Phife Dawg
Last year, I had the privilege of meeting an artist named KAYO, based out of Las Vegas. We quickly discovered that we were both fans of each other’s work, and from that connection came the idea to create something together.
The collaboration started with one of KAYO’s incredible prints featuring the late, great Phife Dawg from my favorite hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest. The moment I saw the print, I already knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.
KAYO sent me two prints, which gave me the freedom to experiment with one of them. I carefully cut and separated elements of the artwork, creating layers that would sit approximately 1/8" away from the original print. This gave the image depth and turned a traditional print into something much more dimensional.
Then came the frame.
I spent roughly eight hours measuring, carving, shaping, and sculpting a custom shadow-box frame from a block of HDU foam, creating a piece approximately 3½ inches deep. I used a Dremel to carve everything out by hand — and, yeah… this was a mess lol. But it was worth it.
Once the structure was carved, I coated it in resin to strengthen and harden the frame. From there, I began hand-carving the lettering, priming the surfaces, and painting each section.
Slowly, the piece started coming alive.
I hand-painted the colors and began assembling all of the individual components, building the artwork layer by layer. What started as a print was transforming into a dimensional sculpture — part painting, part shadow box, part mixed-media piece.
For the back, I wanted something strong enough to support the hanging hardware. Metal seemed like the perfect solution, but it felt a little too plain.
So, naturally, I had to add one more LEEJAMES touch.
I cut a custom stencil and spray-painted both of our logos, along with additional lettering, onto the metal backing using green spray paint. That final detail brought the entire collaboration together and helped turn the piece into what it was always meant to be:
A true one-of-one.
This project was a lot of work, but that's what made it special. It wasn't simply about putting two artists' names together — it was about taking KAYO's artwork, adding my own techniques and vision, and building something completely new from it while paying tribute to an artist who has had such a huge influence on hip-hop.
Huge shoutout to KAYO for trusting me with his artwork and making this collaboration possible.
And I'm proud to say this piece will be on display at DesignerCon 2026 in Las Vegas.
KAYO x LEEJAMES
Phife Dawg — A Tribe Called Quest
1 of 1 • Hand Built • Hand Painted • Mixed Media
Urban Layers
This piece was such a fun project because it brought together so many different techniques and materials into one completely handmade work.
I started by hand-molding the frame, building up its organic, sculptural shape before painting it with layers of color and texture to give it that raw, energetic street-art feel.
From there, I went through my personal archives of images, graphics and found paper, carefully cutting out individual elements and arranging them across the canvas. Each piece was glued down and layered to create a dense visual collage full of characters, typography, LA imagery and unexpected details.
Then came the cheeky little additions — real pills, burnt matchsticks and a dimensional LA logo made from plastic. Those physical elements pushed the work beyond a traditional collage and gave it a real mixed-media, almost assemblage-like quality.
Finally, I poured a layer of clear resin over the entire piece. That was the moment everything really came together. The resin sealed the collage, added depth and gave the surface that glossy, almost preserved-in-time quality while allowing all the different textures and objects underneath to remain visible.
The finished piece feels like a snapshot of Los Angeles through my eyes — part street art, part collage, part sculpture and part personal archive. It's chaotic, colorful, playful and packed with little details that reveal themselves the longer you look.
Los Angeles Rage
This piece was commissioned by Grammy Award–winning producer and songwriter Noel Zancanella. Beyond music, Noel is an avid photographer who captures raw, untamed moments across Los Angeles. He supplied me with a selection of images from his archives and challenged me to transform them into something entirely new.
I began by deconstructing his photographs — cutting, collaging, and layering them onto silver leaf paper to create depth and reflection. The silver leaf added a sharp, almost metallic tension beneath the imagery. From there, I built a custom red frame, hand-painted and drilled to thread real barbed wire through it — introducing a physical sense of restriction and edge.
The piece shifted into more dangerous territory when I incorporated shattered glass. I intentionally broke old glass and embedded the fragments into the frame, creating the illusion of impact — as if the work itself had been attacked or had survived something violent. To complete the narrative, I added empty bullet shells along the frame’s shelf, reinforcing themes of confrontation, survival, and disruption.
