Johannesburg - A striking image of US hip hop superstar Shawn “Jay Z” Carter hangs in a room at Thirteen Venue and Bar in Braamfontein, Joburg. The image is instantly recognisable among hip hop fans across the world.
It’s a Jonathan Mannion work. In the image, Jay Z is dressed in a black Versace suit with a white scarf draped around his neck. He’s also sporting a black-and-white top hat and holding a Cuban cigar.
The black-and-white work, which was shot in 1996 by the lensman, is the same image that appeared on the cover of the rapper’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt.
The image, which became one of the most iconic pictures in hip hop history, is also the first hip hop album cover Mannion shot in his career. He went on to shoot all of Jay Z’s album covers, with the exception of Blueprint 2.
The 45-year-old New York-based photographer has shot well over 300 album covers for some of the most accomplished hip hop artists in the world, but it’s this first album cover that he treasures the most.
“There’s always something special about the first time. I was starting out and determined to get the gig. I managed to set up a meeting with Jay and pitched him my idea, which he really liked. Three days later I shot him (Jay Z) on the roof of my apartment building in Upper Manhattan. It was an unbelievable moment.
“I wanted the picture to be timeless. If you have a look at the picture, it could look like it was taken 10 minutes ago or in 1960.”
Mannion arrived in South Africa this week to showcase some of the masterpieces he’s shot in the 20 years of his career.
His exhibition, Jonathan Mannion: Beyond The Covers, which forms part of the Hennessy artistry series, is being displayed at Thirteen this week, and pays tribute to hip hop culture.
It features 30 exclusive prints of hip hop’s biggest names, such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, Nas, Lauryn Hill, Puff Diddy, Usher, Outkast, Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar and Notorious B.I.G.
While in the country, Mannion is also going to put two of South Africa’s current big names in the frame, Cassper Nyovest and AKA.
The Cleveland-born photographer says he’s proud of the pictures he took for the cover of Aaliyah’s last album, Care 4 U, which was shot in 2001 in New York, two months before her death in a plane crash at the age of 22.
“When she (Aaliyah) walked into the room, there was this glow that lit up the room, and it’s exactly what I had imagined it to be.
“We did the shoot late in the summer before she passed away. I was wilding out’, because I was really excited to shoot her, based on the relationship that I had with Blackground Records, and shooting a lot of their artists.
“I’d wanted to shoot more women, and I felt her vibe, musically. I thought: If everything that everyone says about her is true, I have to work with her.’
“I had really fought to put myself in that position to shoot what was actually meant to be only press and publicity shots for international usage.
“They told me I had to get 10 shots in four hours. I said: No problem.’ That was a challenge, but she was so sweet on set.”
Mannion says he was distraught by the singer’s death two months later.
“Her death was kind of a wake-up call for everyone in the hip hop industry,” says Mannion.
“I thought to myself, if this little sweetheart, with amazing talent, and on the verge of doing everything in her career that she’s ever wanted can leave us so soon, we can all go.
“At Aaliyah’s funeral there wasn’t a dry eye. She was so powerful and so important. I was honoured to have been able to photograph her.”
Mannion, who has a double major in psychology and art, is also responsible for one of hip hop’s most iconic covers: DMX’s Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood album.
The cover, which is also on display at the exhibition, shows DMX, bare-chested, standing in a bathtub and drenched in blood from head to toe.
Though having DMX bathed in a pool of blood seemed to be a no-brainer, given the album’s unforgettable title, Mannion reveals that getting the spiritually-driven rap star to soak in the 228 litres of artificial blood was no easy feat.
“He was like: You want me to get in that?’ “ Mannion recalls of the rapper’s initial hesitation.
“X complained that he had on new pants that he didn’t want to mess up. I told him, f**k the pants, just get in, but he still didn’t want to.
“So right in front of him, I dropped my trousers and offered him my own pants to wear.
“He told me: Dude, you making me feel uncomfortable.’ So I put my pants back on and he eventually agreed to do the shoot.
“I had chills the entire time we were shooting.
“He got into the (tub) with his own pants realising that he had 14 other pants on a rack in the other room that the stylist brought. And we had an incredible day and made amazing pictures.”
What sets Mannion apart is his vision: he gets rap artists to do things you wouldn’t normally see them do, such as his bloody DMX shoot.
He has also convinced Ol’ Dirty Bastard to dress up as Rick James for a shoot, Lil Wayne to dress up as an astronaut, and even convinced Busta Rhymes to shave off his dreadlocks while shooting him on set.
Mannion has also had some unforgettable stories to tell about his 20-year career shooting hip hop artists. In 2004, he was given the opportunity of shooting hip hop mogul Dr Dre and rapper The Game in the Streets of Compton.
During the shoot in 2004, Mannion was told to kneel down in case any shots were fired as a suspicious car had been spotted parked down the road.
“When we did the shoot, people were still fighting for areas. It was real.
“Because The Game was just coming out at that time, he was a big target and people were after him.
“We noticed a suspicious car down the street. One of the guys on the set of the shoot came up to The Game and whispered in his ear, Let me just do it’, meaning let me just take him out.
“The Game said we should rather pack up our stuff and leave. I was instructed to get on my knees in case anything pops off. We packed up all our stuff. I had my camera in my hand and continued shooting. Eventually the car drove off, and I managed to get my pictures.
“The shots that I had got were so intense. Things could have gotten real ugly, real quick that day.”
Despite having amassed an impressive portfolio of at last 300 album covers during his career, Mannion says he is not yet done.
He reveals that the top of his wish list currently is Sade.
“Sade is number one on my list. I like shooting living legends, those that are a bit untouchable.
“I want to meet Sade to get to know all about her, give her a hug, smell her perfume. I think we will get along very well.”
The exhibition ends today.
Hands and all, the lensman is so passionate about his work that he cannot help but become animated when discussing it.
Mannion is all concentration as he talks about his show at the Thirteen Venue and Bar in Braamfontein, Joburg.
Mannion casts his eyes over Joburg’s skyline.
Saturday Star