Mos Def Photo Exhibit Opens in Los Angeles

Mos Def routinely blurs the lines between music and other artistic mediums, so it's no surprise that he's become the subject of a new photo exhibit. The show, which opened over the weekend at HVW8 Art & Design Gallery in Los Angeles, features images by a photographer named Cognito. He followed Mos around throughout his two-year journey recording and touring for 'The Ecstatic' snapping candid shots the whole way.

If you're in the area, you can check out the photos until the end of the week. The show prominently features images of Mos Def touring the globe and hitting places like the Cape of Great Hope in South Africa and San Paolo, Brazil. Yet for many, the big attraction will be a series of "end-of-the-night posse shots" that feature Jay Electronica, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu and Shuggie Otis.

As far as in-studio imagery, we get the mighty Boogie Man in the lab with producers such as Madlib, OH NO, Preservation and Georgia Anne Muldrow. After the exhibition comes down, Cognito plans to package the entire catalogue into an art book so that fans all over the globe can forever cherish the images associated with 'The Ecstatic'.

And what's an art show without a clothing item to market it? As an additional tribute, Cognito sat down with the folks at UNION boutique to collaborate on a limited edition t-shirt that can check it out by visiting their online shop.