RubyHornet has linked up with photographer Mireya Acierto, a very accomplished photographer that has documented a large portion of Chicago Hip Hop over the last several years. Intended to celebrate both her work, as well as Chicago’s Hip Hop achievements, we present “Chicago The Photo Album Photo Album”, a look at some of her most notable shots and the stories behind them. We kick off the series with several pics of Lupe Fiasco circa 2006-2007. Check them out below, and look for the next edition coming soon.
“I don’t totally remember all the facts but I do know that his father had passed a few days prior to this show. I feel terrible for not knowing for sure cause I know his grandmother had passed just before then, but I know when I shot this photo he wasn’t himself. He let me shoot a few frames and then walked away. His whole family was there and everyone was in a pretty somber mood.”
Photo of Lupe with the posters @ Park West 11/25/06- This was one of those really great nights for selfish reasons. People were holding posters that had a photograph of him on the back. That photo was one I shot for his press shots. I had no idea they were going to use that image for a poster, so I was really excited. It was the first time I had anything reproduced on such a large scale. Anyway, this was also one of those nights where the crowd was super amped and excited to see him. I rarely followed him other than knowing when the next time was that he would perform, so I never really knew how big he was until much later. There were a few girls in the front row who were crying at one point. You can tell from the photo that even the guys were in awe of his performance.
Lupe & Gemini @ Looptopia- 5/14/07 Downtown Chicago. This was shot in the middle of Downtown right near Columbia College. It was the first time I had ever been to an event this big in Chicago in the evening. It was so much fun cause everyone was out in an area that usually shuts down around 7pm. Lupe had started promoting Gemini really heavy at this point, since they had been working on his album and were about to release it. I really like this photo because I loved the dynamic they had on stage. Gemini is a great rapper and he really showed people that night who he was and what he had to offer.
Lupe at WIIT radio station 1/10/06. This was one of those nights which was actually kind of fun and didn’t seem like work. I didn’t know Lupe very well at this time so I thought it was pretty genius that he had a radio show where he and Bishop would take calls and play music. What a great way to promote yourself. This was probably one of the very few times Lupe was quite candid and comfortable in front of the camera. Bishop was in the background eating weed banana bread, talking gibberish while Lupe cracked jokes on the air. It was super fun and definitely entertaining. The moment I took this photo, Lupe was giving me a shout out to the people on the radio. It was definitely one of those nights you wish you could replay over and over.