In the title of this work, study, refers to learning, close inspection or a field of knowledge. Here, objects are used to conflate ideas. Is the black body for sale? Is money valued over black youth, specifically girls of color? Like hip hop, is the black body the source of cultural capital?

The following works were displayed in a solo exhibit entitled, Representin’ at the Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA, March 2005

The rap duo dead prez refers to George W. Bush as a gangsta and a thug on their second album, Turn off the Radio. In this work, I question what moniker then National Security Advisor, Condoleeza Rice would earn based on dp’s hip hop logic. By projecting street vernacular onto the political landscape, I pose questions of ownership of language, and the culture’s gender norms. Moreover, I expand the already multiple meanings ascribed to the term nigga, here used by its acronym: Never Ignorant Gettin' Goals Accomplished.

No doubt, hip hop’s obsession with being hard and tough informs images of black hyper-masculintiy and bling-era materialism that mainstream America can’t seem to get enough of. But what of hip hop’s women? How do they translate the culture’s street swagger and patriarchial excess? This text-based work pays tribute to first-rate lyricist Bahamadia. The work introduced a street infused vernacular to the conversation of politics and gender the exhibition addressed.

This acappella rendition of Sir MixAlot’s highly successful 1991 rap song is a playful insertion of queer identity into hip hop’s contemporary hyper masculinity. I am interested in drag, karaoke, documentary and blurring the line between overt objectification and covert celebration of the black female body.