Portfolio Review: 21-Year-Old Photographer Gunner Stahl Shares Rare Photos of Kanye West, Chance The Rapper, Migos, and More

Candid and behind-the-scenes photos of big names in hip-hop.

Mar 16, 2014
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Complex Original

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Gunner Stahl is only 21 years old, but he's been able to capture images that other photographers wait a lifetime for. The Atlanta-based photographer and director has trained his lens on private moments from hip-hop's finest. His impressive portfolio includes backstage candids of rappers and shots of their performances from enviable viewpoints. Born Jonathan Simmons, Stahl is part of the collective Two-9, and his work is well beyond his years.

Stahl's friendship with rappers, like FatKidsBrotha, has let him stage photo shoots with the famous faces of hip-hop, but sometimes he resorts to stealthier tactics to get the perfect shot. For the Yeezus Tour, Stahl snuck his camera into the stadium, and the resulting pictures of Kanye West onstage were definitely worth the risk. We got in touch with Stahl about his images. Check out our Portfolio Review: 21-Year-Old Photographer Gunner Stahl Shares Rare Photos of Kanye West, Chance The Rapper, Migos, and More. 

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FatKidsBrotha

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"I've worked closely with this group for almost two years now. As a kid, I grew up listening to the Hot Boyz, Big Tymers, Juvenile, basically the whole Cash Money. To me, FatKidsBrotha's sound is the 2014 version, so I try my best to get that feel with every photograph of them."

Original Fani and Curtis Williams

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"The amount of Two-9 logos on Fani almost makes this picture hard to look at."

Jace of Retro Sushi

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"It's rare that you capture a picture of Jace. Surprisingly, I was able to one random day at the studio."

LightSkinMac11 of FatKidsBrotha

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"Personally, these are my two favorite pictures of all time."

Kanye West

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"How were these photos taken? When I arrived at security, I was told to empty everything out of my pockets, of course. Luckily, I wore a Fishtail Parka with unlimited pockets. I quickly stuffed my film camera into my top right pocket and was not searched in that area."

Migos (Quavo and Offset)

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"This photo is iconic to hip-hop culture because it's the second show that Offset performed after he got out of jail. Plus, these guys are my favorite rappers of all time."

4Lifers

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"From left to right: LightSkinMac11, Reese, and Dave."

Reese

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"Take a quick glance at this photo, and you'd think it was shot in 2004: Girbauds and Air Force Ones, worn by Reese."

Chance The Rapper

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"This photo of Chance the Rapper came right before he was about to hit the stage here in Atlanta for a sold-out show."

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