I just made a 30 minute rap mix for the Fourth of July.
Here's the track list: Louder Than A Bomb (intro) – Public Enemy No Justice No Peace – Lakim Shabazz Verbal Milk – X Clan American Way – Nas Dollar Day (Surprise Surprise) – Mos Def America (feat. Mos Def & Chali 2Na)- K’Naan The Beast – The Fugees
So Michael Jackson died yesterday. Frankly, I haven't had any interest in his music since [some of the songs on] "Bad," but as a human spectacle he was fascinating. To prove my point I just needed to watch "Larry King Live" on CNN the past two nights, which at different times had Corey Feldman, Liza Minelli, and Miko Brando on the panel.
Michael Jackson and The Jacksons have released some of the most important and influential pop music in the last 40 or so years, so I decided to make a short little dj mix to commemorate. You can download it free here.
The CalArts MFA Open Studios are coming up. Now's your chance to peek and poke into my studio and see what I've been up to this year. I'll have snacks! Oh, and I'll be playing the after-party with Party People at 7PM. Be there.
The above image is a still taken from a video piece I made, "Many-worlds Interpretation." I videotaped myself on two separate occasions dancing for 45 minutes straight to a mix tape by DJ Red Alert from 1988. The two videos were then superimposed onto one background. I then isolated a series of animated freeze-frames, capturing parallel moments that occurred simultaneously. I titled the piece, "Many-worlds Interpretation" (also the title of a formulation known as the theory of parallel universes) after watching a documentary that illustrated the theory of parallel universes with an animation of a cat experiencing two outcomes at once, alive and dead, dead and alive. Somehow, it wasn't as sad as it sounds.
"Nipplegate" is part of my new body of work created during the fall semester in the MFA program at Cal Arts. The piece is inspired in part by the aftermath of the Nipplegate incident during the Superbowl XXXVIII halftime show in which Janet Jackson's star-shaped nipple shield was revealed when her wardrobe "malfunctioned." Nipplegate led to a crackdown on perceived indecency in broadcasting and resulted in a record half-million dollar fine levied by the FCC against CBS.
The FCC also increased its fine per indecency violation from $27,500 to $325,000, which resulted in widespread censorship by radio stations of music containing lyrics now dubbed "indecent" by Michael Powell, then-chairman of the FCC.
For my "Nipplegate" piece, I made a star-shaped sculpture out of radios, which were all tuned to play an FM broadcast of remixes I'd made of a dozen or so songs that were censored post-Nipplegate. My new mixes contain only the "offensive" parts of the songs, the parts now bleeped or completely edited out of radio play. The songs include "Jet Airliner" by The Steve Miller Band, "Legs" by ZZ Top, "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club, "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones, "Money" by Pink Floyd, "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin, "Erotic City" by Prince, "White Horse" by Laid Back, and "Rich Girl" by Hall and Oates, all of which have been self-censored by radio or television program directors since Nipplegate.
When I have an extra minute, I will add a link to Youtube so viewers can also listen to the remixes.
Obama was inaugurated today. I made this rabbit drawing for friends expecting a baby next month. I have a feeling 2009 is going to deliver lots of good stuff.
To celebrate their 20 years in the game, a brand new album, and an iconic logo, EPMD reached out to a handful of visual artists across the globe to design their version of the band's logo. Each artist was asked to incorporate "We Mean Business" into their design. My contribution is pictured above. The artwork was auctioned off in NY and LA at listening parties sponsored by Zune, with all proceeds benefiting the Groundswell Community Mural Project.
This is the second drawing in a series that I'm doing for a generous friend who commissioned a bunch of endangered animal drawings. They'll all have lyrics from Pete Rock produced songs - this one is from the Pete Rock & CL Smooth song "Act Like You Know." It's a Vancouver Island Marmot, the most endangered species in Canada. I'm really enjoying doing these drawings lately, because they feel like they are at the total opposite end of the spectrum from the work I've been doing in school - but still completely attached.
I officially begin my two year stint as a grad student tomorrow. I'm excited. I have a new lunchbox. I bought some new notebooks. And here's my ID for CalArts. Don't worry, I've removed all "important" information. So don't try to steal my identity- it won't work! (And I didn't buy the school's meal plan, so a copy of this won't work in the cafeteria either!)
