Today I have the pleasure of highlighting the work of the god, Khalik Allah. Strapped with a full-manual Nikon F2, a super low-aperture lens and some rolls of low-ISO film, he works mostly at night on 125th and Lexington in Harlem preforming his Camera Ministry. His work can be described as visual representations of things you might’ve heard of in many Killah Priest verses. He photographs where few photographers dare to explore providing a stunning body of work which gives us a very raw and extremely real representation of street life found on that corner. I started following his work after NESAR put me onto Slang Aperture a few years ago. I’m a huge fan of the narrative continuity found in his photos with humbling characters such as Frenchie as the lead actor in this true-life story. When he’s not shooting flicks he might be working on one of his many dope short films, where he describes his world and shows you how he gets those rolls filled with tons of ill-visual. When he’s not doing that, he might be shooting a music video for one of the Wu members. It has been fascinating to see his work evolve through the course of time and we are honored to have him speak about his process and share some insight into what his vision is.
Khalik, I look at at the people around me who grew up in the ’90s, the main creative outlets for many of us came from one of the culture’s elements. What made you choose photography as your your main discipline, rather than something directly hiphop-related like graffiti or music?
I was born in ’85 and was a serious hiphop head by 1990. I used to spit little rhymes, b-boy, and write graff. One of my boys was a DJ. Hiphop was all around me and was gaining popularity through television… It was my teacher and inspiration. Above all, I was interested in raw images: I was born visual. The cinematography of the early Wu videos and ‘hood movies impressed me. Long before picking up an SLR to create photographs I had a video camera and was making short films. Vision is my predilection. It’s my chief choice of perception. I don’t rap but I’m a visual emcee. The streets are my studio, the camera’s my microphone, each photograph is a rhyme and my book is the album.
How did you get involved with the Nation of Gods and Earths?
Age thirteen was hell. I was baptized in the Knowledge of Self during this adolescent depression. I was getting left back in school because I wasn’t studying. Instead, I was smoking weed and hanging out all night. My street education began to eclipse everything fake I was hearing in school. The kids that were my friends weren’t real to me anymore. That’s when the Gods found me and took me in.
I grew up in the backseat of a gold Honda Accord. After getting left back in eighth grade in ’98 I was desperate for Light. I was blessed to receive the Knowledge of Self during that pivotal time.
I’ve seen a video of you chilling with Popa Wu, kicking some knowledge. How did you end up connecting with Poppa Wu and other Wu members?
It all emerged from having Knowledge of Self. I met Popa Wu when I was fifteen but we didn’t develop a serious bond until I was 21. In ’06, I started driving up to Park Hill to build with 4th Disciple. We started doing videos and he introduced me to Hell Razah. There was an automatic brotherhood between all of us based off the bond of the Knowledge. Around that same time, I started doing the Popa Wu DVD and he was taking me to the studio to interview the Clan. I met GZA in ’07 at Legacy Studios. My life is crazy because half my friends are rich and famous and the other half are broke and nameless. I can’t distinguish between the two anymore. Everybody is equal and God is no respecter of persons. My photography depicts this equality.
How often do you go out shooting?
I manage to shoot about three nights a month. People think I shoot a lot more than that. The truth is that I contemplate photography more than I exercise it. This enables me to maximize my time once I’m out in the street. It’s not easy for me because I work in the television business doing Master Control for AMC Networks. Eventually, I’ll quit my job and be making serious money through my work but I’m not compromising. I refuse to whore out my work for paper! I can be extremely successful and and still be true to myself… It’ll just take a little longer to blow.
Not sure if you’ve read this article on PetaPixel titled “Rant: I’m Tired of ‘White Guy Photography’ Projects”. Do you have any sort of opinion regarding his statements?
People use photography for different purposes: It’s versatile. To me, the best work is intimate and sincere. I’m not one to generalize or judge anybody else’s work. “Judge ye not lest ye be judged” said the prophets of old. I’m concerned with what I shoot.
Have you had any violent encounters while shooting on the streets?
I’ve been in dangerous situations but nobody ever brought violence to me. I’m harmless and defenseless. Your safety lies in your defenselessness. I stimulate the environment. If I intimidated people the reaction would be completely different. I present myself harmlessly and humble myself in the presence of all God’s children. I’m Daniel in the lion’s den with a camera. There’s danger around but vision implies responsibility to focus. This is the line I walk. Whatever you focus on expands. I could be shooting a killer but I focus on his divinity, thus I reinterpret himself to himself and this facilitates healing. That’s why I call what I do “Camera Ministry” – because I baptize with Light.
What’s up with Frenchie these days? Have you seen him lately?
Frenchie is the main character in my photography. He’s chilling! He was in the hospital for a while. Instead of arresting him the police put him in the psychiatric unit on the tenth floor of Harlem Hospital. He was bugging in the streets. He’s good now and he’s back on the street. Life is hard for a brother like him but he maintains. He makes himself rich by wanting less. He’s a legend in my eyes, not a vagrant. Word…
What would be your dream job in the photography world?
I may apply for Magnum Photos one day. I got love for them as a collective. If I was part of that team I’d be able to take on serious assignments and explore an array of stories around the world. I’m going to do that whether I join or not. Some of my favorite photographers are independent of cooperatives and are still extremely successful. Regardless to a planetary cooperative, I’m in league with supra-intelligences that make photographs without using a camera. Telling stories is my principle – depicting Light is the basics.
What is your editing process before showing your work to the world?
I’m classical and follow the old-school rules. I shoot film and never crop, never Photoshop but still I innovate. Every photograph that I publish gotta resonate with me. That’s the criteria. Content, framing and light (The Holy Trinity). Content is God, framing is the Holy Spirit and light is the Son. A good photograph has all of these. I aspire to this in my work but rarely achieve it. Practice is needed. Photography is a trade. It’s a discipline. I’m not one of these artists that just accepts anything. Editing is very important!
Anything else you would like to add? Any shout-outs or advice for aspiring photographers?
I would say shoot film. Learn your camera. Develop your own style. Study a lot of work. Get inspired. And don’t compare yourself to anybody.
Peace,
Khalik Allah
RESPECT!
You can can follow his work on Tumblr and Flickr. Make sure you peep his Youtube page, he’s got tons of ill videos on there. Here are a few of my favorites…
(c) MOOK-LIFE – Read entire story here.