While the bling and the girls in music videos is how some rappers portray themselves, these hip-hop hero captures aim to show a different side of the MCs who are more than just about flaunting on the camera.
Hip-hop continues to dominate the music industry with a wide category of sub-genres that have become popular in clubs and in bars. Whether it's the sounds of Lil Wayne's dirty south, or the neo-soul tunes of talented band The Roots, there's no doubt that this style has become a favorite among many individuals. As a tribute to some of the fine MCs today, these are portraits that showcase a side of them that evokes a raw, honest aspect that most never see. Whether it's Jay-Z and Kanye hanging out in the studio or Odd Future posing playfully, there's something here for all hip-hop heads.
13 Hip-Hop Hero Captures
13
Hip Hop-Style Photography
Armen Djerrahian Captures a Badass Lifestyle
12
Iconic Superstar Illustrations
Mr. Burt Recreates Kanye West and his Outfit From Coachella 2011
11
Hip Hop Crew Captures
The Terry Richardson Odd Future Series Shows the Hottest Collective in Music
10
Hip-Hop Skater Portraits
Luka Maeder Captures the Urban Pioneers of Cool
9
Hip Hop Look Books
Kanye West for BAPE/A Bathing Ape's 2010 Collection
8
Street Cred Portraiture
Photographer Mike Schreiber Cuts to the Bone With His Hip-Hop Portraits
7
Raw Rap Photography
Mel D Cole Documents the Hip Hop and Punk Scene in a Mean Way
6
Grayscale Hip-Hop Portraiture
Strassenkoeter Pays Homage to Iconic MCs with Incredible Artworks
5
Humanimal Rapper Blogs
Animal Pharm Turns Biggie Smalls into Piggie Smalls
4
Controversial Band Candids
The Odd Future European Tour Photographs Captures the Hip-Hop Crew
3
Hip-Hop Studio Memoirs
'Watch the Throne' Session Photos Get Fans Amped up for the Album
2
Highlighter Portraits
Staple 'Highlighter' Series Features Neon Portraits of Hip-Hop Icons
1
Rare Rapstar Collectibles
The Ice Cube RareInk Charity Collabo Brings History to Fans
Related Ideas
Raw Hipster Photography
Philip Gay Balances Between Posed and Candid Captures
Naughty Nun Photography
The Brian Ypperciel Kitten Magazine Features a Religious Motif
California Cool Photography
Photographer RJ Shaughnessy Captures Moments of Calm Serenity
Fiercely Fuzzy Photography
The Schon! Magazine Androgyny Series Boasts Blurry Illustrations
Blunt Self Portraits
Yulia Bakhtiozina Shows You What People are Really Thinking
51 Stunning Surreal Illustrations
From Trippy Drippy Art to Manga Graffiti Paintings
Smoking Tattooed Portraits
Five Boys by Louis Park Features Decked-Out Dudes
Sensual Controversial Shoots
Peter Coulson is an Erotic Award-Winning Photographer
Brazilian Funk Photography
Vincent Rosenblatt's Photos of Rio de Janeiro's Youth Subculture
Expressive Face Portraiture
Rokas Darulis Captures Beautiful Still Moments of Women
Pop Icon Photography
The Material Girl Series is Inspired by Madonna Circa the 80s
32 Tarantino Finds
From Graphic Movie Posters to Barbies These Tarantino-Inspired Creations Rock
Fresh Feminine Photography
Nika Shatova Focuses on Pure Portraits
Oddball Spanish Photography
Jukka Male Captures the Eccentric Side of Barcelona City
43 Hyperrealistic Creations
Hot Hyperreal Art from Celeb Sketches to Pencil Portraits
Inspirational Typography Art
Portraits of Grammy Nominees Made From Influential Song Titles
Booty-Focused Editorials
Kanye West and Amber Rose are Naughty by Nature in Elle Magazine
Monstrous Zip-Up Hoodies
