My work is also influenced by the music I listen to. This post is dedicated to those artists that I listen to while I paint, draw, design, etc.


Femi Kuti. I love Femi's music. I won't even compare him to his father at all because his music is completely different. I love Femi Kuti's music because as "African" as it is, it, undoubtedly, has western influences, which makes the music richer. One of my favorite Femi tracks is called "Eh Oh" from his latest album Day By Day. The sweeping chords of the organs are simply dope. And "'97" his tribute song to his father and fallen sister is classic material.

This one WILL surprise you....


The Knife. A coworker of mine was playing "Heartbeats" and I fell in love with their sound. Of course that's all most people have heard from them, but I was curious as to what else they have and I love their music now. "Marble House" is THE most played song from my iTunes library. Their blend of electronic music with African-influenced percussion and syncopations is classic stuff.



Dub. A. El. E. (WALE) has been my favorite rapper since I first heard him a few years ago. His music is just "dope" to me. He is very clever and witty, but so are many rappers of the moment. What makes Wale doper is the fact that he is creating his own go-go influenced sound. And as a drummer, I gravitate towards more percussion-heavy music. My favorite Wale track? wow.....I'd have to say there's a tie between the Bird Peterson Freaks remix and Family Affair. Two very different tracks.

I have so many more influences, but I'll keep it short for now. Back to our regularly scheduled program.

I made this post to sort of chronicle some of the things that influence my design style, and just "me" in general. I think you will be surprised. Here are some of my influences:



Tommy Hilfiger. While most of my peers are Ralph Lauren aficionados and practically worship everything he does, I've been more drawn to Tommy Hilfiger's designs (that isn't to say I don't wear Polo).



Francoise Nielly artwork. Francoise Nielly's use of color is inspiring. I believe art should evoke emotion and her work does so tremendously. Her pieces are inspired by black and white images, which in themselves are very powerful, but she completely transforms the subject and brings a new light out of their faces.



Thierry Henry. In short, this guy made me fall in love with football. Which made me begin to start painting shirts with football players on them. Hopefully I'll meet him someday to thank him.

I'll be adding more of my influences in the future. Cheers.

Wow. it's been a while. I've been gone but I never left....Here's a tee I made for a good friend of mine. Enjoy.