WNW Member #3500 Stacey Lee is close to finishing her documentary about our favorite 7-year-old hip hop portraitist, Yung Lenox, and has turned to Kickstarter for help getting it done. Check out the trailer above and head over to the Kickstarter page for "Live Fast, Draw Yung" to show them some love. A little more about the project from Stacey and her co-director Anthony Mathile below:
Described by the LA Weekly as the “foremost doodler of rap”, Yung Lenox is a hip hop portraitist specializing in marker drawings of iconic rap albums, from 2 Live Crew's Nasty As They Wanna Be, to ODB's Return to the 36 Chambers. He’s sold hundreds of prints, been commissioned for record sleeves, custom apparel and had his artistic debut at the Frieze Art Fair in New York. Unfortunately, Lenox did not attend that show. It was past his bedtime. He was six.
“Even though I do famous artwork, only the kids in my math group know.” - Lenox
“Live Fast, Draw Yung" is an intimate and entertaining tale about Lenox and his Dad, Skip, a graffiti artist, copywriter and silent collaborator behind the Yung Lenox brand. As we bear witness to their unconventional after-school hobby, we discover an endearing friendship forged through creativity; a Dad teaching his son about coloring, shading, and the heroes of his youth. Through Instagram and press attention, what starts as a hobby turns into a lifestyle and a business. Soon, the two are hanging with Cam’ron backstage with Action Bronson, in the studio with Kool Keith, chilling with "Uncle Raekwon", and on a plane to LA for Lenox’s first solo exhibition.
Through Lenox’s eyes and ears, the film offers an innocent and hilariously honest entry point into the often explicit and idolized culture of hip hop. It reconsiders the age old parental advisory debate and the realities of a kid growing up in an adult world. As Skip is forced to confront his intentions and parenting skills, Lenox remains unfazed. He isn’t listening to any of it. In his world, art is “medium important” as opposed to school, legos and Minecraft. And that’s what makes the kid everyone’s favorite artist.