I just did a drawing for the header of "Lost on a Sandbar." It's a blog by my friend Dennis who is one of those crazy East Coast surfers. Like NORTH of DelMarVa crazy! Like surfing in 40 degree (fahrenheit) water hypothermia crazy! Anyway, he and I have been down since birth, literally, and when he asked me to hook him up with a drawing I was more than happy to oblige.
I have always loved shore birds and gulls and the like (even though they tend to get a bad rap by most beach goers) so I drew this squawking tern. He's all "LAY OFF MY FISH!" but he's also trying to be a little polite about it (it's in his eyes). I see terns and gulls how I see someone who lives in New York and calls Rockaway their local break- resourceful and thankful for what they can get.
I've decided to start clearing out some old work in a sort of everything-must-go-yard-sale-type fashion. So here's the first batch. Three drawings dating a few years back, when I was transitioning out of dynamo-ville and into being just plain Keith. All three can be yours for only TEN BUCKS each (plus 4 dollars shipping and handling)! Drawings are unframed. Click on thumbnails to see larger images. There are PayPal links to purchase the drawings below each description.
This drawing is called "Dick Lewis Is Watching." It's a watercolor on notebook paper, 8 1/2" x 11", drawn in 2006. The story behind it is this: I used to see commercials on TV growing up on Long Island for Newmark & Lewis, which was like Best Buy or Circuit City before those places existed. The deal with this place was they had the lowest prices because Dick Lewis (he's the Lewis of Newmark & Lewis) was watching out for all of us - finding low, low prices on any appliance or electronic device you wanted. Their slogan was "Dick Lewis Is Watching," which always had this creepy 1984-esque quality to me. It almost made me feel like I did when I believed in Santa Claus, but felt funny knowing that he watched me all the time deciding if I was bad or good. I was pleased when, after years of being subjected to paranoia inducing Newmark & Lewis commercials, I read the liner notes of Public Enemy's "Yo! Bum Rush The Show" LP which stated "The 1990's are here, so take no shorts (particularly when we know that Dick Lewis is watching)" - which was Chuck D's way of saying "you better watch The Man, because The Man is watching you!"
This drawing is called "SUN" and is ballpoint pen on paper, 8 1/2" x 11", drawn in 2005. It's a page taken from a hand made sketchbook, so there are holes on the left side from where it was once bound. It's one of the last times I drew anything that looked like one of my "dynamo-ville" characters. This sketchbook is filled with lots of therapeutic drawings and writings which I used to help expunge all that was "dynamo-ville" from my head.
*SOLD* This drawing is called "Acieed!" and is ballpoint pen and pencil on newsprint, approximately 7" x 10", from 2005. It's also a page from the aforementioned sketchbook. This drawing actually has three blank pages that are attached to the back of it - it was a cluster of hand cut newsprint pages in the sketchbook but only one page got drawn on and the rest just stuck together at the edge making it that much more interesting. The critter in the drawing is a tanuki, or raccoon dog found in Japanese folklore. Usually statues of tanuki are found outside of temples or noodle shops. They are mischievous, absent minded shape shifters. The word "Acieed!" refers to the refrain in the song "We Call It Acieed" by D-Mob, which was an Acid House anthem in the late 1980s. Honestly, I don't know what the two things have to do with each other. *SOLD*
For the budding philanthropist and/or patron of the arts, I'm offering bundles of work created while I'm in grad school. Each bundle consists of three framed drawings of your choice created during one semester, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, or Spring 2010. The package only costs $500 (about $166.66 per drawing).
Click the "Buy Now" link below to take your first step towards being a 21st Century Medici.
This drawing is called "Grand Puba Maxwell (pigeon)." It's watercolor and pencil on paper, 7" x 10", drawn in 2008, signed, and framed in a black 10" x 14" frame (click image to see it larger). It was recently featured in my solo show "Crab Kids Keep Quiet" at The Lab 101 Gallery in Culver City, CA. It's a pigeon, and the words are by Grand Puba Maxwell of Brand Nubian ("Who Can Get Busy Like This Man..." from the album One For All). It can be yours for only $200 (plus $20 shipping and handling) by using the PayPal link below or sending me an email at kk@keithrocka.com. Thanks for shopping!
