How Danny Hastings Helped Create A few of the Most Iconic Rap Album Covers Ever

Certain, different photogs bought their time to make artwork with the world’s nice spitters, however Danny was, as a rule, there on the genesis. “I bought one thing that no person else has,” he shares. “I bought their youth in my footage.”

Forward of his Miami Seaside Artwork Basel set up with Okayplayer later this week, Danny Hastings, who now works as Inventive Director for RZA’s Wu-Tang Productions, discusses the tales behind a few of his most iconic pictures, and the way hangout classes led to a number of the most indelible album covers in rap historical past.

Okayplayer: How a lot of the way you conceive these album covers is predicated on what an artist tells you?

Danny Hastings: I feel music speaks to me in a means that I simply signify visually. It’s sort of like in a means, I do not say I see colours in music, however I see music in colours. It’s the different means round. After I see my artwork, my artwork feels just like the music is taking part in. So once I create a visible for an album, they seem like the way in which it sounds.

Have a look at 36 chambers and inform me while you see that cowl, That cowl appears to be like like the way in which it sounds as a result of I understand how to interpret any music into artwork. That is what I used to be doing all my childhood. I used to be listening to Pink Floyd and staring on the album cowl for fucking days.

I used to be listening to Rush, Iron Maiden. I used to be listening to even salsa, Fania information has some superb album covers, even soul music like Earth, Wind and Hearth, Stevie Surprise had some superb album covers and artwork. My era would simply stare on the album covers as we take heed to the music. There was nothing else to do. There was MTV, however not all people had it. So it was such as you used to get the album and then you definately used to learn the liner notes and have a look at the images and take heed to the album. By the point I used to be 20, I owned tons of of albums. And most of these albums I purchased as a result of the artwork cowl spoke to me indirectly. That was my coaching earlier than I conquered the music trade.

You’ve carried out lots of dope work, however the cowl for Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) stands out probably the most to me. What’s your favourite reminiscence of placing that collectively?

After I bought aname from [Art Director] Jackie Murphy telling me that she needed me to do the photograph shoot, I used to be at Jack the Rapper. It’s two months earlier than the photograph shoot. I used to be in Atlanta, and I instructed her that Wu-Tang is performing right here in Atlanta, and I am right here at this time. And he or she mentioned, ‘Yo, go discuss to Prince Rakeem.’ So that is me going to satisfy Prince Rakeem within the backstage of their efficiency earlier than they go into the present.

So I am within the inexperienced room at this level with 19 different dudes that I needed to undergo earlier than they launched me to Prince Rakeem. So once I’m speaking to the RZA, I am seeing that he is not likely taking a look at me. He is like, ‘Oh, yeah, you are going to do the album cowl. Okay, good. Properly, let’s meet in New York.’ After which he is taking a look at his boys and so they’re all making eye contact with one another. I do not know what is going on on. I am there backstage. They will go and do a present. And earlier than I do know it, RZA and all people fucking places on a stocking masks. I’m like, ‘Oh, shit, they’re going to fucking rob the place!’ That’s what I believed, I imply they’re placing stocking masks on. They only begin amping one another up in unison. They fucking go to the stage, they grabbed the opposite rappers who had been in the midst of performing their present, took their mics and threw the rappers off the stage. Somebody went to the DJ sales space and smacked the DJ up. Took the vinyls of the tables. Loud suggestions hits everybody ears, the gang does not know what the fuck is occurring. Then, [they started rapping] ‘Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothing to fuck with.’ I’m taking a look at them like, ‘I must shoot this album cowl.’ I have been telling this story for 30 years now. And do not that 15 years in the past, somebody uploaded the video of today and you may see me within the background.

There’s one thing about Wu-Tang Clan that I used to be simply in love with. The music, the sound, the vibe, after which that one-hour hanging out with RZA as 21-year-old males speaking about Kung-Fu flicks. I knew I needed to shoot the duvet like in a monastery, and RZA agreed.

I used to be the primary particular person to place that brand right into a bodily type. It was simply hand-drawn then. No person ever noticed the emblem in one other type aside from that white tape, that is all that they had, that white tape with the holy e book and the emblem as the duvet of the one “Shield Ya Neck.” I used to be the primary particular person to say, ‘Hey, let’s take that brand and fucking make it like an emblem, like an altar.’ So I bought my boys, Richard Bravo, who went on to design the piece for me. He constructed a brand for me, bought the candles and we’re able to go.

