Cey Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cey Adams
Artist, Cey Adams.
Born	1962 (age 62–63) United States
Occupation	Visual artist, graphic designer, author

Cey Adams, born in New York in 1962, is a famous American artist. He is a visual artist, graphic designer, and author. He helped start the look of Def Jam Recordings. This was a big music company. Cey Adams is known for his amazing work with many music stars. These include the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige. People call him "legendary" for his hip-hop graphic design.

Cey Adams: A Creative Journey

Early Life and Art

Cey Adams started as a graffiti artist. This was in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He learned painting at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His art was shown in New York City. It was displayed next to works by famous artists. These included Jean Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

When he was 19, a gallery called Graffiti Above Ground showed his art. This gallery featured important graffiti artists. In 1982, Cey Adams was in a PBS documentary. It was called Style Wars. This film was about subway graffiti in New York.

Designing for Hip-Hop Stars

Cey Adams met Adam Horovitz in 1983. This started a close friendship with the Beastie Boys. Adams designed the graffiti letters for their first single. It was for their song "Cooky Puss."

Around the same time, he began working with Russell Simmons. Simmons ran Rush Artist Management. Adams created logos and designs for many rap artists. He made tour merchandise and advertising campaigns. Some of these artists were the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, De La Soul, and LL Cool J.

In the late 1980s, Adams and his partner Steve Carr started The Drawing Board. This was Def Jam Recording's own design company. They created the visual style for Def Jam artists. They also worked for other big music labels. These included MCA, Universal, and Warner Bros.

The Drawing Board closed in 1999. After that, Adams worked on ads for big companies. He designed for Levi's, Nike, HBO, and Coca-Cola. He also worked with Burton Snowboards and Comedy Central.

Beyond Def Jam

New Design Projects

After leaving Def Jam, Adams kept designing logos and brands. He worked with companies like Revolver Films. He also designed for music artists. These included the Foo Fighters and Mary J. Blige.

From 1999 to 2000, Adams was a creative director. He worked for Urban Magic. This was an internet company. It was started by Magic Johnson and Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz.

In 2000, he helped design the hip-hop section. It was for the Experience Music Project in Seattle. In 2001, Dave Chappelle asked Adams to create a logo. It was for his new TV show, "Chappelle's Show."

Art and Fashion Collaborations

Cey Adams had designed clothes for Run DMC for Adidas. In 2006, Adidas asked him to design his own clothes. He created tracksuits and sneakers for the Beastie Boys. In 2007, he made a special collection for Muhammad Ali.

These shoes were shown in an exhibit. It was called "The Rise of Sneaker Culture." This exhibit was at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

In 2008, Adams helped write a book. It was called "DEFinition: the Art and Design of Hip-Hop." He wrote it with music journalist Bill Adler. Adler was Def Jam's first publicist.

Museum Exhibitions and Murals

In 2011, Adams was invited to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. He took part in an exhibit called "Looking at Music 3.0." This show explored how music influenced art. It focused on New York in the 1980s and 1990s. He also designed a poster for the event.

That same year, a book about Def Jam was published. It was called "Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years." Adams designed this book and a CD box set. It showed photos and album art from the label's history. Also in 2011, he designed a poster for Tommy Boy Records. It was for their 30th anniversary.

In 2013, Adams painted a large mural. It was for The Juilliard School. The mural was called "Dream." It honored Martin Luther King Day. It was a powerful picture of Dr. King. It also showed a timeline of the Civil Rights Movement.

He also worked with the Brooklyn Academy of Music. They had a workshop called "Picture the Dream." It taught young people about art. It also shared Dr. King's message of equality and peace.

In 2014, Adams stayed at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. This was in Omaha, Nebraska. During his stay, he created a mural with local teenagers. The mural had the message "Love." He also started a new art series. It used classic company logos.

Recent Art and Community Work

In March 2015, Adams showed new art. It was a collection of collages. These collages used corporate logos. The art was shown at the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. This group helps young people in New York City. It was started by Russell Simmons.

The Foundation says Adams gets ideas from pop art and comic books. His work often looks at pop culture and community issues. His series Trusted Brands changes images he grew up with. Adams calls this series "an homage to pop art."

In July 2015, Adams took part in "Red Eye." This was an art event in Fort Lauderdale. He worked with students there. He helped them create a mural for the National Urban League conference. He also taught and gave talks.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016. Adams created a wall mural for its opening festival. He also designed a book for the Smithsonian. It was about Hip-Hop history. It had 300 pages, CDs, and rare photos.

In July 2017, Adams completed a mural in Lynn, Massachusetts. This was for a project called Beyond Walls. The project aims to make Downtown Lynn a better place.

The Brooklyn Arts Council honored Adams in 2015. This was for their 50th Anniversary Gala.

On August 11, 2017, Google celebrated Hip Hop's 44th birthday. They launched a special "Doodle." It had a logo by Cey Adams. It also had interactive turntables. Users could mix music samples. It taught about Hip Hop's history.

In 2018, Adams worked with photographer Janette Beckman. They created a project called "Mash Up." Graffiti artists "remixed" Beckman's photos of hip hop musicians. This project was released as a book.

In November 2018, Levi's opened a new store. It was in Times Square. Adams screen-printed and airbrushed clothes for the launch. These designs were a tribute to his graffiti days. He used to hand-paint designs on Levi's clothes for friends and family.

In 2019, Pabst Brewing Company asked Adams to redesign their logo. His design was put on 150 million cans. These cans were sold across the country.

In 2022, his art show Departure: 40 Years of Art & Design opened. It was at Stone Gallery at Boston University. This show looks back at his art from his whole life.