#repost: Hypebeast.com, Recap of Scope Art Fair 2016

Myself and photographer Andrew Franciosa attended the annual SCOPE fair in Miami during Art Basel 2016 on behalf of HYPEBEAST.com. See our published coverage here, as well as reposted below.

Who Designed These Swarovski Crystal-adorned Air Jordan 1s Seen at SCOPE Miami?

A recap of all things exuberant that went down at the art fair.

As Miami Beach plays host to the annual citywide festival traditionally known as Miami Art Week, one art fair has long emerged as a staple pitstop. Consistently doubling as both an introduction and a coveted career accolade for emerging artists and galleries alike, SCOPE is projected to see over 55,000 visitors before the weekend closes out, bringing together works from 31 countries and 77 cities all under one ocean-adjacent pavilion.

While such a mammoth collection of art holds the potential to be overwhelming for visitors to experience, its top-notch execution and organization makes taking in art less of a chore and more of a lavish escape from the deco neighborhood’s bustling shopping and party scene.

Upon arrival, attendees are greeting first hand with the option to either instinctively dive right into viewing the plethora of installations, snapping a souvenir GIF courtesy of Gilt’s photo booth or mapping out a plan of attack while sipping illy-roasted coffee. Now in its sixteenth edition, SCOPE is wisely organized in a grid-layout, with each gallery allotted a square booth (of various sizes) to display their artists’ work. While majority of the booths utilize the white walls as a clean backdrop to highlight each piece objectively, others break the mold, with New Orlean’s Red Truck Gallery hanging strings of lights across their booth’s walls for one example and New York’s Joseph Gross Gallery featuring a living room furniture display in front of its 2016 SCOPE curation for another.

One of the first pieces greeting attendees is Brazilian artist Marcos Amaro’s Cockpit (2016), which features the nose of a crashed airplane with a lit chandelier inside. The installation sets the tone, as exemplified year after year, that SCOPE is not one to disappoint in regard to the quality of the contemporary art it showcases.

While each gallery’s exhibit in its own right naturally were carefully and consciously comprised of pieces more than worthy of criticism and praise alike, a select handful caught our eye as we made our way through a breathable crowd as diverse as the art itself. All in all, SCOPE makes for a good energy, must-see Miami Art Week destination, offering something that even the most critical of art enthusiasts can admit they, too, appreciate.

Other highlights included Denver’s Alexander Chambers Gallery exhibited an impressive collection highlighting the iconic illustrative work of Ralph Steadman, most revered for his work in the ’60s and ’70s in collaboration with acclaimed author Hunter S. Thompson. New York’s Joseph Gross Gallery featured Knowledge Bennett’s ode to Barack Obama, the always-alluring work of Peter Gronquist, several selections from Victor Solomon’s “Literally Balling” series and more. Elsewhere, street art veteran Swoon showcased several works true to her signature style, including the pictured piece, Dawn and Gemma.

Thinkspace Gallery’s exhibition this year featured a display of sixty original 12×12 works, each created by the internationally renowned artists the forward-thinking gallery represents, in addition to showcasing work from several of its roster. Other curators such as Los Angeles-based Art Angels featured several works by Philippe Shangti, including his bold “Fuck Who Doesn’t Like This PIace,” a piece that is in the running for most photographed by onlookers who just might share the same sentiment.

Toronto’s Struck Contemporary gallery featured several works by the infamous RETNA. Alec Money was a prominent part of Avant Gallery’s participation in SCOPE, as well as several fiberglass sculptures by Metis Atash. Continuing the slew of provocative installations, EveryThing is Art gallery highlighted work by Lidia Vitkovskaya, including a piece titled “Stay Hungry,” which changes with the position in which you view it at. New York’s Castle Fitzjohns Gallery highlighted a diverse collection of pieces, including an exhibition by Sam Tufnell. For those who adhere to both sneakers and contermpoary art, Daniel Jacob showcased Swavorski crystal-adorned sculptures of Air Jordan 1s, while Matthew Lapenta was inspired by emojis and Rick Fields displayed his illustrations of Air Jordan 3s. Israeli artist Kukula was highlighted as part of Haven Gallery’s exhibition, showcasing a series of impeccable paintings in gold frames, from her Pop Royàl collection.

It wouldn’t be a pop art fair without a Banksy original, with London’s Lawrence Alkin Gallery showcasing 2003′s Bomb Love.

SCOPE Miami Beach Pavilion
801 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, FL
USA

WRITER KC ORCUTT
PHOTOGRAPHER ANDREW FRANCIOSA/HYPEBEAST

#repost BET's music staff PICKS FOR the top 10 albums of 2016

Peep BET's Top 10 Albums List in full here, and my contributions below.

#9: KENDRICK LAMAR – 'UNTITLED UNMASTERED.'

