It has been said by many people that first love only happens once. But for one-time Atlantic Records recording artist Boo Bonic, his journey into the world of fine art is part of a much larger healing process, and one that sees the Philly-born MC returning to fuel a fire that has burned inside of him since before he ever spit his first verse.
*Al-Baseer Holly’s “Childhood Access Memories” takes place Thursday (March 5) from 7:00pm-10:00pm at 441 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036
A Rose Grows & Then Tragedy Strikes, Twice
“I’ve been into [visual] art my whole life. My Dad was really good at drawing and, I don’t know, you know when you’re a kid and you see your Dad do something that people are impressed with, it makes you want to follow suit. So right around three or four years old I began drawing, then I got good at it,” remembered Bonic, whose real name is Al-Baseer Holly. He continued, “Then my Dad went to jail for four years and while he was locked up he would send me drawings. He would also draw stuff for his friends in jail cause he was so good at it people would ask him to make stuff for them to send home.”
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Despite his God given talents and a love for the craft, Bonic recalls a personal tragedy that would shift his focus from the paintbrush to the pen as a teenager.
When I was, shit I would say around was about 16, my brother got killed by [me and my partner from PMW’s] best friend, our boy Omar, who was closer to our age than my brother’s age. My brother was 23. Omar was younger than us but he wanted to be like my brother, so I guess he grew a hatred towards him because he wanted to be him so bad, but nobody could really see that there was animosity building because he would always be with him. Around that same time we also had another friend that passed away that was only 14. Got shot right in front of our crib. After that all happened my nerves just got shot, so I stopped drawing,” Bonic revealed. “My nerves really got bad. I couldn’t do straight lines. My hands weren’t steady. I started twisting my hair in the back to the point where it would create bald spots. No bullshit. I just couldn’t do it. I always rapped [though] and funny enough before I got out of high school I got a record deal, which was rare at the time in Philadelphia. Nobody was getting signed so I was like, “Fuck it I’m a rapper.” But I always drew. I never didn’t draw. I would draw on anything, I’d be in the studio drawing shit on the notebooks.”
Rita Ora Inspires & Boo Bonic Delivers
Philly’s Most Wanted signed a deal with The Neptunes but would part ways with the production duo after only one album. Boo-Bonic continued to write rhymes, but it would be a trip with Ricky Hil and Rita Ora that would inspire him to revisit his childhood passion.
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“In 2014 me and Rick and our people went all over the world and we went on this little run, and we had just come from Mystique, the island in the Caribbean and we were just out there vibin’ and thinking about the future and shit like that. Organically just thinking about this shit. And we got back home, I had a lot of pairs of Stan Smith Adidas, fresh ones, all white, so I just decided, we were about to go on this trip to Madrid, and Amsterdam and Germany and all these places, so I decided I would paint a pair of sneaks and just make them all about shit I remembered about Mystique. Then when we went on that trip to I wore them and everywhere I was walking with Rita (Ora) and Rick and all them, people were like “Who did those? Those are really cool.” Rita saw that and asked me to do a pair for her. She really got it poppin’ to be honest. I painted a Birkin bag for her and she posted it and put my email and that was it.”
Bonic, who has two appearances on Dom Kennedy’s forthcoming album, has never given up on being an emcee but with his first ever solo art show coming up, which will feature paintings, silk screen prints, and wearable art among other pieces, the 35-year-old’s focus and enthusiasm for creativity are at a level they haven’t reached in a long time.
“Anybody that’s been around me can tell I got a little more energy than before. This is the Boo that people know. I got back that confidence that comes with success. That’s what it’s always been about. I’m always going to love making art, so I really don’t have to chase it. It took me a long time to realize that I was chasing it. I almost think the universe and God just showed a sign when I decided to paint those sneaks and just showed me like, ‘Remember that was your first thing. You did that first and you were great at it.’”
