Nodding at the back is a small exhibition I made on Hip hop artists that have visited or are from Birmingham, some are local some internationally renowned. After that, I expanded the collection of portraits over a few years to include BBoys, Spoken word artists, MCs, rappers, and producers. As a white male, I always have approached the Hip hop world with respect and tried to steer clear of negative stereotypes and any negative representation it often thinks it needs to portray. At the time I was also involved in making music as part of a collective. When that ended I became extremely disillusioned with the music world and switched off during the grime wave and the move into drill music, I found it over negative and often felt it pandered to negative stereotypes I did not like or appreciate. It was only when speaking online to the late Ty Chijioke, that he said I should consider looking at the collection, reviving it, and showing the work. So this gallery is dedicated to innovative Ty as he sadly passed away from Covid 19 in April 2020.

© Ian Reynolds 2021.