The Teriyaki Boyz Pair Up With Bape for Sweet Streetwear
33 Kick-Ass Copy Cats
From Political Porno Spoofs to Celebrity Surgical Lookalikes
Charismatic Celeb Portraits
Patrick Hoelck Photography Lets the Celebs Do All the Work
Action Sequence Shoots
Ray Demski Photographs Epic Sport Motions
Tough-Chic Photography
Miguel Starcevich Captures the Edgy and Elegant Side of Women
Gritty Bombshell Portraits
This Josefina Bietti Photography is Full of Great Compositions
Emotional Celeb Portraiture
Matthias Clamer Captures Fun and Emotive Images
Warholesque Celeb Portraits
The Mr Brainwash Icons Exhibit Casts Celebrities in a New Light
Raw Beauty Portraits
Billy Kidd Captures Model Chris Urena's Stunning Natural Beauty
Expressive Celeb Portraits
John Rankin Waddell Captures the Famous and Infamous
Simple Raw Photography
The Viktor Vauthier Morgan Hurst Series Goes Au Naturel
Iconic Director Retrospectives
The Tim Burton LACMA Exhibit Looks Back at a Storied Career
Proper Punk Photography
The January Jones W Editorial See the Mad Men Star Shed Her Primness
Somber Celeb Portraits
Lance Dawes' 'Casting By' Photo Series is Serious and Sophisticated
Hyperrealistic Celeb Sketches
The Pop Culture Prints of Randy Atwood are Amazingly Accurate
Egotistical Celeb Art
The Michael Jackson Commissioned Art Doesn't Cease to Amaze
Boudoir Beauty Photography
The Girl Next Door Series is Intimately Sensual
Rapper Street Sneaks
The PONY Nipsey Hussle Will Keep You Looking Good in the Hood
Funky Town Photography (UPDATE)
Ricky Powell Documented the Rise of Hip Hop's Elite
Introspective Inktography
Christopher Loren Ewers' Tattoo-Loving Photography
Wide-Eyed Close-Up Shots
Malte Pietschmann Takes Stunning Portraits of Beautiful Models
Candid Cultural Captures
Miguel Candela Photography Tells Travel Tales in Images
Feasting Photography
The Terry Richardson Crystal Renn Editorial is Disgustingly Delish
Candid Urban Captures
Julian Berman Photographs the Carefree Streets of Los Angeles
Gagafied Collaborations
The Gilt Groupe Nicola Formichetti for Lady Gaga Collaboration is Hot
Ultra Undie Campaigns
Undacova Underwear 2011 Brings Thrilling Beach Captures
Playful Street Photography
Andrew Quilty Captures a More Hopeful Side of Life
Iconic Designer Posters
The Fashion Crowd Series Illustrates Style's Elite
Hip Hop Crew Captures
The Terry Richardson Odd Future Series Shows the Hottest Collective in Music
Hip-Hop Skater Portraits
Luka Maeder Captures the Urban Pioneers of Cool
Hyperreal Celebrity Sketches
Spanish Artist Berto Martinez Draws Public Figures for Magazines
Playful Celeb Portraits
Rachel Been Takes Urban Shots of Singers and Stars
Street Cred Portraiture
Photographer Mike Schreiber Cuts to the Bone With His Hip-Hop Portraits
Latin Singer Lookbooks
Ricky Martin by Mariano Vivanco Immortalizes the Foxy Musician
Distorted Celebrity Illustrations
These Akiko Stehrenberger Caricatures Create a Different Reality
Fun-Filled Athletic Campaigns
Terry Richardson for Reebok Brings Out Party Animal Looks
Hand-Cut Typography Posters
Frenetic Papercraft Masterpieces by Peter Karras Put All Others to Sha
Rapper-Ready Embroidery
The Etsy 'Steotch' Retailer Creates Pop Culture Crochets
Photographer Fashion Lines
Terry Richardson Debuts the 'Terry' Jacket and Cap
Sneak Peek Ad Campaigns
Jay-Z Rhapsody Ad Takes Us Behind the Scenes of a Photo Shoot
Raw Rap Photography
Mel D Cole Documents the Hip Hop and Punk Scene in a Mean Way
