HIP HOP – Living a Dream
Jamel Shabazz, Joseph Rodriguez, Gregory Bojorquez
Saatchi Gallery, London
31 July – 11 September 2025
THE DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN CREW,
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN, NYC, 1985
Courtesy of Saatchi Gallery and Galerie Bene Taschen
PUBLIC ENEMY CONCERT,
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1990
Courtesy of Saatchi Gallery and Galerie Bene Taschen
CHELSEA - 4TH STREET BRIDGE,
LOS ANGELES, CA, 1998
Courtesy of Saatchi Gallery and Galerie Bene Taschen
Saatchi Gallery presents HIP HOP – Living a Dream, an exhibition showcasing the work of renowned photographers JAMEL SHABAZZ (b. 1960), GREGORY BOJORQUEZ (b. 1951), and GREGORY BOJORQUEZ (b. 1972). From the early 1980s on, each of these three American chroniclers provides distinct insights into the rise and global impact of American Hip Hop culture. HIP HOP – Living a Dream delves into the lifestyle that, in combination with music, graffiti, breakdancing, and fashion, evolved into a worldwide phenomenon – from the streets of 1980s New York to Los Angeles, the Southern United States, Europe, and beyond, persisting into the present day.
REPRESENTING, BROOKLYN, NYC, 1988
Courtesy of Saatchi Gallery and Galerie Bene Taschen
THE DISCO ENFORCERS, NY
Courtesy of Saatchi Gallery and Galerie Bene Taschen
Jamel Shabazz’s work from the 1980s serves as both a personal visual diary and a historical document, capturing the birth of the Hip Hop movement in the vibrant metropolis of New York City. Shabazz’s portraits embody the zeitgeist of New York, illustrating a pivotal era of music, fashion, and art. Jamel was stationed in the US Army in Germany when he heard one of the first major Hip Hop groups, Positive Force, debut their 1979 hit song “We Got the Funk”. His love for the genre is manifested in the images he would produce over the decades. The first of many Hip Hop artists he photographed were LL Cool J, and Public Enemy. Today, his portraits are synonymous with the movement itself.
MASTER P IN HIS OFFICE ON THE PHONE MAKING MOVES,
NEW ORLEANS, LA, 1997
Courtesy of Saatchi Gallery and Galerie Bene Taschen
In his series East Side Stories – Gang Life in East L.A., Brooklyn-born photographer Joseph Rodriguez provides a documentary-style look at gang culture during the 1990s. His work portrays the lived experiences, nuances, and harsh realities of gang life. According to Joseph Rodriguez, “My interest in going to L.A. began in early 1992. I was strongly influenced by the Hip Hop coming out of the streets of Los Angeles and other cities across the country. These youth were rapping about the very important issues in their communities. Their music were like the newspapers of the streets.” In addition to his documentation of American Hip Hop on both the West and East Coast, Rodriguez’s portraits of groups in Sweden point to the many facets of international forms of Hip Hop and its prevalence in cities beyond New York, such as Los Angeles and New Orleans, where Joseph Rodriguez documented notable figures Master P and the No Limit Crew.
GREGORY BOJORQUEZ
ANDRE 3000 AND BIG BOI, ATLANTA, GA, 2002
Courtesy of Saatchi Gallery and Galerie Bene Taschen
MISSY ELLIOTT, ADVENTURA, FL, 2003
Courtesy of Saatchi Gallery and Galerie Bene Taschen
Los Angeles native Gregory Bojorquez has been documenting the Hip Hop scene since the 1990s: “Before I started photographing it, I was a fan of L.A. Hip Hop. The first things I photographed in Hip Hop were underground Hip Hop shows. Some were promoted by Orlando and Bigga B. Those shows were called Unity. Some artists they featured were Wu Tang affiliated artists, Goodie Mob, Big Pun. Sway & Tech had the Wake up Shows reunions. Some acts were OutKast, Gang Star, Pharoahe Monch and the legendary freestyle battle between Supernatural & Juice.” His works also feature Snoop Dogg & Tha Dogg Pound (DPG), 50 Cent, Eminem, DMX, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, and Ice Cube.
Like Hip Hop itself, the three photographers Shabazz, Rodriguez, and Bojorquez have garnered international acclaim, reaching audiences far beyond the United States. Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are part of esteemed collections worldwide, including the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC); the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation (Frankfurt am Main), the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), and the Gordon Parks Foundation in New York. Gregory Bojorquez’s works have been exhibited at the Vincent Price Art Museum in Los Angeles and internationally in Cologne, Berlin, and other locations. Joseph Rodriguez’s photographs are housed in institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum, the International Center of Photography in New York, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and the Albertina in Vienna.
This exhibition is produced with Galerie Bene Taschen, Cologne
SAATCHI GALLERY
Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London SW3 4RY
Location in the gallery: Galleries 3 & 4
Admission: Free entry, pre-booking not required
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