“It’s absurd” Photographer and music video director Danny Hastings told Artnet News on Friday, reacting to an official investigation by Egyptian politician Ahmed Bilal al-Burlusy into whether a sculpture depicting King Tut as a black man violates the law Egyptian as an unauthorized copy of an antiquity. The artwork by artist David Cortes is a new version of the one Hastings originally commissioned for the cover of rapper Nas’ critically acclaimed third double-platinum album, I am… (1999).
The new sculpt, i am hip hop (2019), is featured in an exhibition at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, the Netherlands, which explores the ways in which black musicians drew inspiration from ancient Egyptian culture. “Kemet: Egypt in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul and Funkplaces Egyptian antiquities from the institution’s collection alongside works by musicians from the African diaspora, such as Beyoncé, Miles Davis and Rihanna. Its title refers to the name that the Egyptians gave to their own country, “black earth”, in reference to the rich soil of the Nile delta.
“At first glance, the sculpture may appear to be an obvious replica of ancient Egyptian art,” Cortes said in a statement provided to Artnet News. “However, I wanted to be respectful of this great civilization, while acknowledging this new subculture that speaks to our times.”
Nas, I am… (1999). The cover featured the rapper made up to look like King Tut’s mask. ©Columbia Records, 1999.
Museum director Wim Weiland said the exhibit “explores the music of black artists who refer to ancient Egypt and Nubia in their work.” He also “recognizes that music can be perceived as cultural appropriation.”
The response from some quarters in Egypt was contempt. “Dutch Museum Claims Tutankhamun Was Black,” read a headline in Independent Egypt. In the article, antiquities expert Abd al-Rahim Rihan calls such a claim an insult to Egyptian civilization. Egypt even has banned a team of archaeologists from the museum who have worked since 1975 at Egypt’s Saqqara necropolis, an important research site, likely due to exposure, Weijland said.
What race were the ancient Egyptians? It depends on who you ask, and the debate has raged for three centuries. Some say it was an African or black culture, while many scholars say skin colors varied in different parts of the country.
Hastings, of course, says he and Cortes aren’t claiming Tutankhamun was black, but rather that King Tut served as a classic image of royalty that fits the trajectory of Nas’ creative career. His first album, Illmatic (1994), featured him as a young boy on its cover, while his second effort, It was written (1996), featured a photo of him as a man.
“I saw his first and second album, and I thought, ‘A boy, a man…a king! Why not make him a king like King Tut?'” Hastings said. of plaster and gesso, has deteriorated over time. So for the 20th anniversary, we thought, let’s revisit the idea.
The richly detailed new version is made of gold, steel and resin, and features the head in the shape of a Tut on a base on which are inscribed the words of the title of the work: “I am hip-hop”.
David Cortes, i am hip hop (2019). Photo: Courtesy of National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden.
“I am shocked by the negativity that [the sculpture] becomes,” added Hastings. “Exhibition is about being inspired.”
Hastings has shot over 150 album covers and directed over 40 music videos, for artists like P. Diddy, the Wu-Tang Clan, Eminem, Jay-Z and A Tribe Called Quest, in addition to doing branding work for giants like NASCAR. , Sprint and Samsung. Cortes has worked with clients including DC Comics, Sideshow Toys, Toy Biz, and the National Entertainment Collectibles Association.
“Kemet: Egypt in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul and Funk” is on display at the National Museum of Antiquities, Rapenburg 28, 2311 EW Leiden, The Netherlands, from April 22, 2023 to September 3, 2023.
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