TESTIN
NG
When I was a kid walking around in my neighborhood, I was always drawn to the abstract compositions surrounding me. All the garages, ten story-high apartment buildings structured like a giant honeycomb grid, elevated roads, concrete blocks, bridges, alleys and walkways – an intricate connection of geometrical shapes. I didn’t know yet what photography was. But I knew that if I would frame what I saw, I would have a nice composition for a drawing. Growing up I always had football and hip-hop around me. We did not have much, but my mom made sure it never really felt that way. As a teenager I wanted two Technics SL-1200s. I never had the money to buy the 1’s & 2’s, a mixer and 12” records to DJ. I dropped out of art school but it introduced me to photography. Once I found the money to buy a digital SLR camera at the age of 24 I started taking photos of my friends, all of them part of the Dutch underground hip-hop scene - aspiring rappers, producers, DJ’s. I shot behind the scenes on video shoots, backstage, performances, et cetera. People liked my photos and I decided to take photography more seriously after I had quit my day job in the summer of 2004. I wasn’t a professional photographer yet, but I felt I could give the artists and culture, which I loved, the time and dedication they deserved. It’s important to document culture in a pure way. As it is happening. Before it’s gone. Hip-hop has changed my life. From the first time my older brother - four years my senior - played me Paid in Full by Eric B & Rakim, back when I was 8 years old. And even though most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamp, they do in this book. Thank you for inspiring a kid in Amsterdam South-East, Bijlmermeer, Kraaiennest, K-Zone 1104. This is basically a coming-of-age-collection of me learning photography and finding my voice as a photographer over a 12½-year period. This is my journey. Peace, Ilja
October 24, 2019 (Amsterdam)
District 7 Anthem video shoot at Kraaiennest / September 11, 2005 (Amsterdam)
ILJA MEEFOUT
20 SugaCane / January 28, 2005 (Amsterdam)
21
Prodigy / January 29, 2005 (Amsterdam)
22
Buitenwesten (Sticks, Rico, Blaxtar, Typhoon, Delic, Jawat, D-San) / February 5, 2005 (Amsterdam)
23
24 Snoop Dogg / February 10, 2005 (Amsterdam)
25
Nas / March 31, 2005 (Amsterdam)
26
Raymzter / April 22, 2005 (Amsterdam)
29
Questlove / May 7, 2005 (Rotterdam)
Kempi / June 15, 2007 (Eindhoven)
139
50 Cent / June 30, 2007 (Amsterdam)
George Clinton / July 2, 2007 (Rotterdam)
50 Cent / June 30, 2007 (Amsterdam)
143
The Opposites / September 9, 2007 (Amsterdam)
145
Rotjoch / May 24, 2008 (Amsterdam)
278 Pusha T / June 1, 2014 (Amsterdam)
279
281
Pusha T / June 1, 2014 (Amsterdam)
Pusha T / June 1, 2014 (Amsterdam)
“the work of photographer Ilja Meefout (amsterdam, april 2, 1979) ranges from raw reporting to concert photography, from unique hip-hop portraits to social reporting. His pictures of global superstars like snoop Dogg, Wutang Clan, Beastie Boys, Kendrick lamar and lil Wayne have become icons of themselves and Ilja is the go-to guy for the Dutch rap scene, shooting artwork and album covers for many of the nation’s biggest acts. 1,2 1,2 – Portraits of Hip Hop is a coming of age review of the work Ilja has done in the past 12½ years.”