Cosign Research

Who decides what’s relevant in hip hop now?  Why ask… hip hop hasn’t always been the artistic force that it once was in the golden age.  But its a new game now, with a new aesthetic and new drive to stay relevant, innovative and still make a little money all at the same time.  Enter hip hop photographer and newfound videographer Zach Wolfe.  Hailing from Atlanta and in the game for years, Wolfe’s client list spans generations and genres of music shooting everyone from Larry the Cable Guy to Soulja and everything in between.  Now, with the purchase of the Cannon 5D Mark II, Wolfe has spanned mediums with the addition of Zach Wolfe Live to his signature franchise.  Live brings quick, beautifully shot memorable snippets of the artists Wolfe works with or tracks down to open them up to a level of intimacy that fans crave but can’t fulfill through rapid-fire Twitter visits.  What makes Wolfe’s eye memorable both in still and video is the clean and idyllic style that helps cement the current players he works with as true musical legends, to be captured and distributed to the masses through online and print media.  Not an easy task when any caliber artist can easily garner semi-professional press shots at the click of a button in an attempt to gain legitimacy.

The stockade of photos and videos that Wolfe has accumulated through the years are realized with a consciousness of the journey the artists have gone through to make it to the top, a journey Wolfe shares himself.  In a recent interview with XTM Online, Wolfe explains that despite the saturation of amateur hip hop photographers that the internet and consumer cameras affords, there is still a distinct craft and process to becoming a professional; “…if there was any beef in photography, than it would have to be with some of these young kids who want to be where I’m at and have no I idea what it took to get here. I don’t respect these kids that get their digital rebels and don’t want to assist other photographers. Photography is a craft. You work under someone and then you become a photographer. I get at least 5 emails a day from young kids wanting to get all your secrets and think in a matter of weeks they can become a photographer. I beef with that.”  Creating a recognizable distributable style is a tough and rarely achieved art, especially when the stakes are high and hard to come by in the commercial rap game.  Fortunately for the fans, Wolfe seems like he’ll be bringing new heat for years to come.

For further studies:  Zach Wolfe and Zach Wolfe Live // XTM Interview