HIP HOP GAME

In this drawing, I connected the face with the simplicity and rhythm of an old-school game from the 70s and 80s—like Pong, where the ball bounces back and forth between paddles. That constant, almost hypnotic bloop sound reminded me of the way words flow in hip-hop, hitting with precision and purpose. The man in the drawing, smoking calmly, adds another layer to the rhythm, as the smoke curls up in wisps, carrying letters out into the air like invisible verses. Each puff releases not just smoke but words, almost as if he's exhaling the flow of a freestyle.

At the top of the drawing, I inscribed the names DJ Flash, DJ Kool Herc, and Afrika Bambaataa—legends who shaped the foundation of hip-hop. Their names hang above like a tribute, a reminder of where it all started, much like the ball bouncing between the paddles, setting the rhythm for everything that followed. Their influence is woven into the flow of the piece, with each beat and every word carried through the smoke, paying homage to the roots of the culture.

For me, the ball bouncing between the paddles is just like the rhythm in a rap verse—steady but full of life, constantly moving forward, each hit like a beat dropping, pushing the flow. The lines and shapes in the drawing capture that energy, blending the repetitive mechanics of the game with the freestyle nature of hip-hop, where everything flows together seamlessly but never stays the same.

The smoke becomes a visual rhythm of its own, twisting and turning as letters form from it, like they’re floating on the beat, rising into the air. This piece is my way of fusing two worlds—retro gaming and the pulse of hip-hop—into a visual rhythm. It’s like I’m drawing sound, translating that old-school game’s simplicity into the complex, evolving rhythm of words and beats, with each breath from the man releasing another line of lyrics into the ether, under the watchful eyes of the pioneers who started it all.