Gregory Bojorquez – Crowd at El Hacienda Club, Los Angeles, CA 1998. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Bene Taschen
Galerie Bene Taschen exhibit the works of Jamel Shabazz, Joseph Rodriguez and Gregory Bojorquez throughout the 1980s and 90s, documenting the genre’s rise to popularity
The Saatchi Gallery is currently hosting HIP HOP – Living a Dream, a photography exhibition exploring the evolution of American Hip Hop culture from the early 1980s to the present. The show features the work of Jamel Shabazz, Joseph Rodriguez and Gregory Bojorquez, three photographers whose images document different aspects of Hip Hop’s rise and global influence.
Shabazz’s work focuses on early Hip Hop culture in New York, capturing portraits that document the music, fashion and energy of the era. His photographs, such as The Downtown Brooklyn Crew (1985) and Representing (1988), are considered important records of the movement’s early days. 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.
Rodriguez presents a more documentary approach, highlighting the social and political dimensions of Hip Hop. His series East Side Stories examines gang life in 1990s East Los Angeles. The exhibition also includes portraits of prominent Southern artists, including Master P and the No Limit Crew.
“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,” Rodriguez says, speaking to Saatchi Gallery. “These youth were rapping about the very important issues in their communities. Their music was like the newspapers of the streets.”
Bojorquez, based in Los Angeles, documents the intersection of Hip Hop and celebrity from the 1990s onward. His portraits include figures such as Missy Elliott, Birdman, 50 Cent, and OutKast. Works like Birdman in Eastover (2005) and Andre 3000 & Big Boi (2002) reflect a shift from underground culture to commercial visibility.
The exhibition extends beyond photography. Music, interviews, and memorabilia are integrated throughout, with boomboxes, DJ equipment, and a Spotify playlist providing historical and cultural context.
