Mural Projects
“Artists are the #GATEKEEPERS of truth… We are the compass for humanity’s conscious.” Harry Belafonte
Coming up in the 80s and 90s Hip Hop graffiti scene our founders have always known they would be able to utilize their love for street art as a mechanism to deliver powerful messages to the masses.
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh and designed by TWIG. Muralists: IZK, DTOX, Joe SKILZ & TWIG
From our inception, we knew that the very first impression we would make would need to represent our mission and vision. The mural depicts the four ELEMENTS of Hip Hop Culture, Graffiti, DJs, Emcees, and Breakers surrounding the globe as we strive to bring love and support to marginalized families all over the world. We decided to make that first impression in Dallas TX, the home of BRR’s amazing muralists, IZK, DTOX and Joe SKILZ and former home to our Founder and CEO Rameen Aminzadeh. When asked why Dallas? Rameen answered “Dallas is the city that gave me a new lease on life and will forever hold a very special piece of my heart! Therefore, it was only right to make it the launching pad for our organization!” So on July 20th, 2013 we celebrated the launch of Beats Rhymes and Relief with a block party that brought the community together with plenty of free food, good music and break dancing while we painted this amazing 2 1/2 story mural and shot the first music video entitled “About Time” for our very first initiative called Making Beats Count!
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh. Designed by IZK, DTOX and ISLAM with a special dedication to our fallen brother MINUS ONE. Muralists: IZK, DTOX & Joe SKILZ
The childhood home to our other Founder and COO Omar Al-Chaar, Chicago was the obvious choice for our second mural after a horrific weekend in June of 2013 left 41 shot and 7 dead. So on August 24th, 2013 we gathered in Englewood, which was considered to be one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods with artists and community leaders from across the city to host a day of peace, love and having fun as we painted this 3 story masterpiece and filmed the second music video for our Making Beats Count program called “Shine“.
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh. Designed and painted by BRR muralists: IZK, DTOX & Joe SKILZ with support from Ricardo Malvin, MosGen the Poet and many other DC artists.
On September 28th, 2013 we gathered in Washington, DC, BRRs home base to host another community block party with our brothers Donte L. Davis of New Beginnings Vocational, Rep. Andre Carson and Rev. Yearwood of Hip Hop Caucus. This Mural depicts the rich history of our nation’s Capital as well as tons of designs and patterns representing a collage of our cultures mixed within to make AMerica the melting pot it is. Once again hosting a day of peace, love and having fun as we celebrated life and filmed the third music video for our Making Beats Count program called “Faces“.
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh. Designed and painted by BRR muralists: IZK, DTOX & Joe SKILZ with support from legendary artists, SLONE, LAVA 1&2, OBE, SEN-ONE6, CHIEF 69, SPICE, MEANO & RAIGE.
On November 13th 2013, we gathered together at Harlem’s iconic National Black Theatre to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Universal Zulu Nation and the 44th anniversary of Hip Hop Culture. This was a very special block party because on top of the food, music and dancing we hosted a winter coat drive and food give away during the music video shoot of our 4th installment of the Making Beats Count program called “The Foundation“.
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh. Designed and painted by BRR muralists: IZK, DTOX & Joe SKILZ with support from legendary artists, BRUNO and the amazingly talented sisters and brothers from the STP Foundation.
On June 1st 2014, our crew slid to Los Angeles California to collaborate with our sisters and brothers from STP to lace all the iconic Walls on Venice Beach as we hosted the 5th block party and video shoot from our Making Beats Count program called “The Culmination” west coast icon Casual of the infamous Hieroglyphics crew and J-Ro from Tha Alkaholiks.
