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"It helped me to escape family life" - Dan Lish on hip hop, his NY pilgrimage and life as an artist
Episode Description
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The first ever live Once A DJ — recorded at Canopy Menswear, Derby
Dan Lish is an illustrator and lifelong hip hop head whose work sits right at the intersection of culture, art and memory. In this special live episode — the first Once A DJ has taken out of the studio and in front of an audience — recorded earlier this year at Canopy Menswear in Derby, he tells the story of how B-boying and hip hop found him at exactly the right moment — and never really let go.
He opens up about a difficult childhood, moving between families and a stint in boarding school, and how the battle culture of B-boying gave him a platform to express things he couldn't yet put into words. From erecting coat hangers around his bedroom window to pull in the Capital Rap Show on pirate radio, to catching second-hand American records in tiny Suffolk shops thanks to nearby US Air Force bases — Dan's path into the culture was shaped by scarcity, which made it all the more precious.
He eventually made it to New York, where he spent around seven years immersed in the grassroots scene: practicing in the Bronx, attending block parties in Queens, linking with Spike from Zulu Nation, hanging with original writers like Stay High 149, and entering battles despite — by his own admission — being stiff as a plank when the nerves hit.
Back in England, his illustration career took off through a series of portraits of hip hop icons drawn during his train commute — work that went around the world, got bootlegged onto mixtapes, and caught the attention of Rakim, Pete Rock, Paradise Gray from X Clan, the RZA and De La Soul among others.
He rounds out the episode talking about his upcoming illustrated book Wonder Love, a love letter to Stevie Wonder's classic 70s albums, published by W.W. Norton.
Show notes:
- Dan Lish's work: danlish.com (verify current link)
- Velocity Press: velocitypress.uk
- Canopy Menswear Derby: canopyonline.co.uk
- Book mentioned: Brakesploitation series
- Upcoming: Wonder Love — illustrated Stevie Wonder book, W.W. Norton