Interview: Jonathan Mannion Reveals The Major Keys To His Success At 'PROPHECY' Photo Exhibit

July 6, 2016 - 8:44 am by Josias Valdez

The world renowned photographer presented his contributions to Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt album in a private VIP celebration last week.

Jonathan Mannion's legacy can be viewed through the album covers he's shot throughout his career. From the late Aaliyah to Eminem, the Ohio native has helped painted a portrait of the albums that have become the soundtrack to any hip-hop fan's lives. Mannion's start is a story that never gets old.

In 1996, Mannion was recruited by Rocafella Records to take photos of a young rapper by the name of Shawn Carter for his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. "It wasn't about the money; just give me a chance to set the pace," he recalled during RD20, the documentary that aired via Tidal on the 20th anniversary of the legendary album.

"The ideas that I have are crazy. That's when the album was originally called Heir to The Throne and from there it switched to Reasonable Doubt the following day. We ultimately ended landing on a style piece with classic portraits...to really establish him as this Brooklyn, already established OG. We wanted to create something that was lasting. Something that could have been taken on that day in 1996 or yesterday, in 2016."

There were celebrations and pop-up shops honoring Reasonable Doubt last month, but Mannion's "PROPHECY" exhibit was the most intimate. A total of 22 images were shown at the private event that helped bring the album to light. With music from DJ Clark Kent filling the room, Mannion shares the energy of a new photographer, despite his lengthy career.
VIBE chatted with Mannion about his longevity, shooting DJ Khaled (Major Key,) Gucci Mane (Everybody Lookin) albums and more. Check out the interview and photos from the event in the gallery above.

Jonathan Mannion X Roc Nation Present: PROPHECY

VIBE: How does it feel to be here? It's incredible. Just being able to share [something] that's so personal to me after 20 years of it just sitting in a box and pulling it out for special occasions [is great.] But you know, with this kind of focus and intensity when the 20-year mark hit, and to have the people in the building, from Biggs to Emory, Ty Ty to Lenny S., it's pretty incredible. The people are really coming to support what I did, my contribution to that album. It was all about synergy for me. Nothing can feel disconnected from the process of what's happening with Jay, the team and the family he has surrounding him.

So tell me, in the 20 years of your career, what's the biggest lesson you've learned? Just bust your a** man. Nothing is handed to you, you have to fight for your vision. I think that is why I'm here because I really have a pure vision, I've fought for it and if you see me today, I have the hottest record out in the country with DJ Khaled, Gucci Mane, like "Yo, I didn't stop here." This (Reasonable Doubt) was the starting point and I'm still sprinting.

What's your tool of choice? My tool of choice? Polaroid 195 land camera. That was always it but now it's probably Hasselblad or the IQ250. I have to keep it moving so 80, 120 macro lens but yo, it's never the tool man, always the vision.

So what's next? This is really the onset of the 20 years of dedication. Not only did I do Reasonable Doubt 20 years ago, but it began a 20-year career. From this point of departure, I get to celebrate everything. All of the 20's, but cumulatively I've been working tireless for 20 years, I'm gonna tell you the whole story. From Hov, to Khaled and whoever else I get in between. I'm sure there would be plenty of people because there's a lot of stories that need to be told.

What would you tell all the kids in the game trying to come up in photography? Man, it's really tough. You just have to be ready for everything that's dished out to you. It's hard to fight for your vision. It looks really fun, like "Oh it's really simple, I know that guy and I got a really good picture than one time," It's much harder than that. This is a business, people are really true and savvy right now. The contracts come at you like Fast and Furious you know and I think you have to be ready for all of that.