tattoo - hip hop humanism2024-03-29T14:25:20Zhttps://hiphophumanism.ning.com/news/feed/tag/tattooMr. Cee Interview (Part One)https://hiphophumanism.ning.com/news/mr-cee-interview-part-one2018-01-28T19:36:47.000Z2018-01-28T19:36:47.000ZJay Renehttps://hiphophumanism.ning.com/members/TheJayRene<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2462213?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Hip Hop Humanism had the pleasure to sit down with Andy Cassidy, a dope tattoo artist who currently lives in LIverpool.  He is creating human canvases with Hip Hop artistry that have been acknowledge by the stars he recreates on his clients skin.  In this article, learn about how 'Mr. Cee' fell in love with Hip Hop and his thoughts about its platform and potential.  Please read to learn more about the artist and the man who is making walking canvases that pay homage to Hip Hop.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>HHH:  Tell us a little about yourself? </p>
<p>Mr. Cee:  Well "Mr. Cee" started as a joke! I was in work with a few hrs. to spare and playing Run DMC. I was playing with the logo and made it my profile pic on Facebook. My Name is Andy Cassidy...... Hence the Mr. Cee. After a while, to take the joke a little further, plus noticing how the logo was being used for everything, I had some T-shirts printed and was giving them away with larger sittings.... again, it was just a joke, "Mr. Cee" was just a bit of fun to me.</p>
<p>When I decided to leave the studio I was at and open my own studio, the name "Mr. Cee" was never an option for the name, but my wife explained to me that my "joke" was something some companies spend thousands of pounds and maybe years trying to do. I had created a "brand" in a few months and it was well known across Liverpool, where I live. So, reluctantly, Mr. Cee Tattooz became a "thing"! That was just over 3 yrs. ago, working on my own, moving premises twice and annoying everyone on social media to get the shop name out there for the world to see.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>HHH:  We have heard that your tattoo studio isn’t like many of the ones that many of us have seen.  Tell us about it.</p>
<p>Mr. Cee:  My studio isn't your typical tattoo Studio. No skulls, no dark imagery, and no dead stuffed animals like many I have been in to. No death metal or rock n roll being played, it’s STRICTLY Hip Hop!  The walls have album covers from some of the classics, a few bits and bobs signed by some of my Hip Hop heroes that I’ve been blessed to spend time with.  The Hip Hop thing seems to bode well with (some) customers, they feel it’s a refreshing change from the music many other studios play.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>HHH: Nice.  I hope that I can visit one day.  So with all this homage and love in your shop, we have to ask, what first made you interested in Hip Hop?</p>
<p>Mr. Cee:  My first introduction to Hip Hop, as far as I can remember, was probably Rappers Delight. I was 8. My elder brothers played mostly punk / MOD music as I was growing up. The Sex Pistols, The Jam, Madness, that type of stuff, so that what was I listened to. Until rappers Delight! It took a few yrs. for Hip Hop to start showing up in the town where I lived, the occasional track got played on the radio, a few tracks made it to tape.  Then I met a guy who was in the army, he gave me a mix tape he got while in New York, this was maybe 1982 / 83. GAME OVER!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>HHH:  When did you realize how influential Hip Hop was and what was your thoughts about the discovery?</p>
<p>Mr. Cee:  When I heard ‘The Message’ by Melle Mel and Hip Hop just got me more and more intrigued. These guys weren’t singing, they were just talking and telling me about stuff I didn't know existed. That mix tape got played to DEATH! "The Wild Style" by Timezone / Afrika Bambaatta was the one that got me in to breaking. I wasn't very good at that, so I started doing Graffiti and dressing like an extra from Beat Street and tagging everything that moved, bombing what didn't. Hip Hop was something so new and alien to me, and the kids I was hanging out with at school etc., we were all fascinated with these stories from New York (predominately).  But I knew there and then, I was hooked. I couldn't stop listening to it. Hip Hop became life. </p>
<p>Hip Hop started teaching me stuff school wasn't. Peace, Unity, Love...... And having fun! To this day, I still don't know of another music genre that promotes peace, racial harmony and education like Hip Hop does. You can pick holes in the lyrics of some tracks until you’re blue in the face, BUT..... NO other music shows more positivity than Hip Hop. It is VERY hard at times to defend they lyrical content of some artists. But the CULTURE of Hip Hop, once broke down, Ill defend and promote to the fullest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>HHH:  We definitely agree with you there Mr. Cee.  I guess that goes to show how Hip Hop can influence those who listen to it.  From style of dress to where you go and what you do.  That type of influence definitely is powerful and we are glad that artist like you respect the platform.  The power of it has to be acknowledged and protected.  Just like the positive results come, so can negative ones.  That is why we at Hip Hop Humanism believe in preserving the type of things you speak of and we are thankful for visual artist like you, Andy Katz and Askem, just to name a couple.</p>
<p>Mr. Cee:  Thanks Jay.  Artist like Andrew Katz and Askem, these two produce art in very different mediums for the love of the culture much respect to them and those like them</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Be sure to keep an eye out for part two of this in-depth article with Andy Cassidy aka Mr. Cee.  To see more about the artist right now, check out the links below</p>
