Photographer Jonathan Mannion, a major force in hip hop, presents"CLASSIC"

Since his 1996 cover shot for Jay-Z's groundbreaking album "Reasonable Doubt", photographer Jonathan Mannion has been a major force in hip hop. Through his strong relationships with the musicians who trust his instinctive ability to capture their artistry on film, Mannion has created a body of work that has left an indelible mark on pop culture.

We sat down with Jonathan to discuss his rise to fame as a photographer and his upcoming exhibition with Reebok Classics for the 2011 Art Basel Miami show. The four day gallery exhibition event "CLASSIC" explores a number of Mannion's most celebrated collaborations with legendary hip hop artists by examining both the iconic and the never-before-seen moments over the last decade of music.

As an added element to the gallery artwork, Jonathan is working with several hip hop artists to collaborate on a series of illustrated photographs. The artwork would consist of one carefully selected photograph of an artist from the Mannion archive, which the artist would then illustrate as they see fit. Artist collaborations may include illustrated prints by: Rick Ross, Rakim, Darryl McDaniels (DMC), Fat Joe, Mos Def, Fabolous, and/or Ja Rule.

by reebok