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 started things off with pics of Lupe Fiasco, and continued with pictures from a photo shoot with Bump J and Common, and Kanye West. Today we proceed with Mireya’s shots of GLC, who was the first artist Mireya started following around for her Chicago Hip Hop photos. Hit the jump to see pics of GLC with Crucial Conflict, at House of Blues, and sporting a fresh and special tattoo. Chruch is definitely on the move.
This was on a video shoot with GLC & Crucial Conflict. I just remember that night was kind of cool and the sky was this brilliant blue. I really wanted to capture Cold Hard’s energy. There was something about his energy that was so cool. I don’t think he ever moved in a linear way and his energy, wow, that orange coat just intensified his energy even more. Definitely a bit complicated for the normal being, but amazing to watch and listen to.
This shot was at the House of Blues. At the time, GLC was working with the really cool blues performer Wayne Baker Brooks Jr. What I remember most about this night was that GLC was performing onstage and there was a very mixed crowd, blues fans and GLC fans. The blues fans were totally digging GLC. Not that it’s anything new, but it was wonderful to see how the combination of the two genres of music captured both audiences. It just showed me how, in that room, everyone was there to jam to music and nothing else.
This is one of my all time favorite photos. This was the same night I photographed GLC performing with blues musician Wayne Baker Brooks Jr. GLC is great because he understands the camera and is very patient with me as a photographer. I asked him to turn around as we were walking down the stairs and he stood there perfectly under the painting. The reason I enjoy photography so much is because there are so many ways to photograph the same thing but sometimes it just comes out right.
I had been following several different artists during my time documenting Chicago Hip Hop artists and GLC was the first artist I started working with. Most of the time I never knew where I was going, I was just there trying to capture every part of what it was to be a Hip Hop artist. We ended up at Leaders on the south side where GLC revealed his new tattoo of his mother. I was lucky enough to have captured that moment.
This was the first photograph I took as part of my Chicago Hip Hop series. My friend Elena helped me set the shoot up by introducing me to GLC. I wasn’t sure what to expect but when I got there everyone had GLC t-shirts on. It was the most amazing thing for me to see! Everyone was involved, family, friends, neighbors, it was great! This is where my Chicago Hip Hop series started and lasted for over a year.