Meet the Temple student who is a Hip Hop Portrait Artist

Last Christmas break was when Hanah Jang drew her first rapper. While Hanah is a rather zealous hip hop fan, the Tyler student found relief from stress and boredom in drawing the East Coast’s King of Rap.

"It’s more of a thing that I do as a stress reliever because I found it was a good outlet," Hanah said nonchalantly. There was no deliberate attempt to make a name for herself as the girl who draws rappers last Christmas, but once she posted her artwork on social media and saw the positive reactions, Hanah figured that this was not such a bad gig.

The fine arts major from Newton, Massachusetts did not always think that she would be entering the art world, especially not as high school student looking at colleges. She was originally committed to becoming an elementary school teacher, which appealed to her because it would allow her the freedom of creativity.

However, one night after staying up late in bed doing some deep self-reflection during her senior year, it dawned on Jang that she wanted to do something with computers that allowed her to express her creativity and while intriguing and rewarding, teaching elementary school was not the right method of expression. Regardless of the fact that she had not taken any art classes in high school, the pull of the arts was one that Hanah could not ignore. As a child, the signs that Hanah would eventually manifest herself as an artist were incredibly blatant. In fact, her mother loved to tell the story of how, as a kid, a family friend noted that the only time she was still was when she was doing art. It’s a story that still rings true; she can’t simply sit down and prop open a book, but creating art can keep her occupied for hours.

Flatbush Zombies, Young Thug, Kendrick Lamar, and Migos are on the shortlist of rappers that Hanah Jang has brought to pen, paper, and paint, and they are an impressive, thoughtful collection of the biggest names in hip hop. It is not so much that Jang “draws” rappers, what is perhaps more impressive is the character she gives each portrait, each embodies that specific rapper.

Hanah's portrait of Wiz Khalifa

An integral part of Hanah’s portraits are also her omission of their eyes, which is where she places the rapper’s names, and surprisingly, somehow you automatically hear the music leap off of the page into your ears.

Hanah’s portraits are not dope for the fact that she is exceedingly talented, but for the fact that the essence of the world’s favorite hip hop artists are magnificently captured in one image. Rap is not a genre that relies on any sort of actual guidelines, but it is usually characterized by a sort of grit, ruggedness, and precision that manages to always be cohesive. "Art, especially fine art, is under appreciated," says Jang, "everything is digital and this is fine art using its touch with pop culture."

While it may be true that the fine art is under appreciated, Hanah has mastered making it relevant and tailored to millennial palates. Jang’s portraits maintain the unrefined nature of hip hop combined with the precise grace of fine art, which is what makes her portraits so appealing.

LIVE.LOVE.A$AP

Hanah’s love of hip hop is something that she attributes to the God himself, Kanye West. “I want to think of something great for him because he is the rapper that got me into hip hop so I want to make my tribute to him meaningful because he is the one who influenced my music taste," Hanah admits with a tone of admiration and apprehension.

Rightfully so, but a glance at her portfolio is an assurance that, when that day comes, we will receive a portrait Yeezy himself would undoubtedly appreciate.

In the future, though, Hanah Jang does not see herself continuing with the rappers. “I want to try my hand at company branding for start-ups or existing companies and making stuff that is marketable. I really want to do things that people see everyday and can appreciate,” she says rather thoughtfully.

There are no qualms that Hanah will not fulfill her goal, either, as her rapper portraits have proven. Still, there is time before she retires as Temple’s favorite hip hop artist. Before that time, Hanah hopes to create an Instagram specifically for her work, moving from paper and printing her portraits on shirts, phone cases, things that everyone can enjoy. To snag a piece of Hanah’s work, she has opened her DM’s.

While Hanah does not give away original work, she does not charge a hefty fee for her prints.

To see what Hanah will do in the future with her hip hop portraits is a lot like waiting for Kanye’s next album; thrilling, anxious, but the certainty that it will be fantastic is irrefutable.