Jonathan Mannion Is Here To Give Back and Spread the Wealth

The legendary hip-hop photographer talks about working for Richard Avedon, licensing your art, and the next phase of his career.

listen
Jonathan Mannion Is Here To Give Back and Spread the Wealth
HBR
6.9K 2 Comments

HB•R is a platform for creatives to talk directly to both the aspiring youth and their longtime fans, discussing their journey towards success, lessons learned along the way and thoughts on the state of culture in realtime. For episode 57, we sat down with legendary hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion.

Jonathan walks in with the aura of the now semi-retired ’90s rap superstar he began his career shooting; an inviting smile and inquisitive eyes tucked under the shadow of a straight-brimmed ball cap, a cozy tech-fleece fit, Off-White™ x AJ1 kicks, and an “entourage” of one, himself. Jonathan has spent the last 25 years photographing just about every major hip-hop album cover and a stockpile of memorable magazine features; he has long been the rap-world’s go-to photographer. And just like those maturing musicians that once stood in front of his camera, Jonathan is searching for new inspirations to bring a new energy to his career. But before he can embark on this newfound journey, he wants to close the door on the first half of his career, and for him, it starts with giving back.

The once mentee of world-renowned fashion photographer Richard Avedon tells us he’s working on his first solo retrospective book, one that inadvertently recounts the last quarter-century of hip-hop culture. Jonathan also finds time these days to lecture young college students, mentor aspiring artists at his new studio in Mana Contemporary, and serve as art director on singular campaigns for brands like adidas. And of course he’s still shooting (Jonathan excitingly pulled out his iPhone to show us some RAW shots from his recent photoshoot for 21 Savage’s upcoming sophomore LP). The 47-year-old even hints at a project he hopes to pursue during this revitalizing phase of his career, and just like Avedon, it’s about capturing the spirit of real people in the real world.

Listen in to the episode above where Jonathan opens up about his family, growing up in Ohio, landing a once-in-a-lifetime apprenticeship under Richard Avedon, shooting rap icons, Instagram photography, licensing your artwork, and so much more.

Keep up with everything HYPEBEAST Radio and subscribe to HB•R on Apple PodcastsSoundcloudSpotifyStitcherOvercast or wherever else you enjoy your podcasts, and please don’t forget to leave a comment or review. Peace!

Read Full Article

What to Listen to Next

Father Is Taking Awful Records to the Next Level

Father Is Taking Awful Records to the Next Level

The Atlanta star talks RCA deal, working with Adult Swim, being a creative from Atlanta, and so much more.

Listen
5.1K 6 Comments

6LACK Welcomes Vulnerability When Making Music

6LACK Welcomes Vulnerability When Making Music

The East Atlanta crooner talks new album, personal growth, fame, Atlanta’s music scene, and so much more.

Listen
5.5K 2 Comments

Business of HYPE With jeffstaple: The Best of Season 2

Business of HYPE With jeffstaple: The Best of Season 2

Samuel Ross, Mike Shinoda, Ben Baller, Ben and Bobby Hundreds, and more.

Listen
4.2K 2 Comments

Estelle Loves the New Artists Coming Out of London

Estelle Loves the New Artists Coming Out of London

She also talks discusses voicing the character “Garnet” from Cartoon Network’s Steven’s Universe, and so much more.

Listen
2.2K 0 Comments

#56: Sneakersnstuff Brought NYC to Sweden, Now They're Bringing Stockholm to the World

#56: Sneakersnstuff Brought NYC to Sweden, Now They're Bringing Stockholm to the World

Erik & Peter of SNS talk about the reselling game, outside investments, their new California location, the late Gary Warnett and so much more.

Listen
5.3K 1 Comments


More ▾

What to Listen to Next

Business of HYPE With jeffstaple: HYPEBEAST Founder Kevin Ma Announces HYPEFEST

Business of HYPE With jeffstaple: HYPEBEAST Founder Kevin Ma Announces HYPEFEST

Our first ever festival will take place October 6 & 7 in Brooklyn, NY.

Listen
13.7K 14 Comments

Business of HYPE With jeffstaple, Episode 20: Yassine Saidi of PUMA

Business of HYPE With jeffstaple, Episode 20: Yassine Saidi of PUMA

The global head of Select, PUMA’s lifestyle and collaborations division, details his exciting career path with great advice along the way.

Listen
13.5K 3 Comments

#55: Coltrane Curtis, the Godfather of Influencer Marketing

#55: Coltrane Curtis, the Godfather of Influencer Marketing

The Team Epiphany founder talks the evolution of influencers, what went wrong, and where we go from here.

Listen
12.6K 12 Comments

Business of HYPE With jeffstaple, Episode 19: George Bamford

Business of HYPE With jeffstaple, Episode 19: George Bamford

Bamford Watch Department’s founder details how he reignited the lost art of personalization in the age of mass production.

Listen
6.3K 1 Comments

#54: Dapper Lou Doesn't Want Your Instagram Likes, He Wants to Spark Your Cultural Curiosity

#54: Dapper Lou Doesn't Want Your Instagram Likes, He Wants to Spark Your Cultural Curiosity

The Brooklyn creative talks about photography as a means to educate, his love-hate relationship with social media and more.

Listen
8.8K 4 Comments

More ▾
 
Episode Transcript

Jonathan Mannion Is Here To Give Back and Spread the Wealth

The legendary hip-hop photographer talks about working for Richard Avedon, licensing your art, and the next phase of his career.