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By fayemi shakur
Kadir Nelson is the 36 year old artist behind the album cover art of Michael Jackson’s posthumous release, which hit stores last Tuesday. Kadir has been commissioned by publishers and production houses and is also featured in almost twenty illustrated books by authors including Debbie Allen, Ntozake Shange, and Spike and Tonya Lee. Here Kadir muses on one of his ultimate artistic dreams: creating art for MJ.
UPTOWN: Of all of your accomplishments as an artist, why is this one so significant?
KN: I am a lifelong fan of Michael Jackson. I’ve been drawing MJ since I was 8 years old. The focus of my work is to create images of people who demonstrate a sense of hope and nobility. I enjoy showing the strength and integrity of the human being and the human spirit. So it was a big thrill to get a call from Michael and have an opportunity to create something for him.
UPTOWN: How did Michael discover your work?
KN: In 2003 when Michael was recording songs for his album, Number Ones at Marvin Gaye’s recording studio he saw several of my paintings of Marvin that are hanging there. Michael was particularly taken by the painting The Life and Times of Marvin Gaye. It’s a visual story that tells the journey of Marvin’s very full life. John Nettlesby, who managed the studio, said Michael would just sit and look at the painting for hours. Then MJ asked John to call me to let me know he was going to call me. Michael said he wanted one just like it but bigger.
UPTOWN: Why did it take until now for the painting to be done?
KN: Michael had so many life changes after he commissioned me to do the painting so the project stalled and I wasn’t financially able to dedicate the time necessary to do the painting. It wasn’t until after his death six years later in 2009 that I received a call from John McClain, the co-executor of his estate. John said it was time to do the painting that I always wanted to do. He didn’t have any intentions for the painting at the time, he just wanted to make sure that it happened and said we could figure out what we’d do with it later. I always felt like it was a very important painting to do as a way to creatively document his life.
UPTOWN: Tell us about some of the images in the mural and your thought process in creating it.
KN: When I started the painting I thought of key moments and major milestones in Michael’s life and music and put those on canvas telling his story which I knew fans could identify. I wanted to use the theme of royalty and pop throughout the painting and I spent a continuous five months on it. The album cover itself features half the image of the full mural which is 9-by-4.5 feet. In the painting, Michael wears a suit of armor like a king would wear. He’s draped with a velvet material over his shoulder. The contrast between the hard metal and soft fabric is a metaphor for Michael’s strength and also his nature. He’s being crowed by two angels, one black one white, signifying his song Black and White and how he crossed racial boundaries.
The space ship represents a scene from the movie ET. Fans know Michael narrated the ET storybook which features a song called Somewhere in the Dark. The rollercoaster in the background is a nod to Michael’s fearlessness and also the video for Leave Me Alone. There’s also an image of burning money. He made a lot of money but he also burned through a lot of it. One of the bills is also being carried by a beetle, which represents the catalog Michael purchased which was one the smartest investments Michael made. That investment will continue to support the estate and the Jackson family.
Michael is shown 50 different times in the mural which is a nod to Michael’s age and the number of shows he was set to do before his death. We should have a contest for fans that can identify all 50 images. That would be fun.
UPTOWN: What are your thoughts on album cover art and the comeback it seems to be making?
KN: The format isn’t the same, since records aren’t on vinyl anymore but it’s still great to see. When I was a kid I remember looking at great album cover art like Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew, MJ’s Dangerous album, and the Santana album cover for Shaman done by Rudy Gutierrez. I always wanted to do album cover art. So far I’ve also done album cover art for Swizz Beatz’s Ghetto Stories album, Roy Hargrove’s album Reflections and Distractions and for Goodie Mob’s single, Beautiful Skin.
UPTOWN: What are your personal thoughts of people who think Michael’s music and legacy is being exploited after his death?
KN: I think this new album is important to new and old fans. There won’t be any more music from him and there’s a lot of music on the new album that we probably would have never heard otherwise. I think it’s a treat to hear Michael’s unreleased music.
Limited edition prints of Kadir’s MJ painting will be available in early 2011 on www.michaeljackson.com.
