Share
I’ve been a fan of Dennis Morris’ photography of people like the Sex Pistols and Bob Marley for many years but I only recently discovered the photos from his series “Growing Up Black.” I love Dennis’ photos from his neighborhood in London so when he asked me to collaborate on a piece inspired by a song by his band Basement 5, I wanted to find a connection between a Basement 5 lyric and a photo from the “Growing Up Black” series. The lyrics to the song “Riot” made sense with his photograph of Sista Cool anxiously living in a world of police and thieves reflected in her glasses. Check out Basement 5 if you can… the great tunes are in the spirit of the Slits, the Clash, and Public Image Ltd (PiL). Art and music are great on their own, but even better together! – Shepard
In the small hours of the night,
With unrest on the streets,
Sista Cool will pray for your soul,
There is a riot going on,
Kids on the street, with itchy feet.
With the reissue of my Basement 5 album, this title is a reference to a diary of events that happened in my youth from 1965-1980. Shepard and I collaborated to create a poster that refers to a track from the album called “Riot.” – Dennis
Late Hour Riot. 18 x 24 inches. Screenprint on cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Dennis Morris. Numbered edition of 450. $80. Available Tuesday, December 19 on ObeyGiant.com in Store under Prints. Limit 1 per person/household. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Black Lives Matter.
Basement 5 were a reggae punk band from London founded in 1978. In 1979, legendary photographer Dennis Morris took over as creative force, lead vocalist, lyricist, and designer of the Basement 5 logo and branding. Fusing their own experiences with punk rage and dub-wise rhythms, together the band explored themes of alienation, 70’s inner-city existence, and what it was like to be a second-generation immigrant.
Their debut album, 1965-1980, takes its title from the year Morris arrived from Jamaica to its recording in 1980. Although reissued on CD some twenty years ago, the album has since languished in the vaults until now. 1965-1980, including its companion In Dub, was released through label Play It Again Sam (PIAS) in October of 2017. Order here.
