"....hip hop's most anticipated book since "The Rose That Grew From Concrete," is being made available to the public. This is more than a book, it is a work of art and time capsule all in one..." Hip Hop On Deck
"A must-read for any fan of hip hop or 2Pac & Death Row Records!" - JMix of Jesse Surratt Productions
"Riskie's art is the embodiment of the very Compton streets he emerged from! One of the great Hip Hop artists of our generation." - EDIDON a/k/a E.D.I. Mean of the Outlawz
You've seen his art on the album covers of hip-hop's most famous albums - Makaveli The Don Killuminati, Tha Doggfather, G-Funk Classics by Nate Dogg, and many more. Now learn the story of the artist: Ronald "Riskie" Brent and his rise from the fabled streets of Compton to the hallowed halls of Death Row Records, the most celebrated rap music label of its time.
Art Is My Life: The Streets, Tupac, Death Row Records, and Now reveals Riskie's struggle to develop as an artist and his ultimate triumph as the painter behind hip-hop's most iconic images.This book is a time capsule of one of the most important eras in American popular music. Within its pages are the stories behind the artwork for
- All Eyez On Me
- The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
- Snoop Dogg's Tha Doggfather
- Nate Dogg's G Funk Classics Vol. 1 & 2
- and many more albums blessed by Riskie's artistry over the past two decades.
The pages are covered with Riskie's sketches, drawings, paintings, and photographs, many of which have never before been seen by the general public.
Art Is My Life is itself a work of art. Riskie worked for months writing the text, compiling his life's work, and arranged the best of his designs throughout.
Leila Steinberg, who brought Tupac into the national spotlight via Digital Underground, provides a thoughtful introduction and many people whose lives Riskie has touched, including members of the Outlawz, wrote tributes to Riskie for the book.
The publication of Art Is My Life is the reflection of a long journey - one any fan of hip-hop music and art will want to explore with Riskie.