For more on Kadir Nelson visit www.kadirnelson.com.
http://uptownmagazine.com/2010/12/kadir-nelson/2/
Kadir Nelson is the 36 year old artist behind the album cover art of Michael Jackson’s posthumous release, which hit stores last Tuesday. Kadir has been commissioned by publishers and production houses and is also featured in almost twenty illustrated books by authors including Debbie Allen, Ntozake Shange, and Spike and Tonya Lee. Here Kadir muses on one of his ultimate artistic dreams: creating art for MJ.
UPTOWN: Of all of your accomplishments as an artist, why is this one so significant?
KN: I am a lifelong fan of Michael Jackson. I’ve been drawing MJ since I was 8 years old. The focus of my work is to create images of people who demonstrate a sense of hope and nobility. I enjoy showing the strength and integrity of the human being and the human spirit. So it was a big thrill to get a call from Michael and have an opportunity to create something for him.
UPTOWN: How did Michael discover your work?
KN: In 2003 when Michael was recording songs for his album, Number Ones at Marvin Gaye’s recording studio he saw several of my paintings of Marvin that are hanging there. Michael was particularly taken by the painting The Life and Times of Marvin Gaye. It’s a visual story that tells the journey of Marvin’s very full life. John Nettlesby, who managed the studio, said Michael would just sit and look at the painting for hours. Then MJ asked John to call me to let me know he was going to call me. Michael said he wanted one just like it but bigger.
UPTOWN: Why did it take until now for the painting to be done?
KN: Michael had so many life changes after he commissioned me to do the painting so the project stalled and I wasn’t financially able to dedicate the time necessary to do the painting. It wasn’t until after his death six years later in 2009 that I received a call from John McClain, the co-executor of his estate. John said it was time to do the painting that I always wanted to do. He didn’t have any intentions for the painting at the time, he just wanted to make sure that it happened and said we could figure out what we’d do with it later. I always felt like it was a very important painting to do as a way to creatively document his life.
UPTOWN: Tell us about some of the images in the mural and your thought process in creating it.
KN: When I started the painting I thought of key moments and major milestones in Michael’s life and music and put those on canvas telling his story which I knew fans could identify. I wanted to use the theme of royalty and pop throughout the painting and I spent a continuous five months on it. The album cover itself features half the image of the full mural which is 9-by-4.5 feet. In the painting, Michael wears a suit of armor like a king would wear. He’s draped with a velvet material over his shoulder. The contrast between the hard metal and soft fabric is a metaphor for Michael’s strength and also his nature. He’s being crowed by two angels, one black one white, signifying his song Black and White and how he crossed racial boundaries.
The space ship represents a scene from the movie ET. Fans know Michael narrated the ET storybook which features a song called Somewhere in the Dark. The rollercoaster in the background is a nod to Michael’s fearlessness and also the video for Leave Me Alone. There’s also an image of burning money. He made a lot of money but he also burned through a lot of it. One of the bills is also being carried by a beetle, which represents the catalog Michael purchased which was one the smartest investments Michael made. That investment will continue to support the estate and the Jackson family.
Michael is shown 50 different times in the mural which is a nod to Michael’s age and the number of shows he was set to do before his death. We should have a contest for fans that can identify all 50 images. That would be fun.
UPTOWN: What are your thoughts on album cover art and the comeback it seems to be making?
KN: The format isn’t the same, since records aren’t on vinyl anymore but it’s still great to see. When I was a kid I remember looking at great album cover art like Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew, MJ’s Dangerous album, and the Santana album cover for Shaman done by Rudy Gutierrez. I always wanted to do album cover art. So far I’ve also done album cover art for Swizz Beatz’s Ghetto Stories album, Roy Hargrove’s album Reflections and Distractions and for Goodie Mob’s single, Beautiful Skin.
UPTOWN: What are your personal thoughts of people who think Michael’s music and legacy is being exploited after his death?
KN: I think this new album is important to new and old fans. There won’t be any more music from him and there’s a lot of music on the new album that we probably would have never heard otherwise. I think it’s a treat to hear Michael’s unreleased music.
Limited edition prints of Kadir’s MJ painting will be available in early 2011 on www.michaeljackson.com.
For more on Kadir Nelson visit www.kadirnelson.com.
http://uptownmagazine.com/2010/12/kadir-nelson/2/