Vehicle-Branded Dentures
'Grillz' by Craig Hunter Puts a Twist on Traditional Teeth Adornments
11 BAPE Branding Moves
From Cutesy Bathing Ape Collaborations to Tricked Out Toiletries
Toe-Licking Hipsters
Jason Nocito Photographs a Mishmash of Celebs and Campaigns
Celebrity Cartoon Fashion
Henry Holland Tees Have Naughty Designer Portraits
Retro Rock Star Photography
Dominique Tarle Captures Candid Shots of the Rolling Stones
Creative Celebrity Portraits
Anita Kunz Creates Hilarious and Vivid Celebrity Illustrations
Celebrity-Studded Gaming
The New Black Ops Characters are Causing Commotion in the Gaming World
Grayscale Hip-Hop Portraiture
Strassenkoeter Pays Homage to Iconic MCs with Incredible Artworks
Inked Awareness Campaigns
The Waka Flocka Flame PETA Ads Show Some Skin
Informative Map Illustrations
Newsweek's ‘The World's Real Winners' by Fra
Fiery Red-Headed Pin-Ups
Tiah Eckhardt for Wheels and Dollbaby Fall 2011 Campaign is Sizzling Hot
Candid Photo Op Campaigns
The Mini Photo Box Campaign Helps Promote the Brand's New Vehicles
Celeb Cartoon Shows
Headcases
Typographic Illustration Music Videos
"Brooklyn Go Hard" by Jay-Z for (RED)
Demonic Hip-Hop Videos
MellowHype '64' Terrifies Viewers With its Dark Undertones
Hip-Hop Fashion Shoots
Union x Mark Mcnairy x Mos Def Photography Shows the Rapper in Full Swag
'Jungle Book' Kicks
A Bathing Ape Bapest 88 "Wood Land" Pack Sneakers Are Something to Howl About
Controversial Band Candids
The Odd Future European Tour Photographs Captures the Hip-Hop Crew
Personable Celeb Portraits
Patrick Fraser Captures the Person Behind the Famous Persona
NYC Helps Man Find Love at First Site
Spurs Intern Dating Contest
Charitable Rapper Auctions
Bid for Kanye Merch in Support of the Kanye West Foundation
Esteemed Director Exhibitions
The 'Quentin VS Coen' Art Exhibit Compares Two of Hollywood's
Celebrity-Created Kicks
The New Swizz Beatz Kamikaze Hits the Market
Upcycled Bottle Jackets
Pharrell Williams' Bionic Yam Outerwear Line is Eco Chic
Inspiring Hip-Hop Narratives
Jay-Z 'Rap is Poetry' Provides an Enlightening Insight to Music
Oscar-Worthy Social Network Art
The Social Network Illustrations Capture Facebook's Drama
New Age Rap Collectives
'OFWGKTA' and 'Tyler The Creator' May be the New Wu-Tang
Cyborg Cover Shots
Chris Milk Shoots Kanye West Into the Future for Complex
Rapper Sodavertising
Pepsi and Snoop Join Forces for Holiday Refreshments
Tour-Inspired Photo Books
Kanye West 'Glow in the Dark' Features Snaps From His Tour
Hip-Hop Politicians
The Wyclef Haiti Presidential Bid Vaults Haiti Into the Spotlight
Bum Branded Denim
BAPE References Juicy Couture with Tag on Tush
Rapping Robots
KRS-One & Buckshot Shout Out to Hip-Hop Community
Superstar Short Films
Kanye West and Spike Jonze Reunite For Major Media Project
Thug Car Commercials
The 'How Much Rap Can You Pack in a Jazz?' Commercial Shows off Spaciousness
Aquatic Celebrity Illustrations
H2O Audio Uses Madonna & Snoop Dogg to Protect Your iPod
West Coast Rapper Kicks
The Adidas Snoop Dogg Sneaker is Inspired by the Boss Dog
Rare Rapstar Collectibles
The Ice Cube RareInk Charity Collabo Brings History to Fans
Rapping Reptiles
The TMNT Mashups Prove That Hip Hop Makes the Ninja Turtles Even Cooler
Rap Star Charities
Diddy Gives $50,000 to Charities for the '12 Days Of Tag' Online Initiative
Iconic Director Tributes
Woody Allen Surrogates Compiles Actors Who Embody Him in His Films