FORTHRIGHT – STRONGER THAN A WEAPON
A photographic manifesto of global hip-hop resistance.
Driven by a deep passion for rap music and political storytelling, I spent six years traveling across 13 countries on four continents to document the lives and voices of 43 rap artists.
My journey led me especially to places where freedom of expression is under threat – to Cambodia, Burma, South Sudan, Senegal, Brazil, and beyond – where artists turn lyrics into resistance and rhythm into survival.
Through portraits and in-depth interviews, I sought to capture how these musicians confront inequality, state violence, censorship, and social injustice. Their voices carry the raw urgency of protest and the quiet strength of survival.
This long-term project culminated in my artist book FORTHRIGHT – Stronger than a Weapon.
THE BOOK
444 pages, 4 chapters, over 250 photographs, and 43 stories that prove the global force of hip-hop as a language of rebellion, healing, and hope.
FORTHRIGHT is not just a book.
It is a photographic manifesto.
A visual archive of resistance.
A call to listen more closely – and to act.
43 ARTISTS . 13 COUNTRIES . 4 CONTINENTS
“We wanted to make some music that tells people the truth.” — D.M.C., RUN DMC, USA
“Music became my painkiller.”— Emmanuel Jal, South Sudan
“I am not a star. I am just Fatou, a rapper who wants to use her voice got change things.”
— Sister Fa, Senegal
„These 43 people from around the world use music to advocate for peace and human rights.“
„The renewal of protest books.“
FINALIST AT THE LUCIE PHOTO BOOK PRICE 2017 IN THE SINGLE AUTHOR CATEGORY.
NOMINATED FOR BOOK PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR | LIMITED EDITIONS AT THE LUCIE AWARDS in NEW YORK
🎙️ 4 Chapters, 4 Sides – like a record.
FORTHRIGHT- Stronger than a Weapon is not just a book – it’s a record of resistance.
Each side spins a story: of truth, rhythm, and rebellion.
Click a vinyl side and hear the story unfold.
Exhibition views of the Exhibition at Galerie Droste Wuppertal.
Sister Fa from my book FORTHRIGHT on the #SVLA1 Screen in downtown Los Angeles, as a part of the StandardVision SV Showcase X Month of Photography Los Angeles.