HIEROGLYPHICS FINE ART PIECE SET FOR NOVEMBER 1 DEBUT
“The Valley Of Kings” marks historic first for indie rap trailblazers
The Valley Of Kings web trailer:
Behind the making of The Valley Of Kings:
To mark their 20th year, famed hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics are set to release a project unlike anything they have done before: the creation and release of a fine art piece. The artwork titled “The Valley of Kings” will debut to the world on November 1, 2010 at www.whenartimitateslife.com, with only 300 canvas prints available. Created over the course of the last 12 months, the piece – said to represent the “supernatural” union between the crew and their musical journey – has been shown to no one outside of the Hieroglyphics camp. An extensive process involving storyboarding, photography, greenscreen, and graphic art was executed in its creation of the art, as well as tapping the talents of world-renowned aerosol artist EAZ ONE. The result is a masterpiece that will be numbered and signed by each member in the crew for every piece in the collection. All 300 will be shipped with authenticity certificates. Upon purchase, an exclusive download link will also be sent to your email address containing a Hieroglyphics megamix by DJ Equal, and a never-before-heard Hiero posse cut, “Reputation”.
Sign up for more information today at whenartimitateslife.com and you stand to win The Valley Of Kings’ original artist proof, the very first canvas delivered to the crew for final review. The artist proof is 40″ x 40″ and is signed by all Hiero members. The winner will be announced on November 28.
For almost twenty years, Hieroglyphics has been one of hip-hop’s most beloved entities. The one-two punch of Del Tha Funkee Homosapien’s 1992 debut album I Wish My Brother George Was Here (Elektra) and Souls Of Mischief’s ’93 Til Infinity (Jive) introduced listeners to a new kind of West Coast rapper. In an era where gangsta rap was standard issue, Del, Casual, Opio, Tajai, A-Plus, Phesto, Domino and Pep Love offered music from ordinary people with extraordinary skills. Casual’s debut Fear Itself (Jive) and Del’s sophomore album No Need For Alarm, both released in 1994, were Hiero’s last major-label albums save for Souls of Mischief’s 1995 offering No Man’s Land before the crew made the decision to go fully independent, releasing their own albums and coordinating their own tours. 15 years later, that three-eyed logo is a global brand, and Hieroglyphics is one of the undisputed forefathers of the sound, the hustle, and the ideology of underground hip-hop. Their most recent release was last year’s Montezuma’s Revenge.
The Valley Of Kings makes Hieroglyphics the first hip-hop collective to release artwork under When Art Imitates Life (WAIL), the brainchild of King Tech of the World Famous Wake Up Show, MTV’s Sway Calloway, and Los Angeles creativity house Scene Four. Previous releases from WAIL include collaboration pieces with RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan as well as Shavo of System Of A Down. There will be an early viewing opportunity taking place on October 29, 2010 via a GOLDEN TICKET sent to the first 500 people signed into the interest list for more information. Sign up at www.whenartimitateslife.com