Lil’ Wayne_Fear God. 25”x16”
Johnny Cash_From Hurt. 26”x19”
acrylic transfers on plexiglass.
Lil’ Wayne is covered in tattoos. My favorites are on his eyelids. “Fear” across his right and “God” across his left. If you do listen or have ever listened to any of Lil Wayne’s music your first thought might be one of shock. It can often times be easily written off as everything that is wrong with our culture: abuse of power, women, money, drugs, you name it. What I have always found interesting is that for someone so seemingly reckless he maintains a constant theme throughout his lyrics of self-realization of his own corruption.
“Like Father, Like Son” by Lil’ Wayne
…I do believe the money’s cursed me
So I pray to GOD that the devil don’t murk me…
(murk is slang for beating someone to death)
“Pray to the Lord” by Lil’ Wayne
…Bury Me A Gangster Cause Thats What I Live
Dont Cry For Me I Gave The Best I Could Give
I Can Only Do Me, So Thats What I Did
And I Cherish Every Breath Of My Kid
And I Dont Wanna Go Before She Grow, That Aint Cool
But In This Game Of Life I Dont Make The Rules
So Thats Why I Get Twisted
So I Cant Feel It When It Hit Me
And My Moms Dont Need That On Her
But I See Death Around The Corner
And If He, So Happens To Make His Way Around The Block
You Gotta Answer The Door When He Knock
Believe That…
As you might know Johnny Cash recorded several cover songs before he passed away in 2003. The one that received the most attention was his cover of NIN’s “Hurt.” The song was recorded 7 months before his passing and is considered by many to be his epitaph. I highly recommend watching the music video by Mark Romanek. This image was captured from that video towards the end of the song as Cash sings, “and you can have it all, my empire of dirt” as he pours a carafe of wine over a dinner table of rotting food.
