I’m Stressin’

It’s not like I see Kendrick Lamar as the Mick Jagger of our time, this picture on the cover of a David Bailey’s book just got stuck in my brain and I couldn’t get it out. When Sally Berman and the editorial staff over at Mass Appeal presented my ideas to Kendrick’s Top Dawg team I’m not sure that this one was even mentioned. 

The shoot was challenging, in a strange way. They said “yes” to most everything, and were super nice and fun to work with, so much so that it was causing me much stress. I work best with some tension and with everyone being so chill and happy it got to making me nervous. 

Ultimately I recognized that a sitting with Kendrick Lamar is an amazing opportunity and that’s what inspired me to stay focused on my end game of making some great photographs. (And I still had a little fun.)

Second Image: Prop Stylist Mark Helf on standby while Kendrick is bemused with a knife in his mouth. Behind the scenes photo by Lou Noble. And thank you to Israel Mirsky for the added sword play.