RHYME CAPSULE

The boombox is made up of 96 pieces of high clarity 100% optic crystal. Permanently sealed inside the capsule walls are 180 authentic Hip Hop tapes released between 1980-2000 which coincides with the cassette boombox era. Included are albums that inspired me personally, some that influenced the masses, and some that “heads” can all agree are classics. A few of the tapes have become collectors items and rare to come by; almost all are albums but a few singles are in the mix.

This first piece in the Rhyme Capsule series features a marble podium figure presenting the boombox over his head. The base figure is made of solid Marble and is the result of a tandem collaboration between myself and artist Isaac Madrid. The entire sculpture weighs 1,200lbs and took 15 months to complete.

A special thanks to Atron Gregory (2Pac, NWA, Digital Underground), and Alonzo Williams (World Class Wreckin’ Cru) who donated a few tapes for this debut piece.

THE ARTIST

I was born in New York and attended art school in Minneapolis; I dropped out in my second year to pursue music. Shortly after I had the opportunity to be mentored by the musical icon Prince to record, perform, design, tour and write songs with him at Paisley Park. In 2002, I relocated to Atlanta and started a design company with a focus on album covers and branding for many artists and labels. Since my move to Los Angeles in 2010, I’ve been working on social campaigns and creative for Entertainment Brands. I’ve been an Art Director and Designer on projects for Netflix, Marvel, Beats By Dre, Paris Hilton, Akon, Gucci Maneand many more.

I was such a fan of Hip Hop album covers in the 80s/90s that I started my career as a designer and my nostalgia for that period influences my art. After 20 years of mainly creating digital work for others I’m now creating physical work. The journey to make this piece from an idea to reality was exciting, gut wrenching, educational, and risky but made me feel alive to create in a new way. The first sculpture in this series I dubbed the Rhyme Capsule.

David Schwartz