial work throughout her career. She is a talented street photographer as well who has released photo books on both the UK punk scene and the hip hop scene as well.. Her work has been seen all over the world. Her latest project, which was on display through Silvia Yee’s Pop Up Art Event (in Beckman’s houseno less, how cool is that?), is called The JB Mashup. The concept is easy. Take some of Beckman’s images, pair them up with different graffiti writers and artists, and watch the end product transform into a one of a kind piece of art. Although this isn’t the first time something like this has been attempted (I remember Ricky Powell trying this on his photos at some point), however, this is on a bigger level. These images are iconic: Beastie Boys, Ultramagnetic MC’s, Keith Haring, Slick Rick, Grandmixer DST & Donald D, Big Daddy Kane, Fab Five Freddy, Flava Flav, Salt-N-Pepa, Stetsasonic, and Afrika Bambaataa. They are given to each artist: Alice Mizrachi, Cey Adams, Chino, Clawmoney, Dr. Revolt, Eric Adams, Faust, Jester, Morning Breath, Sharp, T Kid, and Trike 1. Each artist was also asked why they chose each JB photo to manipulate and where they got their start. While some had no choice (Revolt), others chose the image because of female empowerment (Clawmoney), or the fact that their Dad worked with so many of the artists (Eric Adams). My favorite story is Chino, on why he chose JB’s famous Stetsasonic portrait. “I chose Janette’s photo of Stetsasonic posing in front of Stetson’s hats. I grew up in downtown Brooklyn, not far from the Fulton Mall. In the mid/late 80’s I was involved in a cross-out war with another [graffiti] writer. Several of my crossed out tags appear in the photo.” History here people, history. Here are a few selections from the show.
Dr. Dre x Trike