The Complete Guide To Jean-Michel Basquiat References In Hip-Hop

Hip-hop and contemporary art may seem like curious bedfellows but their link is deeper than Diddy's pockets. Art and hip-hop both draw from a variety of inspiration points and draw from different mediums, like sampling songs or mixed medium pieces. Both also involve commercialization of their craft and often their work reflects their materialism —rappers are now art collectors and artists are making works dedicated to rappers.

The most frequent new name drop is Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Neo-expressionist artist and graffiti writer. Basquiat rose to prominence at the same time as hip-hop in 1980’s New York City before he passed away from a drug overdose at only 27 years old. Many in the entertainment industry collect Basquiat’s art because they find inspiration in his work and personal history. It’s not coincidental that so many Basquiat references are popping up after the recent release of the documentary on his life and the love affair with the artist goes far beyond Swizz Beatz’s Reebok sneakers.

Written by Megan Ann Wilson (@shegotgame).

Check out The Complete Guide To Jean-Michel Basquiat References In Hip-Hop.

Complex Says: Before making his name as a painter, Basquiat experimented with a different artistic medium tagging all over downtown New York under the name “SAMO”. The Samo tags were often accompanied like most of Basquiat’s work with messages that were political and anti-establishment in nature, similar in spirit to hip-hop. Modern graffiti writers still cite SAMO as influence to their style.

Complex Says: Basquiat met Fab 5 Freddy at a party in 1979, and they later shared a studio space together in Chinatown. Freddy introduced Basquiat to early hip-hop recordings and techniques like sampling. The two were both in the 2010 documentary “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child”.

Complex Says: In Blondie’s video for “Rapture”, Basquiat makes a cameo as the DJ for the club scene. Basquiat was hired for the role when Grandmaster Flash did not show up for the appearance.

Complex Says: While there are no lyrical references to the painter, Basquiat produced the track and did the album art. The single went on to influence many hip-hop groups and rappers like the Beastie Boys, El-P and Cypress Hill.

Song: "Get At Me"
Album: "Infamy, 2001"

Lyrics: Do my dirt quicker from my early days swifter/With the gat, I'm like Basquiat, painting that picture

Song: "To Bob Ross with Love"
Album: The Papercut Chronicles, 2005

Lyrics: Now watch me rock the spot like Basquiat, minus the heroin and make my face popular like Andy did to Marilyn.

Complex Says: For the audio tour for the Basquiat retrospective exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, Jean read passages of Basquiat’s interviews and poems, impersonating Basquiat. Both Jean and Basquiat share Haitian heritage.

Song: "Grammy Family Freestyle"; also appeared on "Most Kingz" featuring Chris Martin
Album: Originally on Hot 97 in 2006, also appeared on Green Lantern's Invasion Radio 2K10 Mixtape

Lyrics: Inspired by Basquiat, my chariot's on fire/Everybody took shots, hit my body up, I'm tired.

Complex Says: Kanye is no stranger to bringing in artistic references and in creation of his song "Love Lockdown" he summed up his work as, “You just do a Basquiat painting over the whole test. And sure, every answer is wrong, but look, it makes a beautiful picture.” Apparently, Basquiat taught Yeezy how to bring a collage style to hip-hop on this track.

Song: "That Oprah"
Album: Single Only

Lyrics: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, iPhone, Microsoft/My paper is very long, your paper is very soft/I am a big BOSS, Boy, get lost, My new Basquiat, H.O.V. know what that cost.

Song: "Ain't I" featuring Timbaland
Album: Single

Lyrics: I got Warhols on my halls walls, I got Basquiats in the lobby of my spot/I'm so sophisticatedly hood, S. Carter cashmere premium goods.

Complex says: Reebok originally introduced the product line as an homage to the artist. When Swizz Beatz signed on as the international creative director of Reebok Classics, he made it stipulation that he could have full license over the line and expand it.

Song: "Land of Promise" featuring Damian Marley
Album: Nas and Damian Marley - Distant Relatives

Lyrics: Promised land, I picture Porsches, Basquiat portraits/Pinky rings, realistic princesses, Heiresses bunch a Kings and Queens.

Song: "Bang Bang" featuring Pusha T, Pharrell
Album: “Monster Mondays” track.

Lyrics: Well if you like me, this the shit you like to knock on your yachts/Boat shoes on, walls full of Basquiats.

Complex Says: Jay-Z breaks down some of his most interesting and veiled lyrics in the Decoded book, including the reference to Basquiat in the Grammy Family Freestyle. Hova breaks down how the Basquiat piece entitled “Charles The First” which featured the words “most young kings get their heads cut off” and how he relates to Basquiat, but also see Basquiat’s struggle with fame and death as a cautionary tale.

Song: Mystikal featuring Lil’ Wayne "Papercuts"
Album: TBA, 2010

Lyrics: Young Money Weezy, B-gang bi-otch/Abstract artist, call me Basquiat.

