Chromogenic color print of X Clan and Isis: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A chromogenic color photographic print of hip hop artists X Clan and Isis captured in New York, New York by Ernest Paniccioli, 1990.

This photograph depicts Isis at center, surrounded by the four members of X Clan. The group is posing in front of two red, black, and green striped Pan-African flags. From left to right are Lumumba Robert Carson, “Professor X the Overseer”; Lin Que Ayoung, “Isis”; Anthony Hardin, “Suga Shaft the Rhythm Provider”; Jason Hunter, “Brother J the Grand Verbalizer”; Claude Paradise Gray, “Paradise the Architect.” All five individuals wear gold ear and nose jewelry and matching black hats with red and green Egyptian Ankh symbols on the fronts. The men of X Clan all wear a combination of chunky beads necklaces, either black, orange, yellow and white, alongside Ankh pendants. Professor X the Overseer (leftmost) wears black sunglasses and a black blazer. Isis has long black ringlet curls showing from beneath her hat; she wears a light grey jacket, and a green quilted top. Behind her, Suga Shaft the Rhythm Provider, mostly blocked from view, wears a black jacket. Brother J the Grand Verbalizer wears a green top (and at least Ankhs around his neck). At right, Paradise the Architect, wears large square eyeglasses and a black top and jacket. An Endura paper watermark and printing codes are visible on the verso.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1990
• Photograph by: Ernie Paniccioli, American, born 1947
• Subject of: X Clan, American, founded 1989
• Subject of: Isis, American, born 1969
• Type: chromogenic color prints
• Medium: dye and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 9 5/16 × 13 7/8 in. (23.7 × 35.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 11 × 13 15/16 in. (27.9 × 35.4 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2021.65
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Ernie Paniccioli Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.