Brent Rollins

Oft imitated, never duplicated is a phrase that seems to have been created for Brent Rollins. He’s become one of hip-hop’s most favored designers precisely by doing the opposite of what anyone expects. He’s continually added class and sass to the game, from 1991’s Boyz in the Hood logo through to beautiful album covers for Black Star, Spankrock, and Blackalicious.

In the last few years, Brooklyn-based Rollins has been involved in several high profile collabos, including taking part in Stüssy’s World Tour project in ’06 and creating murals for sneaker-head store Undftd. This has led to even more work of the fine-art variety. “I finally put my toes in the water and exhibited in spaces both large and small,” says Rollins. “Not hiding behind a client’s name has been maybe the biggest step for me cause it’s always a little frightening.”

Of course, the dude also has a tight crew to fall back on: he’s a part of Ego Trip, the former magazine-turned-marketing powerhouse that always delivers timely, tongue-in-cheek documentation of the rap world . For those who don’t know, Ego Trip are the creators of the VH1 shows Miss Rap Supreme and The White Rapper Show, and a number of books (they’re currently working on a book about white rappers). “We’ve been able to make satirical social commentary and broadcast our voice to the public,” says Brent of the VH1 spots. “And if you are familiar with what we do and say, that’s pretty damn crazy. With VH1, I got to work with animators and production designers to give motion and physical dimension to my ideas. Knowing that I have piqued the imagination of people is very rewarding.”

Brent Rollins website
Ego Trip
Miss Rap Supreme
Brent Rollins interview at Trendmill.com
Stussy World Tour