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M3CCA loves to incorporate artwork into her distinctive creations
Artists from all over Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond are constantly creating innovative ways for fans to experience their music. And when the world of music and art collide, something magical happens. From purposeful murals to cultural dances and psychedelic paintings, there’s a reason why musicians are called creatives.
Here are five musicians who incorporate art into their work.
R&B soul artist Dezmond Walker incorporates film into his music in ways that transcend what we expect from music videos. He's always looking to tap into his listeners' emotions, and help them experience art in new ways. For his latest single, “Move On”, he assembled a group of Dallas-Fort Worth creatives for an intimate series called the “Move On Project”. It featured each creative (and the artist himself) being open and vulnerable about what they’re moving on from as they strive to better themselves.
Alternative hip-hop soul artist Broderick Perkins uses murals created by local artists to highlight Dallas artists in his videos and simultaneously draw in his viewers. Plus, each mural helps him tell a story that intertwines with his lyrics. Oftentimes, these murals act as allegories, revealing hidden messages embedded in Perkins’ lyrics. Each song features different mural locations because he wants the right song for the right art. To him, song, video, and art are a threefold connection where each medium complements the other.
Nwigwe has a keen eye. His vibrant videos always include fresh designs and choreography curated by him and his diverse team of talent. This hip-hop artist recently blew up on Instagram, and he continues to showcase his distinctive creativity by embedding art within his music. It looks like he plans to continue collaborating with artists outside of the music realm to bring his songs to life.
This psychedelic rock artist aims to transport listeners to another world through his music. Each album cover is a new painting, and Astro James partners with tattoo and folk artist Bobby Caruso to create an aesthetic work of art inspired by James’ music. The rocker often steers away from writing songs in the same style, so each release will have familiar characters but different themes.
Music and visual art have always been M3CCA’s best friends. This spiritual neo-soul artist incorporates body paint and fashion into her work, and creates her own art instead of outsourcing the jobs. In the future, she wants to take it a step further by curating exhibits and installations.
Kali Ah Yuen is the co-founder of People's Revolt, a public relations and marketing agency in Dallas, Texas.