1xRUN Thru Interview
Cut The Record – Jay-Z by Above
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about these pieces. Were they created solely for this release or was there an original piece created?
Above: The “Cut The Record” series was made solely for this release, and there is an original piece, however these were made as part of my most recent exhibition Remix. The “Cut The Record” series was a very personal series for me, as I selected 10 of my favorite musicians to portray and Remix. All of the 10 musicians I selected to make for this series are personal favorites of mine. Music I actually listen to on a day to day basis. (Ed. Note: Stay tuned as Above and 1xRun will release 9 additional artists in Above’s Cut The Record series.)
1xRun: Were these pieces part of a recent theme, series or show that you had?
Above: Yes indeedy! I created the Cut The Record series as part of my Remix exhibition. The theme of my Remix show was a literal definition of taking from one and interchanging it with another. For my exhibition I kinda tweaked the meaning of Remix to fit the swapping and sampling of different, but similar pieces of wood cuts I had made on the pieces. With the 10 musicians I selected for the Cut The Record series, each has either had their music remixed, and or remix music themselves.
1xRun: What made you choose Jay-Z?
Above: This is a no brainer. Jay-Z combines both the wordplay and flow of a dynamic lyricist, and his beats are (remixed) from such classics from before him. Where do I start? Back in 1998 his track “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” // Off his Blueprint 2 Album in 2002 “Poppin Tags” Jay-Z’s Black Album in 2003 had some pinnacle tracks like “What More Can I Say”, “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”, “Change Clothes”, and “99 Problems” These are some of his older hits. His more recent tracks from the Magna Carta…Holy Grail Album. Tracks like “Tom Ford” , “Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit” and “Picasso Baby” just to name a few. I mean listen to this flow from Picasso Baby…
It ain’t hard to tell, I’m the new Jean Michel
Surrounded by Warhols, my whole team ball
Twin Bugattis outside the Art Basel
I just wanna live life colossal
Leonardo Da Vinci flows
Riccardo Tisci Givenchy clothes
See me throning at the Met
Vogueing on these niggas, champagne on my breath, yes
House like the Louvre or the Tate Modern
Cause I be going ape at the auction
Oh what a feeling, aw, fuck it, I want a trillion
Sleeping every night next to Mona Lisa
The modern day version with better features
Yellow Basquiat in my kitchen corner
Go ‘head, lean on that shit Blue, you own it
1xRUN: What materials were used to create these pieces with?
Above: For the Original and the 5 HPM’s I started with 1/4 thick birch wood panel. I painted each piece with a variety of colors, using latex paint and spray paint. Once dried, I screen printed a black halftone of the face that you see on the artwork. For the original I had color trapped with a stencil the silhouette of Jay-Z’s face and added some extra special treatment. With the 5 HPM’s I had them custom laser cut in concentric circles. I wanted the final piece to resemble a record. Actually the size of the HPM are the same size as a record. With the HPM’s I had then interchanged the cuts between the 5 different colored records to get the effect you see on those pieces. I sealed the Original larger Jay-Z record and the 5 smaller HPM records with industrial resin. The resin seals and preserves the artworks, while making the colors pop out with more intensity. The best of both worlds!
1xRun: When were these pieces created and how long did they take to complete?
Above: These pieces took a lot longer than I had expected. Due to the fact that each piece is unique and needed to be laser cut, then interchanged and re-assembled. I would say to make the Jay-z edition it took a good 5-6 days from start to finish.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Above: The concept was logical as my Remix exhibition needed that musical touch to the body of work.
1xRun: Why should people buy these pieces?
Above: You should buy one of these works because first you like the way I created the work, and second because you’re a Jay-Z fan and can’t sleep at night with out one of these works.
1xRun: Describe this series in one gut reaction word.
Above: Entrepreneur.
1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Above: Website – Instagram @abovestudio – Original Artwork
-1xRUN