The final result blends photography, collage, sculpture, and found objects — turning Noel’s captured moments of Los Angeles into a visceral, dimensional piece that feels both cinematic and confrontational.
The Smut Peddler
This piece is rooted in the history of the “Smut Peddler” — a figure who once walked city streets selling adult magazines from hand to hand. I was drawn to the grit and humanity of that era — before the internet, when desire, rebellion, and underground culture traveled through paper and word of mouth.
The foundation of the piece is an original 1960s suitcase, a relic from the same time period that inspired the concept. I wanted authenticity, so I used vintage techniques throughout. On the back, I pasted genuine 1960s nude imagery and distressed it using water, abrasion, and spray paint to create natural aging and decay — giving the surface the feeling of something handled, hidden, and weathered over time.
On the front, I hand-painted the lettering using 1Shot enamel, embracing traditional sign-painting methods. The large gold lettering was cut from metal, aged by hand, and mounted to the surface — creating a dimensional contrast between refinement and grit.
I love how this suitcase turned out. It feels like an artifact — something that could have been carried through alleyways, bars, and back rooms decades ago.
The piece is currently available for purchase.
Chaos in two Lands
This masterpiece took six months to complete and demanded every skill and medium I could bring to it. I began with a custom gesso collage incorporating selected images of his work, building a foundation that felt both personal and symbolic. From there, I constructed raised gold metal elements, cut into custom shapes to give the piece depth and dimension.
The thick border was hand-engraved from high-density foam and finished with a custom enamel paint treatment. Every detail mattered — even down to the hand-painted Egyptian patterns that frame the edge, honoring his roots and cultural identity.
As if the front was not enough, I completed the back with silver leaf and a hand-painted scripture to further elevate and spiritually anchor the work. This piece became more than a tribute — it became a journey.
From me being raised in the UK, to Marwan being from Egypt, to our paths crossing in Los Angeles — this sculpture represents connection, respect, and the power of art to bridge worlds.
What an incredible experience it has been.
LA Paint Co
This project was a special one for me — a tribute to my city. I took inspiration from the iconic LA logo but gave it my own twist. The piece is built inside a custom shadow box frame, where I sculpted the LA lettering from plaster and mounted it so it appears to float off the background.
The backdrop was completely hand-painted using layered spray paint techniques, creating depth and movement behind the logo. I finished the lettering in 24kt gold paint, giving it a bold contrast and a sense of timeless luxury against the raw street-inspired background.
To elevate the piece even further, I installed LED lighting within the frame. The lights can shift to any color using a remote, transforming the mood of the artwork instantly and making it truly come alive when displayed on my studio wall.
This piece blends street culture, craftsmanship, and fine detailing — a modern homage to Los Angeles through texture, light, and dimension.
Pulse of the Pacific
This piece was created as a dedication to the Pacific Ocean — a place I return to often to relax, reset, and find inspiration. The ocean has always been a source of energy and reflection for me, and I wanted this work to capture that depth and movement. The piece is constructed from seven layers of 1/4" material, each individually sprayed in varying shades of blue to represent the richness and mystery of the deep sea. The dimensional layering creates a sense of depth, almost like looking into the water itself. The frame was hand-built from MDF, then plastered for texture and finished in gold, adding a warm contrast to the cool tones of the ocean. This was such a fun and meaningful piece to create, and it is currently available for purchase.
Donuts for DILLA
This piece was created as a dedication to one of the greatest producers to ever do it—J Dilla—and his iconic album Donuts, a true masterpiece that continues to inspire generations.
The entire work is handcrafted with love, primarily using PVC plastics and layered mixed materials. I incorporated multiple raised elements to create depth and movement, each carefully painted with enamel and individually mounted onto the base. I wanted the piece to truly stand out—something that demanded attention—so I finished it with a full resin coat to achieve a glass-like effect. That final step brought everything to life, intensifying the colors and giving it a bold, polished presence.
It looks incredible displayed on my studio wall, and it carries the energy and spirit that DILLA represents.
Serious collectors and buyers, feel free to reach out.