Mel D. Cole

In a time where pictures are worth much more than a thousand words, our latest #spotlight features the king of the camera, Mel D. Cole. His award winning career spans everything from music, travel, sports, nightlife and photojournalism. Once known for capturing portraits of hip hop royalty- everyone from Beyonce to Drake and Kendrick Lamar, Cole has recently made a name for himself capturing history. His work has always been powerful, and this most recent undertaking is no exception.

2020 was a time of change in many ways, and with the pause of live concerts, Cole was ready to shift his focus outside of music. The protest that began in New York following the murder of George Floyd was the start of this new chapter of capturing history in action. He recognized that it was a movement, something that kept him going every single day. All of the photos documenting the Black Lives Matter protests and impact for more than a year around the U.S make up his book American Protest: Photographs 2020-2021. It is a raw work of art which he hopes will continue the legacy of the civil rights movement.

Cole had previously released his first coffee table book GREAT: Photographs of Hip Hop in February of 2020. This book is for the real ones, with a collection of superstars including Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Wu-Tang Clan, Rihanna, Kanye West and more all while capturing the evolution of hip hop through the years.

Mel D. Cole is an influential master in his field and we are looking forward to his next gem!

xo, VOOVIBE