MY HOMIES RULE TOO ::: MARTEI KORLEY

I met Martei through another one of my favorite photographer friends, AMIR EBRAHIMI (whom I also featured here before) last year on a road trip to DC. Throughout the entire trip we talked a lot about him doing music but not so much about photography, which is why I always remembered him as a musician. So when I recently stumbled upon his work, I was completely floored. He is truly adept at making classic, iconic portraits, which is so hard to achieve on a consistent basis. Amazing work!

From his bio: Martei Korley was born in Denmark of Danish-Ghanaian heritage but has called NYC home for the past 14 years. Originally drawn to photography as a means of supporting his music career, Martei Korley quickly developed his sideline into a powerful creative expression and a career in it’s own right. His work is generally portrait driven, but fashion and urban spaces are also regularly visited areas of interest. Over time, his extensive relationships with Jamaican musicians--and proven ability to get shots that are simply impossible for other photographers--has established him as the one of reggae music’s foremost documentarians and as a result he has shot editorials or album packaging for almost every major reggae artist working today. His work has been featured in The Rolling Stones, XLRTR, Riddim, Mass Appeal, FADER, The Source, and TRACE, among others.

WHERE DO YOU CALL IT HOME? NYC/ Kingston/ Copenhagen
WHAT DO YOU DO? MAKE MUSIC(as a vocalist, writer, musician) /MAKE IMAGES(As a Photographer and sometime Director).
TRUE BEAUTY IS… natural.
BEATS… Are what's left when no one wants to make real music. A beat and a groove is NOT the same.
TRUE SEXY IS… confidence minus arrogance.
MUSIC IS MY…lifeblood.
ART DOES NOT…necessarily make money. And art can do more than provoke.
MY NIGHTS ARE…full of sounds.
THESE 3 TURN ME ON… Fantastic women. Fantastic Women. Fantastic Women
SELF-KNOWLEDGE … is essential.
ENOUGH OF …these meaningless wars/world hunger/envy, greed and badmind. The Emperor's New Clothes is a TIRED story - look at the state of affairs today. The rich are getting richer while the masses suffer. How can we make people understand that religion is personal?
MY CREATIVITY IS…created by the Father.
TRUE POWER IS…Divine.
LIFE CAN BE THE... ultimate deal maker/breaker who would?
TO LOVE IS TO…accept.
I'VE GOT FLOW BECAUSE…I AM!
NEW PROJECTS FOR 2010? "SO Proud" available on Iyahtunes from Ntelekentertainment.com LargeUp.com - Me and my bro. DJ Gravy's Carribbean forum, hosted as a blog on okayplayer.com. Chill with us from your desktop if you can't make the flight.. Working on a portrait book project of personalities in the Kingston recording world with my dups Eddie "Stats" Houghton. More music!
WHERE CAN WE REACH YOU?
marteikorley.com, okayplayer.com/largeup, youtube.com, ntelekentertainment.com, myspace.com/martei
SHOUTOUTS? Big respect