Solely six members confirmed as much as the photograph shoot. RZA, GZA, ODB, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and Ghostface Killah. There have been three members lacking, ready, ready, ready. We waited for 2 hours for the opposite members to indicate up. They are not coming. RZA is like, ‘No, we’re not going to do the shoot.’ And I used to be like, ‘What do you imply we’re not going to do the shoot?’ RZA says, ‘I am not capturing except all my brothers are right here.’ After which that is when the sunshine bulb went up and I mentioned, ‘Yo, why do not we do what you probably did in Atlanta? Let’s go and get the stocking masks.’ RZA mentioned, ‘We’re not going to indicate our faces?’ I mentioned, ‘You are the Wu-Tang Clan. You’re a unit. You need not present your faces.’

If I wasn’t in Atlanta with them, this album cowl would by no means be what it’s at this time.

That’s actually loopy. After which a number of years later you probably did the duvet for Raekwon’s Solely Constructed 4 Cuban Linx… What do you bear in mind about placing that one collectively?

Me and Raekwon went to dinner, after which he instructed me he needed a Final Supper the place all of the Wu-Tang members are there. I’m one of many solely photographers that bought your complete Wu household on an image. And Raekwon needed him and Ghost to be on the duvet sharing this second. They had been very strategic; they knew that they had been placing out Ghost subsequent, and that he was introducing Ghost. The vibe was very totally different. The vibe was now not younger youngsters in the summertime with no cash of their pockets doing one thing artistic. The vibe was now a severe enterprise.

Not solely severe enterprise, there was rigidity between them. It isn’t my favourite photograph shoot by way of the vibes that I caught, as a result of I am very delicate. I can see into individuals’s souls. I do know for those who’re unhappy, I do know for those who’re blissful, I’m an observer of individuals. I’ve to look by way of a lens to look into your eyes. I’ve been doing it my entire life.

It isn’t the vibes that we had earlier than. I used to be coming in like, ‘Oh, shit, I am working with my guys once more.’ However boy, that was a tough tablet to swallow. And I noticed that earlier than everybody else did as a result of I am invited to that area. Now rapidly, there’s just a little argument over right here and there is a little argument over there. There’s rigidity within the room. I am unable to transfer individuals now. I simply gotta look ahead to them to complete the dialog. And this one over right here does not wish to actually be bothered. And it is like all people’s separate however collectively.

You’ve carried out lots of pictures, lots of covers, and simply lots of issues normally. However wanting again by way of these experiences, what was an album cowl that actually challenged you as a photographer?

The photoshoot that I say made me a photographer, and was probably the most difficult album cowl I did as a result of I needed to check my expertise, was Nas’ I Am... Artwork Director Ola Kudu and Sony Music approached me to do the album cowl. They needed to indicate the trajectory by way of his album covers of being a boy, turning into a person after which turning into a king.

So my first thought was, ‘Let’s make him into King Tut. Let’s do a very huge King Tut bust with Nas’ face on it.’ And, ‘Certain, you bought nice concepts, Danny, how are you going to do this?’ I used to be like, ‘Properly, Dave Cortez goes to sculpt the bust and all of the little stone items. It’s going to look precisely like King Tut, and we will do a forged of Nas’ face, and it’ll be a sculpted piece.’ It bought commissioned. I bought the project. We’re going to do that loopy sculpted Nas piece.

Cortez creates the sculpted piece and makes use of actually shiny gold paint, very extremely reflective to make it seem like gold. After which once we introduced the piece to the studio; it was superb. This factor was very spectacular, sadly it deteriorated over time. The label did not wish to make a sculpted piece that might final endlessly, they gave us sufficient cash to purchase materials to do one thing momentary. But it surely appeared superb nonetheless. So I began capturing. But it surely didn’t seem like Nas. It appeared loopy as a result of firstly, I am capturing a really reflective piece of a really reflective object. Take into consideration capturing a disco ball or a mirror. What are you going to do? You are going to see reflections. You see the entire set. The lighting would not work since you may see my tripods and my lights and my stands. You see the individuals [in the reflection]. So principally I had to make use of an image of Nas that I shot earlier than. I used to be wanting and realizing what defines a two-dimensional picture and what offers us the sensation of dimension on a 2D piece of artwork? It is shadows and highlights. Shadows and highlights are what offer you a three-dimensional feeling, even whether it is only a piece of paper.

However how do you place shadows on a reflective piece? There is not any shadows on a reflective piece as a result of every part from the room you’re standing on is reflecting into the piece itself. So, the lightbulb went on. I began placing blackboards and white boards in entrance of the piece and put a gap on the blackboards so I can put my lens by way of it. And I began placing boards so the reflection may present the boards, however it appeared like shadows. After which put white paper on high of the blackboards to allow them to seem like highlights after which direct my mild to the boards and never the piece.

