We have come to know Action Bronson as many things; a hip-hop artist with impeccable sampling taste and delivery, a celebrity chef, a VICE host, an author, a spokesperson, a body boarder (something we learned on his social channels these past months), graffiti artist and now... a painter. It makes plenty of sense if you look at the broader view of Action Bronson and his taste. He is always exploring unseen or unfound pieces of culture, much of it to do with his Queens upbringing and the diversity one understands and immerses themselves in the various cultures of the great Borough. NYC can be many things, but for the man born Ariyan Arslan in 1983, he channels a special energy of nostalgia with a very in-the-moment sense of self and what he loves to do.

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So painting comes at an interesting time for Action. He has always dabbled, but he took a more honest and serious approach just before the pandemic struck so when it came time to hunker down for 12 months, he got to work. And there are a lot of paintings! Like his new workout regime, he is dedicated... but the main thing is that he is having fun. Fun with exploring a new way of communicating, finding parts of himself in the works that he can't articulate in his music and food and new sense of freedom. The works have both the making of childhood memories and abstract musings, not quite unlike how he approaches music, but in a way, more personal. Once a song is released, it's for everyone, stream after stream. Once a painting is made, that personal relationship is something different, something only the artist can really have in themselves.

We talk about that difference and special connection to this personal output in our newest Radio Juxtapoz podcast with Action Bronson. We talk about how he started painting, how it relates to his creative outputs of the past and why it seems to have resonated with him so deeply.

The Radio Juxtapoz podcast is hosted by FIFTH WALL TV's Doug Gillen and Juxtapoz editor, Evan Pricco. Episode 070 was recorded via Skype in London, San Francisco and Brooklyn on April 02, 2021. Follow us on @radiojuxtapoz