This drawing is called "Nolan Mookie George Rollie." It's watercolor and pencil on paper, 11" x 17", drawn in 2006, signed, and unframed (click image to see it larger). It's a drawing of an infinite word bubble pinwheel of baseball stars' names of yore. It can be yours for only $200 (plus $10 shipping and handling) by using the PayPal link below or sending me an email at kk@keithrocka.com. Thanks for shopping!
This soft-sculpture is called "De La Soul." It's an embroidered felt word bubble, stuffed with polyfil, approximately 6"x 8" x 2", made in 2008 (click image to see it larger). It was recently featured in my solo show "Crab Kids Keep Quiet" at The Lab 101 Gallery in Culver City, CA. It hangs on a wall and has the words "Take Those Shell Toes Off" on it, a line from the song "Take It Off" on De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising. It can be yours for only $50 (plus $10 shipping and handling) by using the PayPal link below or sending me an email at kk@keithrocka.com. Thanks for shopping!
Here's my grassroots attempt to build my grad school "war chest." If you click below you can take your first step towards becoming a 21st Century Medici and help a CalArts MFA make lots of art.
Big up Steve Shapero for being the first to step up! A three-apple-high "smurf you" to Katie Bethune-Leamen! Ben Tobin.... ACIIIIIEEEEDDD! Thanx 2 tha Rosenmans 4 representing!
To celebrate their 20 years in the game, a brand new album, and an iconic logo, EPMD reached out to a handful of visual artists across the globe to design their version of the band's logo. Each artist was asked to incorporate "We Mean Business" into their design. My contribution is pictured above. 
This drawing is called "Dick Lewis Is Watching." It's a watercolor on notebook paper, 8 1/2" x 11", drawn in 2006. The story behind it is this: I used to see commercials on TV growing up on Long Island for Newmark & Lewis, which was like Best Buy or Circuit City before those places existed. The deal with this place was they had the lowest prices because Dick Lewis (he's the Lewis of Newmark & Lewis) was watching out for all of us - finding low, low prices on any appliance or electronic device you wanted. Their slogan was "Dick Lewis Is Watching," which always had this creepy 1984-esque quality to me. It almost made me feel like I did when I believed in Santa Claus, but felt funny knowing that he watched me all the time deciding if I was bad or good. I was pleased when, after years of being subjected to paranoia inducing Newmark & Lewis commercials, I read the liner notes of Public Enemy's "Yo! Bum Rush The Show" LP which stated "The 1990's are here, so take no shorts (particularly when we know that Dick Lewis is watching)" - which was Chuck D's way of saying "you better watch The Man, because The Man is watching you!"
*SOLD* This drawing is called "Acieed!" and is ballpoint pen and pencil on newsprint, approximately 7" x 10", from 2005. It's also a page from the aforementioned sketchbook. This drawing actually has three blank pages that are attached to the back of it - it was a cluster of hand cut newsprint pages in the sketchbook but only one page got drawn on and the rest just stuck together at the edge making it that much more interesting. The critter in the drawing is a tanuki, or raccoon dog found in Japanese folklore. Usually statues of tanuki are found outside of temples or noodle shops. They are mischievous, absent minded shape shifters. The word "Acieed!" refers to the refrain in the song "We Call It Acieed" by D-Mob, which was an Acid House anthem in the late 1980s. Honestly, I don't know what the two things have to do with each other. *SOLD*
This soft-sculpture is called "De La Soul." It's an embroidered felt word bubble, stuffed with polyfil, approximately 6"x 8" x 2", made in 2008 (click image to see it larger). It was recently featured in my solo show "Crab Kids Keep Quiet" at The Lab 101 Gallery in Culver City, CA. It hangs on a wall and has the words "Take Those Shell Toes Off" on it, a line from the song "Take It Off" on De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising. It can be yours for only $50 (plus $10 shipping and handling) by using the PayPal link below or sending me an email at kk@keithrocka.com. Thanks for shopping!