Credit score: Danny Hastings

Credit score: Danny Hastings

That shit proper there made me a museum photographer. That is what museum photographers do. Museum photographers will take a bit and create a set simply to take an image of just a little gold nugget that they discovered underneath the ruins of Peru. It’s not like they go in there with their cellular phone and take an image. It’s actually intricate pictures. After that, I may shoot something.

That’s so fascinating. Most individuals won’t ever know the layers of method required for one thing like that.

That was the difficult a part of the story. However there’s additionally a joke.

Oh, do inform.

We nearly “killed” Nas within the course of [of making the cover]. I am exaggerating in fact, however… If you do a forged of someone’s face, you need to put moist clay on high of the particular person’s face and look ahead to it to dry, within the course of you need to put two straws on the particular person’s nostrils to allow them to breathe whereas the clay is drying on their face. So the primary resolution was just a little bit weak, I assume, or very tender, and Nas is laying down, with this clay on his face and I assume the liquid was attending to his nostril. And after 5 minutes, my man is shifting his arms and his legs and kicking, and we’re like, ‘Oh, shit, he cannot breathe!’ Now it is getting onerous, so it was powerful to get it out. He was like, ‘Yo, y’all higher not fuck across the second time. I haven’t got time for this.’ He was a superb sport. We did it once more, and we did the album cowl and we didn’t damage him. I’m exaggerating [laughs].

Gang Starr’s Second of Fact is one among my favourite covers you shot. What was it prefer to work with Guru and DJ Premier?

Capturing Gang Starr, Guru needed Premier to be on the entrance. That was the very very first thing. He was like, ‘I by no means need you to shoot me within the entrance. I would like you to shoot Preemo on the entrance. That is his spot. The DJ’s at all times within the again, however our DJ is the frontman. I will be second right here.’ And that was a really fascinating dynamic, I spotted how a lot love and respect Guru had from Preem, a real brotherhood.

You additionally shot Lil’ Kim earlier than she dropped her debut album. She was so younger. What was she like again then?

It was lovely. She was a fantastic lady. She was younger. She was very bubbly. She would name me Mr. Photographer. In case you see footage of Little Kim, I shot her very fantastically. I caught her vitality. Simply lovely footage of a fantastic lady. I bought reacquainted together with her at one of many Unhealthy Boy anniversary concert events, and I introduced these footage and I used to be like, “Hey, you bear in mind this?” After which she’s like, “Oh, Danny, how are you?” She remembered me. After which mentioned, “You realize what, Danny? Out of all the images that I’ve taken, that is the one one which my mother has in her front room. And he or she mentioned, that is her favourite image, and she or he do not wish to see any of my different footage.

Credit score: Danny Hastings

A whole lot of artists you’ve carried out shoots for have handed away, and in the event that they haven’t handed away, they’ve modified so much. If you see your covers, do you consider the artists how they’re now or how they had been while you first met them?

I take into consideration them the primary time I met them. However then I do know that no person stays the identical means. All people modifications, together with myself. I work for RZA now. I am the artistic director of Wu-Tang Productions. It is severe enterprise, however it’s nearly like we nonetheless have that younger vitality that we had earlier than once we’re speaking creatively. I do see them as I met them. And once we reconnect, there’s at all times that once I’m with Raekwon. We’ve identified one another for such a very long time, it is at all times love and respect. We return to that point. It’s good. With Preem it’s the identical means. Jeru [The Damaga] is my brother. I’ve had so many relationships that I nonetheless do bear in mind them, how they had been, and most of them, lots of them are nonetheless the identical means and we nonetheless rock the identical means.

When eager about artists you’ve carried out work for through the years, what number of of them do you have got a way of closure with?

We at all times depart in a superb place. I bought one thing that no person else has. I bought their youth in my footage. I may step to Lil’ Kim proper now and she or he’ll present her that image and she or he’ll in all probability tear up. I imply, I may go into anybody and present them the images as younger, as badass as they had been. Individuals blew up after which I misplaced contact with a few of them. It’s onerous to be in contact with individuals after they turn into larger and larger, and larger. However these pictures can get you into wherever. I had misplaced contact with Nas, [but] once we had been doing the New York State of Thoughts tour [with Nas], I used to be like, ‘Yo, I want to indicate him this,’ and somebody on Nas’ staff was like, ‘Yo, you shot that one? Okay, yeah, I am going to convey you to Nas.’ Nas didn’t bear in mind me at first, and I went and pulled up the image. He was like, ‘Dude, we had been youngsters. Yo, you’re a foul man, thanks Danny… He remembered me.’

See some behind-the-scenes pictures from Danny’s assortment beneath:

Wu-Tang Clan in Live performance

Credit score: Danny Hastings

RZA onstage

Credit score: Danny Hastings