Experience the history of hip-hop at this celebrated photographer’s exhibit in Broward

Name any Black celebrity over the last three decades and JLash likely snapped a photo of them.

2Pac. Notorious B.I.G. Mike Tyson. Michael Jordan. Michael Jackson. Prince.

“I’m a historian of the culture,” the photographer, born Jeffrey Lashley, said. “You can’t put me in a box.”

For more than 40 years, Lashley has been documenting Black culture. But it wasn’t until early November that the Inglewood, Calif. native received the exhibition treatment at the Miramar Cultural Center to coincide with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Entitled “Sure Shot: Celebrating Hip-Hop Golden Jubilee,” Lashley’s exhibit takes viewers inside the history of hip-hop, featuring images of rappers ranging from Snoop Dogg to Trina to 2Pac.

“I have pretty much the whole 50 years of hip-hop minus about five years,” Lashley said of the exhibit which runs until Jan. 2, 2024. “I can go all the way back to the MC Hammer days and the Rappin’ Duke. I shot pretty much his first pictures back in the day. When Biggie talks about ‘Remember Rappin’ Duke, da-ha, da-ha? You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far,’ I go all the way back to the Rappin’ Duke.”

How Lashley managed to capture all these significant figures is a testament to his ability to be in the moment, said exhibit curator and Hampton Art Lovers founder Chris Norwood.

“His talent was not just with the camera,” Norwood added. “His talent was being present. That’s a valuable lesson one can gain out of that: your presence allows you to do other things. If he wasn’t there, he wouldn’t have taken that shot of 2Pac. He felt like there was something worthy to be photographed. ”

Lashley, however, explained it a bit different. It helped that Lashley worked as a photographer for Don King for 40 years, which gave him access to certain spaces. But Lashley also simply didn’t take no for answer. So he finessed: finessed inside award shows; finessed inside clubs; finessed award shows; finessed inside concerts. Once inside, he’d network.

“A lot of doors aren’t always open: you have to kick it in,” Lashley said.

Lashley’s persistence earned him a nickname: the King of Flash and Dash. Of course, there’s a funny story behind the moniker.

“Taking a picture of Prince and being chased by his security guards down the street for like five or six blocks before they got tired and just gave up,” Lashley said.

The exhibit features a combination of canvas portraits and gold-framed collages of pictures that resemble a scrapbook. The collages, which feature short descriptions about the images, are broken down into East Coast, West Coast and the South. There are also collages dedicated to Miami acts like Uncle Luke, Trina, Trick Daddy and DJ Khaled.

“I hope people take away a basic understanding of the development of hip-hop as we know it from the birthplace in New York to traveling to L.A. and being transported here to South Florida,” Norwood said.

The exhibit wasn’t necessarily easy to put together, according to Norwood. Like most artists, Lashley was protective of his work and struggled with letting Norwood leave with the actual photos. Then there’s the countless number of photos that Lashley has spread across various storage units.

“I feel like it was worth it because he has so much and I felt like people need know that he has this iconic collection of photography related to the Black experience,” Norwood said.

The exhibit will be like a walk down memory lane for some and a powerful education tool for others. And while the sheer number of photos on display is impressive, this is only a fraction of Lashley’s archive.

“This is basically just a keyhole of what I have,” Lashley said. “I gave them like 300 pictures but in reference to my count, I probably have more photos than McDonald’s has sold hamburgers.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Sure Shot Exhibit: Celebrating Hip-Hop Golden Jubilee

WHEN: Nov. 8-Jan. 2, 2024

WHERE: Miramar Cultural Center, 2400 Civic Center Pl., Miramar