Art Matters is the podcast that brings together pop culture and art history, hosted by Ferren Gipson.

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Jay Z created a performance art piece with Marina Abramović and wrote a song called 'Picasso Baby'; Kanye West made a video inspired by a Vincent Desiderio painting. How – and why – have recent hip hop artists made extensive references to art in their music? This episode takes a look at how the relationship between art and hip hop has evolved, how graffiti art and hip hop grew up together, and why references to Basquiat are sending a powerful message.

This episode's guest

James Braxton Peterson is a writer. He is the author of several books, including: The Hip Hop Underground and African American Culture, Prison Industrial Complex for Beginners and Hip Hop Headphones: A Scholar’s Critical Playlist. He is also the founder of Hip Hop Scholars, Inc., an association of hip hop generational scholars dedicated to researching and developing the cultural and educational potential of hip hop, urban, and youth cultures.

Peterson has written for Fortune.com, Newsweek.com, The Guardian, The LA Times, Reuters, and The Daily Beast. He is a media commentator and has appeared on MSNBC, Al-Jazeera, CNN, HLN, Fox News, and other networks as an expert on race, politics, and popular culture.

Find out more on his website or find James on Twitter.

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Jay Z, Warhol and Queen: when music meets art

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