The combination of Hip Hop and the paintings of Vincent van Gogh is probably not the first thing you think about. That is not what ANKHLEJOHN and Big Ghost thought, and thanks to their talents, this at first glance strange combination works surprising well, so let’s dive into post-impressionism and the art of van Gogh.
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism is a unique style that compiles different artistic forms at the break of the 20th century on the territory of western Europe, mostly in France. Paintings from that time released themselves from the precision and viewing experience, and importance has been put on feelings and expressions. Artists deformed reality and built upon their personal style. That being said, the fact that ANKHLEJOHN and producer Big Ghost chose Vincent Van Gogh as their inspiration should not surprise anybody since Vincent van Gogh was one of the principal artists during the post-impressionist era. Neo boom bap, hip hop subgenre, is based on expressions and feelings that music can evoke. ANKHLEJOHN and the artists that collaborate with him on a regular basis (Da$H, al.divino, Rome Streetz, Estee Nack) are similar to this artistic movement in that they base their creations on abstraction and symbolism of the content. The music of ANKHLEJOHN is aggressive and chaotic, and to enjoy it to its fullest, you have to accept their expressivity and dive into the vortex of all the different musical effects.
Vincent van Gogh
ANKHLEJOHN was born in Washington, D.C., and has multiple LPs and other small projects. His debut album, The Red Room, was released in 2017. The amount of work that he releases on a regular basis is unbelievable, and gladly, his cadence doesn’t affect the quality of each release. The artist is very careful when choosing productions, and thanks to that, each of his projects is unique in some way. He usually collaborates with other interesting artists from the scene. In between his most beloved creations are As Above So Below (2020), As A Man Thinketh (2021), and Van Ghost from 2018. A joint project with producer Big Ghost inspired by the works of Van Gogh belongs among the most unique rap albums of the last few years. Let’s look at three tracks in which we can find parallels between the lyrics and the painting that inspired them.
Café Terrace at Night (1888)
On the first track, named The Night Café, straight from the beginning we can hear a piano that slowly brings up the atmosphere of the whole track. A similarly named painting by Van Gogh has the same feeling around it; it captures a cafe, which is mostly a place to relax or maybe work. Peace is not the only thing that you can feel when looking at the painting; there is also something mysterious, strange about the emptiness.
„Shit, million dollar meetings at the cafe
Honestly I’ve seen more blessings come off a bad day,“
ANKHLEJOHN talks about million-dollar meetings in a cafe and bad days, which at the end were more profitable than the good ones. The theme of the first track is the same as the theme of the album, life at the edge of the law. Rapper describes his day-to-day life, which can be as empty and mysterious as Van Gogh’s painting.
„I cry tears enough cured thirst for a whole village
Potent it’s locked up with co-defendants
He might tell cause he know who did it“
Tears are something that ANKHLEJOHN is used to, and they are not something that would push him off course. After all, he lives in a world where he is surrounded by problems at the edge of life and death. But he stays calm as a cafe at night.
The Church at Auvers (1890)
The Church at Auvers comes up halfway through the album, where we find the rapper during his imaginary confession. ANKHLEJOHN does not use the word church in a text but still reflects on his life, especially the artistic one.
„All my life, I tried to tell you I’m the one
Devil couldn’t fuck with the son
It don’t make you no man if you go get the gun, but I understand
How things run, either way we getting things done.“
In the part of the track you can see above, the rapper mentioned how tired he is of constantly proving something to anyone. He has already gone through it all and knows how life is. A tough and strong person is not created by the gun, yet he is carrying it with him at every step. Song has the same aura around it as the painting does; an aura of something bigger than life itself.
„Oil-base canvas, hands together like praying mantis
Like Jesus from the dead I arose
I’m the modern-day Van Gogh.“
The Potato Eaters (1885)
On this track, ANKHLEJOHN celebrates his hard work, success, and position in which he finds himself now, which perfectly radiates the depiction in the painting where a group of people eat potatoes, usually considered a food of the poor; they are lit up by a little oil lamp, and the characters themselves look like they earned their potatoes through hard work.
„I’m a fighter ain’t no giving in
The losers sit back and take an L, while the winners win,“
Rapper comes from poor conditions, and he earned his position on the scene and in life on the street. Luxury, money, and good food are for him the same as potatoes in Van Gogh’s painting; it is something that the rapper fought for and earned.
„I’ve seen it all like Nostradamus
You need to work on your comprehension and your comprimising
I play the game real rough like Dennis Rodman
The culture cypher I be palming, let it off it’s like a bomb hit.“
At Eternity’s Gate
ANKHLEJOHN is one of those rappers that we should definitely keep an eye on in the upcoming years. Producer Big Ghost has been delivering tough beats for the underground scene for years now. Van Ghost is a unique combination of uncompromising rap and timeless art.
“I’m living life through eternity, and what they doing not concerning me
And when I move it’s with an urgency.”
Translated from Czech by Rado.
