With the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton around the corner, Beats is rolling out a series of videos profiling artists, athletes, and influencers from different cities, asking them about how their cities shaped who they are today. 100 of these figures were asked to come and be interviewed, photographed, and filmed. The incentive? They would be shot by Ohioan and legendary hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion, straight outta Cleveland.
Shooting 100 people in three 10-hour days, Mannion helped each artist and athlete loosen up in order for them to tell their origin stories. Some, like Omarion and Warren G, were old friends; others were complete strangers, but all of them were treated by Mannion as if they were the only person in the room, in his effort to capture photographs that show their authentic emotions about their cities.
“Why I’ve been put here, and the gift that I’ve been given, is to make people comfortable, tell the truth of their story, and to make things look incredible in that moment,” Mannion says in the video. “I’m honored to be here, and this is just the beginning.” Check this space for more from the series in the upcoming weeks.