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh and Carmen Perez-Jordan. Designed and painted by BRR muralists: IZK & DTOX
On September 28th 2014, BRR partnered with Harry Belafonte’s the Gathering For Justice and Justice League NYC for the nations most comprehensive Juvenile Justice conference entitled “Growing Up Locked Down” to create an interactive mural called “Solutions Central”. The mural depicted 3 iconic portraits of Jaisha Scott the 6-year-old kindergartner who was handcuffed after a so-called temper tantrum whose story motivated icon Harry Belafonte to launch the Gathering For Justice in 2005. Also depicted is Syed Fahad Hashmi an American Muslim wrongly convicted of aiding a terrorist organization as a teen. The mural included an area in which onlookers could contribute to the ideas that said “Instead of __________ we __________.” Talib Kweli wrote “Instead of complaining about what folks don’t do we support those who build and organize movements.” John Forte wrote “Instead of acting on impulse we deliberate.” while Piper Anderson wrote “Instead of criminalizing youth we elevate their voices.“
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh. Designed and painted by BRR muralists: IZK, DTOX & Joe SKILZ with support from legendary artists, SLONE, LAVA I & II, OBE, SEN-ONE6, CHIEF 69, MEANO, SEE TF, MERES ONE & SHIRO.
On November 10th 2014, We celebrated the 45th Anniversary of Hip Hop Culture with our UZN family by wrapping the Hall of Knowledge in Bushwick with an homage to the artists who chose to put community first by painting their portrait in each of the letters of the title “Hip Hop Culture”. From left to right we see Kool Herc, Roxanne Shante, MC Lyte, Disco King Mario, Lisa Lee, Afrika Bambaataa, Bahamadia, Yasin Bey, Queen Latifah, Talib Kweli, KRS One, Lauryn Hill and Chuck D. Also depicted are Rakim and DJ Jazzy Jay, the original Mighty Zulu Kings and SLONE representing the practitioners of the four elements of Hip Hop – graffiti artists, DJ’s, Breaking Dancers and Emcees.
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh. Designed and painted by BRR muralists: IZK, DTOX & Joe SKILZ with support from NETHER, BAPS as well as family and friends of Freddie Gray.
On May 9th, 2015, we returned to our #BelovedCommunity West Baltimore to celebrate the life of our brother Freddie Gray and the sisters and brothers who rose up to demand #Justice4Freddie in this mural entitled the “Power Of The People” which stood 3 stories tall and an entire block long. This was one of the most powerful events we have been a part of since our inception. Folks from across the country came out to support the #BmoreYouthRise and literally had a hand in making this powerful piece come to fruition by putting their handprints on the mural and writing messages of encouragement, hope and love for all who come to see it! The mural depicted an amazing portrait of Freddie “Pepper” Gray, his brother Brandon Ross who led members of his family and friends as they rose up to demand justice, the burning CVS and the first responders who put out the fire in larger than life puzzle pieces resting over top actual newspapers from the #uprising with messages from the community reclaiming the narrative that story was about the murder of Freddie Gray, the outrage of the community who took to the streets in protest and the resilience of the youth who are forced to live in this over policed community.
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh. Designed and painted by BRR muralists: IZK, DTOX & Joe SKILZ with support from NETHER, BAPS as well as family and friends of Freddie Gray.
On August 15th, 2015, we hosted a back to school block party called #BmoreSuccessful in West Baltimore where we updated the “Power of the People” mural with new imagery of what the community was striving to accomplish. More larger than life puzzle pieces were added with young people building new housing and community gardens while ensuring our stories are told in the by creating our own media outlets while adding more handprints from residents of Sandtown.
Concept created by Rameen Aminzadeh. Designed and painted by BRR muralists: IZK & Joe SKILZ with support from NETHER, Rameen and NELLZART.
On September 30th, 2015, BRR in partnership with Michael P. Scott of Equity Matters, Tahira Idham and Dominic Nell of Nellaware Photography kicked off the 2015 Imagining America conference with this powerful mural entitled “My America”, a tour of Baltimore’s Sandtown community where Freddie Gray was murdered by police and a workshop reclaiming the narrative when it comes to the uprising, over policing and the blatant neglect these marginalized communities in the city have faced for decades. The mural depicts a tale of two neighborhoods. On the left we see an oversized American Flag standing 4 stories tall with what those of us who grew up in West Baltimore see everyday… the blight, the trash, the surveillance, the violence and lack of opportunities while we are forced to protest against the harassment and aggression from police while the neighborhood on the right seems to be a clear part of the fabric of America as the flag literally envelopes this community with its safe, clean streets, business that clearly uplifts some of the immigrant communities this country has at one point in time or another discriminated against but now seems to embrace.
