Meet Isis Kenney | Designer and C.E.O

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isis Kenney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isis, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Growing up in Poughkeepsie, New York, which is upstate New York, there weren’t any Hip Hop outlets outside of Vassar College’s weekly student radio programming. Due to not having access to our culture, it inspired me to collect Hip Hop magazines and photojournalism books. My collection continued to grow throughout High school and college and in my junior year of college, I started my Hip Hop Fine Art collection, which at the time consisted of collage on canvas.

This collection was to depict visual narratives of Hip Hop artists and their legacies. Featuring labels, beef and issues that they encountered during their careers. During the time of producing my collages,I had no name for my work, nor did I see myself as a company. I trademarked Hip Hop Fine Art, after having a dream and took my security money from my last apartment and paid to start and complete the process of trademarking Hip Hop Fine Art.

While continuing to produce my collage collection, I started to receive opportunities for my art to grow in scale. My collages soon went from being on canvas, to digital art replicated on stage for set design purposes. It inspired me and showed me just how far my art can go. After receiving numerous opportunities and commissions, I started my Hip Hop Decor Collection. After completing the collection, I started to receive more opportunities for award shows and other media outlets. I realized that lovers of Hip Hop, like myself, were longing for a brand and products that showcased our impact and our value.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Hip Hop is over 40 years old and has always been a creative outlet, in every facet of its 5 elements. Throughout the history of Hip Hop there have been predominantly male artists that receive the most recognition whether it be through music, art, fashion, Dj-ing etc. Due to it being a story told mostly by men, there has been a crucial part of the culture that continues to be left out of the conversation and that is education and the preservation of what we have all created. Due to our own ego’s and lack of teamwork and collaboration within the community the glue that keeps us together as a culture continues to get lost. We have to fight each other to contribute to an institution for us, we have to fight each other to determine who gets recognition and who doesn’t. We fight each other over what is valuable, what is ours and still don’t have much that we own collectively as a culture.It is unfortunate that we have a hard time coming together to do what’s right on behalf of our own culture yet we get mad if someone else does it.
Instead of waiting for someone else to recognize us as valuable in the form of fine art, in the form of decor and home accessories and products we strive to do what hasn’t been done.
Our goal is to continue to be the leading voice in Hip Hop Fine Art, preserving hip hop history in the form of visual narratives and expanding the perception of us as a people, highlighting just how far our culture has come and can go. Instead of it being a one man show, it is a woman combining education, fashion,art, interior design and home goods, in the contexts of hip hop preserving the culture for our children to embrace and for us all to cherish and share. Hip Hop deserves to be recognized as the true art form that it is and that is why we are different. We are fearless in our attempt to bridge generations and highlight all that we have contributed, globally.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Im new to Atlanta.. Honestly I still don’t know where i’m at. Thank goodness for GPS But I do love the Botanical Gardens and The High Museum..Im a knicks fan but I love a good Hawks game

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Throughout my journey, because I never knew I would become a business woman. I surrounded myself with other creatives that had their own businesses. Through these relationships with artists such as Kwame Brathwaite, Andre Leroy Davis, Businessman Curtis Sherrod of the Hip Hop Culture Center, Lyricist Lounge’s Anthony Marshall and Danny Castro, Fine Artist Cey Adams, Photographer Ernie Paniccioli, Basketball Icon Grant Hill, Rock-n-Roll Entertainer Bazaar Royale and the infamous DJ Beverly Bond. These relationships helped mold me, in recognizing the challenges successful artists and businesses have. Allowing me to feel confident, in continuing to pursue my purpose. These relationships and stories of triumph and perseverance allowed me to recognize my own unique calling. Allowing me to be confident with continuing with my passion to preserve our culture, despite any obstacles or challenges I may face along the way. Some of these artists and businessmen and women also had a dream that pointed them to their unique calling, which is why I always feel it’s important for artists to surround themselves with other creatives.

Reassurance and mentorship, encouraging you to remain dedicated to your mission and passion, in this life is needed for all artists.

Website: https://hiphopfineart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopfineart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isiskenney/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HIPHOPFINEART

Facebook: https://facebook.com/hiphopfineart1

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HIPHOPFINEART

Other: Fine Art America: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/isis-kenney Etsy Shop: https://bit.ly/hiphopfineart-on-etsy Our Holiday Catalog: https://bit.ly/HHFA-2021HOLIDAYCATALOG

Image Credits
The first image submitted was shot by @atlfabo