Jameel Newkirk was born and raised in North Carolina, where he found an early fascination with the album covers of his father’s record collection. Over the years, he has honed his visual palette, impressed by pop artists like Andy Warhol, Emory Douglas and Roy Lichtenestein, animated with an eclectic mix of early Japanese anime, vintage comic books, psychedelic graphics, The Simpson’s world of limited colors, and the aesthetics of early Nintendo games. A self-proclaimed music junkie, he remains captivated by the imaginative styles associated with early ’90s rap music, which he refers to as a marker for ‘an unafraid-to-try-anything’ era.
In 2014, Jameel relocated to Brooklyn, desiring change; instead, he has found his home and an appreciation for the mundane-yet-joyful scenes in a land that he refers to as a ‘storied place.’ Sustaining an outsider perspective, Jameel has worked with print and digital media to visually frame his love for Brooklyn. In this series, he takes you through the poetic moments of everyday life—compositions that are rendered with nostalgia, aware of now, and inspired by glimpses of a promising future.