Complex Says: Ricky Rozay is a known fan of Basquiat and he paid tribute to the artist by getting a portrait of the artist on his thigh. While the former Complex cover boy is no stranger to shirtless photos displaying his ink, no image of his thigh tattoo has leaked to the masses.

Song: "Die Like A Rockstar"
Album: XXX

Lyrics: I got that Kurt Cobain type of mind-frame, feeling like Keith Moon shrooms in my dressing room/Basquiat freestyle/Feeling like Jimi Hendrix and Anna-Nicole mouth.

Song: Jay-Z + Kanye West - "Illest Motherfucker Alive"
Album: Watch the Throne

Lyrics: When I say it then you see, it ain't only in the music/Basquiat, Warhols serving as my muses/ My house like a museum so I see 'em when I'm peeing, usually you have this much taste, you European

Song: "Art School"
Album: URC - The Illuminati Bootleg

Lyrics: Jean Michel-Basquiat, hella diesel smoking pot/Canvas, badass, abstract, abstract, wealth and access, art school, art school.

Song: Jay-Z + Kanye West - "That's my Bitch" featuring Charlie Wilson, Elly Jackson
Album: Watch the Throne, 2011

Lyrics: She say I care more them basquions, Basquiats she learning a new word, it's yacht/Blew the world up as soon as I hit the club with her, Too short called, told me I feel in love with her.

Song: Lil Wayne featuring Rick Ross - "John (If I Die Today)"
Album: Tha Carter 4

Lyrics: Red on the wall, Basquiat when I paint/Red Lamborghini 'til I gave it to my bitch.

Song: "New York City Cops"
Album: Stereogum Presents Stroked: A Tribute to Is This It

Lyrics: Basquiat ’81, Irony of Negro police, man/Back in the day on the train that was G and was Grandmaster poster.

Song: "Who Loves You More"
Album: Charity Starts At Home

Lyrics: From Marvin to Basquiat, it comes with a caveat/And that’s the gospel like three or four choirs.

Complex Says: Steve Brown created the video after realizing the physical and artistic similarities between MC and painter. The video features clips of Glenn O’Brien’s pseudo-documentary film “Downtown 81” which starred Basquiat, and uses Cudi’s haunting “Ghost” as the soundtrack. Watch it here.

Complex Says: In Common’s biography, he explains how he likens his spontaneous way of painting with words and lyricism to that of Basquiat’s raw artistic techniques and style. Common first learned of Basquiat from the first commercial film based on the artist from 1996 and also appreciates the late artist’s love of hip-hop.

Song: "Mr. Impossible"
Album: Dagger Mouth, 2011

Lyrics: Give me mine cause limited time is only allotted/I'm painting verbal high with Basquiat and Jackson Pollock.

Song: L.A. Leakers Freestyle
Album: Exclusive to Power 106’s L.A. Leakers radio show.

Lyrics: Slaughterhouse is hot as hell, y’all on that same ol’/But I’m like Samo, before you knew him as Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Song: "Intro (Fuck Fame)" featuring Leah Siegal
Album: Pain Is Love 2

Lyrics: Fuck fame....Picasso, Rembrandt, Basquiat, Warhol couldn’t paint a better work of art.

Song: "10,000 Hours"
Album: TBA

Lyrics: I observed Escher, I loved Basquiat, I watched Keith Haring, you see I studied art/The greats weren’t great because at birth they could paint, the greats were great because they painted a lot

Song: "Mickey Mau5 (sampler)"
Album: Mickey Mau5

Lyrics: Young painter looking at the front pages, the Basquiats, the Warhols, all the plush painters/Inspiration on a daily basis, I copped a can and went bombing on a daily basis

Complex Says: The cover for our Jeremy Scott x A$AP rocky is an homage to the collaboration work between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The poster was originally created for a joint exhibition the two did in SoHo, New York City in 1985. A version of the poster was also used as the promotional film poster for the 2010 documentary on Basquiat’s life entitled “Jean-Michel Basquiat - Radiant Child”.

Song: "The Crown"
Album: Noah Caine: The Pre-Season

Lyrics: It’s steady to the death and we’ve above ground, Basquiat with a microphone/Gems sitting on my brow, watch a king spit a poem for the crown

Song: "Cuz I’m Black"
Album: 2012

Lyrics: A visionary can’t be stopped, Picture me like I’m Basquiat/Hanging with a message, my meanings with my presence.

Song: Raekwon featuring Busta Rhymes - "MTV Cribs"
Album: Unexpected Victory Mixtape

Lyrics: Limited box of cigars from diplomats in Cubana/Rare art of Baquiat feeding fruit to Madonna/Copacabana, Imma celebrate til they respect a sucess story with truck unloading imperial nectar

Complex Says: Swizzy raps about his fallen artistic idol often and his revamping of the Basquiat product line was one of his reasons for joining the brand. He has two ink homages to Basquiat on his body, including a portrait on his forearm and also owns 6 Basquiat paintings.