It didn't take long for heart-eyed fans to dub Kendrick Lamar's untitled unmastered. an instant classic, with the olive green pantone swatch of an album cover dominating Instagram the very second it was released on March 4, 2016. While technically the project acts as a compilation of previously unreleased demos that didn't make the cut for 2015's To Pimp a Butterfly, it cannot be written off as a random batch of throw-away tracks Lamar himself had once discarded as average or not worthy of the airtime. Although Lamar's only 2016 release exists, by definition, as less than a studio album and more than a mixtape, the project truly is one of a kind. In fact, it is an unprecedented, intimate look into the celebrated genius of the Compton rapper – one that we didn't necessarily deserve or ask for, but are more than grateful to have. If To Pimp a Butterfly is revered as an unparalleled opus, untitled unmastered. is the footnotes, the prologue and the epilogue combined. Cornrow Kenny graciously adds to his allure by proving that, while he is undeniably an iconic rapper, he's still human, too, and figuring it all out along the way like the rest of us. – KC Orcutt

#4: CHANCE THE RAPPER – 'COLORING BOOK'

Chance the Rapper had a landmark year, with 2016 elevating him from Chicago's unlikely 23-year-old hero to a household name. His third mixtape, Coloring Book, was to thank. The vivid 14-track collection, creatively fusing hip-hop with soul and gospel, became the first project to chart on the Billboard 200 based solely on streams, peaking at No. 8 and persuading the Recording Academy to consider streaming-only projects for Grammy nominations. While revolutionizing the genre of gospel was not necessarily his goal, the rapper's forward-thinking approach helped propel his visibility as an artist, with the important messages found within his mixtape righteously reaching mainstream audiences.

His activism, mixed with his musicianship, makes him a perfect candidate for Best New Hip-Hop Artist, an accolade he earned at the 2016 BET Hip-Hop Awards. Coloring Book is both a timeless and timely album, something that not many artists can say they’ve created with confidence while also managing to remove their ego from the equation. In a day and age where powerful, meaningful art is needed more than ever, Chance the Rapper is letting his music do the talking — and we couldn't be more excited for what he'll put together next. — KC Orcutt

#Repost: New Music Friday, December 2nd

Originally published on Billboard.com. 

Every week, Spotify updates their "New Music Friday" playlist, featuring 50 of the freshest new tracks hitting the service that week.

On the heels of Billboard's partnership with the streaming giant, we'll be tapping Spotify's editors to sift through the soon-to-be-hits and highlight the best of the bunch.

Check out the picks and listen to the entire "New Music Friday" playlist below.

John Legend - Darkness and Light

John Legend today (Dec. 2) releases his first album in three years, following up his Grammy-nominated Love in the Future. For his fifth studio album, Darkness and Light, the soul singer recruits the likes of Chance the Rapper, Brittany Howard and Miguel for guest features, as well as enlists Blake Mills to handle the production duties. With Mills referring to the project as Legend's "manifesto," it's evident throughout the 12-track recording that the acclaimed singer truly dug deep into his emotions and talents for this one, doing so with boldness and grace, helping accent a reoccurring message of perseverance. During "What You Do to Me," featured in this week's #SpotifyNMF, Legend explores themes of conflicted duality in romance, singing over a plunging beat that sways between dramatic and subtle. A perfect introduction to what he calls his best work to date.

Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love!

Almost arriving as quickly as the promotional singles "Me and Your Mama" and "Redbone" did, Childish Gambino's latest studio album, "Awaken, My Love!" is here, right in time to adorn year-end lists recapping an incredible year of music. While many have recently gotten to know Childish Gambino, i.e. Donald Glover, through his FX television show, Atlanta, as further exemplified on "Awaken, My Love!", his creativity and artistry truly knows no bounds. Glover's multifaceted talent shines throughout his new project, with the track "California" paying a funky, and at-times cosmic, homage to his roots.

Molly Kate Kestner - "Good Die Young"

April 21, 2016 is a day that rocked the world, as we once knew it, taking from us one of the greatest musicians of all time. When Molly Kate Kestner, a 21-year-old singer from Minnesota, learned of the heartbreaking news that Prince had passed, in true form as a songwriter, she chose to work through her initial emotions by penning a heartfelt tribute to the late icon. Throughout the soulful anthem, she ponders why the "Good Die Young" while also calling for others to live each day to the fullest, since nothing in life is promised. With Kestner's striking vocals beautifully framed by an acoustic-driven melody, the song finds success in discussing darker themes found within life and death, doing so in a curiously uplifting manner. As shared with FADER, Kestner says that the song is her "candle of hope in a world that could use a little more light."

Tove Lo - "cool girl"

Dropping by Spotify's New York City studio, Tove Lo recorded a special rendition of her track, "cool girl," celebrating how far she's come since her 2014 debut. During the Spotify Singles session, the Swedish pop singer strips down her celebrated pop anthem, making for an arguably even-cooler version -- something we didn't know was possible -- while showcasing that a well-written song can adapt flawlessly to whatever style it's being executed in. 2016 was full of many impressive milestones for the singer-songwriter, with her sophomore album Lady Wood receiving all sorts of positive reviews, with many highlighting her impeccable songwriting and her distinctive ability to incorporate dark, weird moments into the ever-evolving genre of pop music. For her exclusive Spotify session, Tove Lo reminds us exactly why 2016 will go down as the year she captured both our hearts and attention forevermore, while also leaving us excited for what she's got up her sleeve next.

Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton Mixtape
"Washingtons By Your Side" - Wiz Khalifa

Today marks the official release of the beyond highly anticipated Hamilton mixtape, a 23-track collection of accompanying the now-Broadway staple. While the play and its soundtrack are no less than seven years in the making, the dedicated fruits of Lin-Manuel Miranda's labor have paid off and then some, with the success of the project spearheading a cultural movement and phenomenon that has captivated audiences from around the world. In celebration of the star-studded project's release, we're highlighting Wiz Khalifa's contribution in this week's #SpotifyNMF, "Washingtons By Your Side," a track full of chilled-out epiphanies about money, success and other's criticisms that manages to fit swimmingly into the creative, historic retelling of Alexander Hamilton's life. Additionally, be sure to check out our official Hamilton Mixtape playlist, featuring tracks from the new project and from the double platinum, Grammy and Tony-award winning Original Cast Recording.