While on a shoot for Rockefeller & Co in 10 Rockefeller Plaza, I noticed the office was situated right above where the Today show was filming. I watched as Lil Kim & Puff Daddy performed, and made the above image.
I photographed Lil Kim, as well as Puff Daddy, years ago in the height of the 90s hip hop era.
BET "Behind The Label" series features Benabib Archive Photos
BET "Behind The Label" series features Benabib archive photos of all the major players of UPTOWN Records. Uptown Records was an American record label, founded by Andre Harrell in 1986.[1] It went on to become one of the most popular hip-hop and R&B labels of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Featured on the roster were Guy, Heavy D & The Boyz, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Al B. Sure!, and Soul for Real amongst others.
Travel Photography: Cuba
Travel Photography: Laos
Never turn down a chance to travel.
In March I was having dinner at Indocine, of all places, with my good friend and traveling mate, Finn Olaf Jones. At dinner he invited me to travel on a motor cycle tour of Laos. He is a writer, and I am a photographer, so I knew this would be good. It was a wonderful trip guided by Jim Barbush of www.remoteasia.com.
There I met two friends of Finns’, Andrew and Garland. Off I went in the company of an outgoing group of riders to enjoy delicious spicy and seasoned meals. We met warm people while riding Honda dirt bikes through the fertile country side. Truly a trip I will treasure for a lifetime.
Images: Phase 1 of the Moynihan Station project nears completion in the historic James A. Farley Post Office
Moynihan Station is to occupy the current Farley Post Office on 34th Street to help alleviate pedestrian congestion for the Amtrak, New Jersey Transit & Long Island Railroad in Penn Station, across the street. While the plan was conceived 25 years ago, ground was broken on the project in 2010 and Phase 1 is expected to be completed this year, in 2016.
Skanska, one of the worlds leading civil construction groups, hired Michael Benabib, industrial photographer, to make images of both employees and of the construction project for a new proposal. After donning hard hats and reflective vests, we entered the construction site – to document the progress on phase 1, which involves installing an emergency ventilation system and new entrances to the building, as well as photograph the empty spaces where phase 2 will begin.
Michael Benabib, industrial photographer, on site, photographing Phase 1 of the Moynihan Station project. Photo by Moth Dust // www.mothdustphoto.com
The James A. Farley Post Office Building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966, so extra care on this project is made to keep the external façade of the building intact.
Phife Dawg, A.K.A. Malik Taylor, passes away at 45 of Diabetes
Photo by MICHAEL BENABIB C. 1989 Phife Dawg, aka Malik Taylor initially formed A Tribe Called Quest, then simply named Quest, with his high school classmate Q-Tip in 1985; the group was later expanded with the addition of Jarobi White and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A Tribe Called Quest were closely associated with fellow hip-hop acts De La Soul and Jungle Brothers, with the groups being collectively known as the Native Tongues.[3] A Tribe Called Quest were initially offered a demo deal by Geffen Records in 1989, but signed to Jive Records to release their 1990 début People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.[3]
Phife Dawg passed away March 22, 2016, aged 45, of diabetes. Rest in peace.
Laos Motorcycle Tour
Never turn down a chance to travel.
In March I was having dinner at Indocine, of all places, with my good friend and traveling mate, Finn Olaf Jones. At dinner he invited me to travel on a motor cycle tour of Laos. He is a writer, and I am a photographer, so I knew this would be good. It was a wonderful trip guided by Jim Barbush of www.remoteasia.com. There I met two friends of Finns’, Andrew and Garland. Off I went in the company of an outgoing group of riders to enjoy delicious spicy and seasoned meals. We met warm people while riding Honda dirt bikes through the fertile country side. Truly a trip I will treasure for a lifetime.