Ricky Powell

RICKY POWELL (New York, 1961-2021).
"LL Cool J, Los Angeles, 1988.
Fine Art Paper Edition, issue 58/75.
Signed, dated and inscribed.
Measurements: 40 x 55 cm.

Ricky Powell and LL Cool J met within the same cultural and musical environment of hip-hop in the 1980s. Powell was a photographer closely linked to the New York scene, especially to the circle of artists such as the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC or Public Enemy, and he used to move between concerts, tours and events where he coincided with many emerging rappers. LL Cool J, who was already an important figure at that time, was part of that same ecosystem, so the photograph is not a distant portrait, but the result of a closeness typical of someone who was documenting hip-hop culture from the inside.

Ricky Powell, a photographer specializing in environmental portraiture, rose to fame due to his relationship with the Beastie Boys. His photographs have appeared in The New York Times, The New York Post, Daily News, The Village Voice, TIME, Newsweek, VIBE, The Source, Rolling Stone and many other publications.