Egypt + Jay Z = Gold — This signature was initiated by the color gold. I was interested in the correlation between gold within Ancient Egyptian culture and rap culture. I divided the each spread in half with an academic essay on the importance of gold in Ancient Egypt that is viewed horizontally and a contemporary essay on the empire of the Jay-Z that is viewed vertically. As I explored gold in both cultures I found that both used gold as a means to portray wealth. In Ancient Egypt gold is seen as a means of power and in rap culture it is deemed as cheap and inauthentic. The academic essay penetrates the contemporary essay at moments where the stories relate to one another. Overprinted throughout the signature are Jay-Z lyrics from "FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt", which describes how rappers use the physical appearance of royalty from Africa as a reference.
