HIP HOP IS DEAD 'CAUSE JOE BUCK'S "HIP POP KILLS!"

or so I heard...actually SOArtist Joe Buck has created one of the hottest pieces I've seen at an SOA exhibit. So we decided to go a lil deeper into what caused joe Buck to create a piece that seems to be so appropriate for the present state of Hip Hop. Some may argue...but who cares! Now heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go!

SOA -Is there a message you're trying to send with the Hip Pop Kills piece? Is so, what is it?
Joe Buck - There is definitely a message. I guess it was more of a personal reminder of how crappy radio Hp Hop has gotten. It was therapeutic in a sense.

What made you fall in love with Hip Hop, when you initially were introduced to?
I guess it was the music and the graffiti that got me hooked. Those were my main interests at the time and Hip Hop the vehicle that encompassed both of them and more. It brought together odd groups of people under this one umbrella. I loved that especially because I always hung out with a diverse group of people.
Hip Pop Kills: 22 in. x 17 in.: Acrylic On Carved Homisote: $1,300

What were the 1st signs that you saw or experienced, that Hip Hop was being Killed by Pop?
I look at it like this. Pop isn’t killing hip hop as much as greedy artists and their audiences. That is a vicious circle in and of its self. Some blame the artists and some blame the consumers. As far as I am concerned artists drive consumers. Meaning the mass of people will sort of take what they are given. So if only trash music is available they will adapt to it and go with the flow as long as you can dance to it. But, if artists took a stand and decided that they didn’t want to support blinding their fans by way spitting useless garbage at them. Then hip hop might become the empowering vehicle it used to be. It’s unfortunate that one aspect of Hip Hop (the MC) has almost single handedly destroyed in certain respects one of America’s greatest musical and cultural inventions. Is Hip Hop dead? Not at all, it’s just buried by the crumbling of its foundation. Start diggin’ people. It’s time to search for survivors.
Humble Beginnings Part2: 18.75 in. x 18.75 in.: Acrylic on Carved Homisote: $1,600

What about, todays Hip Hop, do you love?
There is always something good going on in Hip Hop regardless of what the ring poppin, bottle poppin, coochie poppin, gun poppin, collar poppin zombies put forth to the public. The only problem is finding it. But it’s out there. I still love what I always loved about Hip Hop. It’s innovation, creativity and power to move and energize those without a voice. The pop monsters can’t ever kill off that part of Hip Hop because they feed off of it. It keeps them alive. I’m sure after a long day of spitting garbage that they sit back and enjoy something real for a change. LOL, who do you think ghost writes for half of these cats.
B-Boy King size: 17.75in. x 13in.: acrylic on homisote

Industry Rule # 4081:

You can change the Hip as long as the Hop stays the same, change the Hop and the movement changes. Cats are keeping the Hip but walking real different now and that makes me want to walk away sometimes.


Being that the "Hip Pop Kills" piece is so intricate and detailed, what kept you committed and patient to completing it the way you did?
When there is so much bad music reverberating from what seems like every speaker in ears reach what else could I do but translate my anger into a painting. The painting started off as an homage to my past dealings and memories in Hip Hop. Then one day I was driving home from a meeting and didn’t have any of my music in the car and was forced to listen to the radio (shout outs to HOT97 and 105.1 for the inspiration). I got so mad because I couldn’t find anything that I wanted to listen to beside some of the worst most ignorant crap I could imagine. When I got home I proceeded to mar the painting I loved with red paint topped with the ignorant buzz words of today’s commercialized, zombie theme music.

The DJ: 18.5 in. x 15.5in.: acrylic on homisote

Ideally, where would you like to see this piece exhibited at?
Anywhere that it can be seen and affect change.

If you werent a visual artist, what would you be doing for a living?
I would say music. At one point for me it was music or art. Art happened to start bringing in the money first. So it was either buy records and recording equipment or buy paint and computers. I went where the money was but I still ended up getting some of the music equipment anyway after a while. Look out for the Joe Buck Beat Black Out cd coming soon. LOL just kidding people. Seriously, Just kidding. LOL.
MDavis: 22.5in. x 22in.: acrylic on homisote


Who have you met in your life, that personifies Hip Hop? and why do u think that person dose?
Wow, I would have to say that there is not a one-person answer to that question for me. Hip Hop for me was always a group effort in a way. In graffiti you had crews. In deejaying and emceeing you had crews, in break dancing you had crews. I loved Hip Hop because it brought together so many champions of style. It was like watching the Warriors movie. There were tons of cats good at what they do roaming about the city looking to do their thing. Whether colliding and or combining like molecules they were all chasing a common goal, which was to be the greatest at whatever aspect of Hip hop they were into.
They Call Me (Public Enemy No. 1): 22.5in. x 20in.:acrylic on homisote

Do you think the terms "Hos" and "Bitches", should be restricted from Hip Hop and why?
Yes and no. If the words were being used once and a while for accurate personality descriptions than that’s ok. But the way It’s being used now, in such a common way, it’s just destructive. It becomes so pedestrian that it makes it harder and harder to complain when it’s used out of context. It will become harder to prove fault when everyone is saying it. Even if you could care less about who says it, it’s not accurate to call every woman a bitch or a ho even when some (a small amount) deserve it. LOL sorry ladies but it’s true on rare occasions, but I’m definitely not saying that it should be up for public consumption on a mass scale at all.
Variable Tempo: 16.5in. x 16in.: acrylic on homisote



Where, other than NYC, would you like live to further you career as an artist?
Just thinking out loud I would say London and Japan.

'80's pop cultural trends seem to be making a comeback, good thing or bad thing? and why?
Is what it is, fashion and trend is circular. There’s no stopping that. Everyone reminisces on his or her early years. 80’s babies are only doing the same thing that everyone before them has done. All good to me as long as I’m not seeing Mickey Mouse holding shotguns again on airbrushed t-shirts.
Horn Headed: 12.75in. x 12in.: acrylic on homisote

Why is art important?
Art rules everything around me. We know some things about our early existence on this planet because of art. Just think of a world without art involved just science, physics, and structure. Sounds like THX1138 to me. Look it up if you don’t know.