<p>Hip Hop Humanism</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Twitter:  @MrCeeTattoo</p>
<p>Instagram: @mr_cee_tattooz</p>
<p>Facebook:  facebook.com/mrceetattooz</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
</div>Artist of the Week - Andy 'Mr. Cee' Cassidyhttps://hiphophumanism.ning.com/news/artist-of-the-week-andy-mr-cee-cassidy2018-01-01T17:43:23.000Z2018-01-01T17:43:23.000ZJay Renehttps://hiphophumanism.ning.com/members/TheJayRene<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2462218?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Hip Hop is everywhere. It spills over into our everyday lives. Its influence cannot be denied. It isn’t just a Black culture thing, it is a culture thing, it is a thing…it just IS. It is embraced, created and emulated by many all over the world. We have the listening pleasure of the music, but we also have the visual pleasure of experiencing Hip Hop on various canvases. When we speak of canvases, what may quickly come to mind are pieces of paper or computer designing. Many of us might also think to graffiti which can also be a “street” canvas for Hip Hop. These are all ways that Hip Hop life can be captured and celebrated, but what about movable canvases? Yes they do exist. Let us introduce you to one of the front running designers of these movable canvases of art, Andy Cassidy.</p>
<p>Andy Cassidy is currently residing in Liverpool, England where he is an award winning tattoo artist. He goes by the name Mr. Cee and has been helping people become movable canvases for years. His ability to do portraits are stellar and something that not many can claim fame to. He has the ability to capture the essence of the Hip Hop creators he tattoos and his craft is one we can appreciate.</p>
<p>We first discovered him via twitter. A tweet came through showing his talent as an artist. His work has been recognized but some of the Hip Hop legends he replicates for his clients. His ability to give his works of art personality is something that many are not able to do. We could tell immediately that he was not just duplicating pictures. It is easily seen that he knows more about the works of art he creates on peoples skin, than what they look like.</p>
<p>When asked about his creative process Mr. Cee says “My studio isn't your typical tattoo Studio. No skulls, no dark imagery, no dead stuffed animals like many I have been in to. No death metal or rock n roll being played, it’s STRICTLY Hip Hop! The walls have album covers from some of the classics, a few bits and bobs signed by some of my Hip Hop heroes that I’ve been blessed with spending time with”. We were not surprised. When you view his tattoos you can tell that there is a process and that this process is working. His images are not ‘flat’. You can feel the personality of the artist in the tattoos.</p>
<p>Hip Hop is not something that Andy just picked up one day recent. His first introduction to Hip Hop was when he was about 8 years old. Rapper Delight hit the scene and took the country by storm. After that a friend he met who was in the Army gave him a mix tape from New York around 1982. This solidified the relationship between Andy and Hip Hop. After hearing ‘The Message” by Melle Mel he says “I was hooked. I couldn’t stop listening to it. Hip Hop became life”. This shows how powerful the Hip Hop platform is. It should also prompt us to use it for good.</p>
<p>The Hip Hop culture is so complex that a person doesn’t have to be a great MC or know how to produce a “hot” beat to create within its space. Andy, who loved the culture but found that he wasn’t great at dancing or creating music, began his Hip Hop expression with graffiti creations. He also displayed the fashion of the culture, something that many of us still do today. Something that sticks out greatly is when Andy explains the messages he picked up from Hip Hop then. He says “Hip Hop started teaching me stuff school wasn’t. Peace…Unity…Love…and having fun”. We must nod in nostalgic agreement.</p>
<p>Andy Cassidy and his creations of Hip Hop artistry on moving canvases is just another testament that Hip Hop is everywhere and that it is loved by many. We must agree full heartedly with Andy when he says “Hip Hop is universal! A culture that accepts all people, all races, all creeds, colors and religions…a culture that Grandmaster Caz says ‘reinvented everything’’. Please check out the links below to see more of Mr. Cee’s work. Also be looking for the publication of his interview with Hip Hop Humanism that tells us more about his love for the music and his craft as a tattoo artist.</p>
<p>Andy Cassidy would like to give a special shout out to Andrew J. Katz and Askem. Two other incredible visual artist. To learn more about them, you can find articles and images on <a href="http://www.hiphophumansim.com/">www.hiphophumansim.com</a> under the “News” tab.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Hip Hop Humanism</p>
<p></p>
<p>More on Mr Cee:</p>
<p>Twitter: @MrCeeTattoo</p>
<p>Instagram: @mr_cee_tattooz</p>
<p>Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mrceetattooz">www.facebook.com/mrceetattooz</a></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2412006?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2412006?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="550" class="align-full"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2412031?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2412031?profile=original" width="480" class="align-full"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2412064?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2412064?profile=original" width="480" class="align-full"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2412094?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2412094?profile=original" width="480" class="align-full"></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p></div>