Chromogenic print of the Ego Trip Crew at the Monkey Academy: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The image shows the members of Ego Trip Crew in a room full of CDs and albums. There are CDs on a bookshelf in the background and also on a table off to the side. There is DJ equipment on the table and album covers on the walls. There is also a pop art MTV logo painted on the wall in the background.

Jeffrey Mao is on the proper right side. He is wearing a black shirt with a white Puma logo and loose khaki pants. His arms are behind his back. Brent Rollins his to his left. He is wearing a grey button down shirt and light denim jeans. To his left is Sacha Jenkins. He is wearing a black t-shirt with a red and white ego trip logo. He is holding a brown baseball bat in his right hand and his left arm is around Elliott Wilson's shoulder. Wilson is wearing a light blue jersey with the number [20] in white and black pants. His left arm is around the waist of Gabriel Alvarez. Alvarez is wearing a grey t-shirt that says [NOBODY / LIKES / ME.] in black and brown pants. His right hand is on Jenkins's shoulder and his left arm is extended out and his hand is making a fist. In front of the crew there is a Biz Markie doll in a yellow and white chair. The doll has a goatee, a black and red baseball cap, and a red long-sleeved shirt that says [BIZ / MARKIE] in white. The doll has a boom box on its lap.

The photograph is printed on Kodak Royal paper. An inscription on the back reads [By Bill Adler 8-99].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: August 1999
• Photograph by: Bill Adler, American, born 1951
• Subject of: Ego Trip, American, founded 1994
• Subject of: Jeffrey Mao, American
• Subject of: Sacha Jenkins, American, born 1971
• Subject of: Elliott Wilson, American, born 1971
• Subject of: Brent Rollins, American, born 1969
• Subject of: Gabriel Alvarez, American
• Subject of: Monkey Academy, American, founded 1994
• Type: chromogenic color prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: dye and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 8 7/8 × 13 3/8 in. (22.5 × 34 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 11 × 14 1/16 in. (27.9 × 35.7 cm)
• Place captured: Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Journalism
• Topic: Mass media
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2015.132.12
• 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: Photo by Bill Adler Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.