Verity Babbs – How Jean Michel Basquiat, Accidentally, Wound Up in A Blondie Video

14 september 2025AdminBusinessplan, Home, Interview, Locatie, Media, Portretten, Ridderboek, Video0

Jean-Michel Basquiat (Left) & Debbie Harry (Right)1985 (foto Patrick McMullan | Getty Images + Gems | Red Ferns)

How Jean Michel Basquiat, Accidentally, Wound Up in A Blondie Video

A fortuitous Moment of Catching A Star before he made it Big? No.

The year is 1981. “Rapture” is Blondie S second Single from their fifth Studio Album, it S been in the N° 1 Spot for weeks, and it S the First Ever Rap Video to be shown on MTV. And there he is, Jean Michel Basquiat.

Wearing A Padded Vest, matching Brown Hat, and A Long Sleeved Shirt covered in Picture Frames, A 20 Year Old Basquiat stands Politely behind A Set of DJ Decks while Front Woman Debbie Harry Raps at him. His Cameo is Brief and Endearing in its Awkwardness As the Young Artist Happily Nods and Stuffs his Hands in his Pockets. Soon, Harry leaved Basquiat S Booth and walks around the corner to Join A Street Scene, complete with People lining up to use A Telephone Booth. It is 1981, after all.

The Video was filmed in New York S East Village, Set Mainly in A Red Roomed Party filled with Heavily Shoulder Padded Guests. Blondie was already one of the Most Popular New Wave Bands in the World, riding A 3 Year Wave of Success with back to back Hit Singles including “One Way or Another,” “Hanging on the Telephone,” and “Heart of Glass.” The Young Basquiat had not exploded into his own Stardom, Yet, although this was Imminent. However, Blondie hiring him for the Music Video wasn T A Case of Excellently Timed Talent Scouting. He was A Last Minute Stand In.

Screen Shot from Blondie S “Rapture” Music Video (1981) Featuring Jean Michel Basqu

Basquiat S Role was meant to be played by Grand Master Flash, A Pioneering Barbadian American DJ. In 1981, he had Released The Adventures of Grand Master Flash on the Wheels of Steel with Sugar Hill Records, A seven minute Demonstration of his Skill of Scratching and Mixing Tracks, which Featured Blondie S “Rapture” among the Set List. It was No Wonder he was chosen as the Man for the Job, as he was already A Star of the New York Music Scene. But he didn T make it to Set.

Basquiat S Uncomfortable Bopping in the “Rapture” Video wasn T Part of the Character Description, either. He was Genuinely that Shy. In A Vogue Interview in 2020, Harry reminisced “When I First Met Him, I Think He was Still A Teenager (…) We Thought He was Very Sort of Unspoken, Really. He wasn T Very Verbal. Although he Had Brilliant Ideas and Could Really Talk, At That Point he was Just This Kind of Quiet Little Kid, but Cute.”

Blondie – Rapture (Official Music Video)

Published 25 feb 2009

Blondie Music Official

RE MASTERED IN HD!

Official Music Video for Rapture
Performed by Blondie.

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#Blondie #Rapture #Remastered

Reacties
https://youtu.be/pHCdS7O248g?si=R43-67h1WnJTWvoz

When they met, Basquiat was beginning to find Fame in New York as Part of the Graffiti Duo SAMO, with his Collaborator Al Diaz, whom he had met at High School in Manhattan. “SAMO©” began to appear across the Borough and on D Trains in the New York Subway, both in simple Tags and as Poetic Short Phrases, gaining the Young Basquiat Attention from the Alternative Art Scene. The same year that he shot “Rapture,” Basquiat Sold his very First Painting, Cadillac Moon (1981), to Debbie Harry for $ 200.

“Rapture” came at A Landmark Moment for Basquiat, marking his Transition from an Underground to A MainStream Star. Within the year following the Music Video S Release, he had become the Youngest Ever Artist to Display at Documenta in Kassel, Germany. Within two years he was the Youngest Ever Entry at the Whitney Biennial. Wild Style Director Charlie Ahearn took A Photograph of the Cast of the “Rapture” Music Video, capturing an unassuming On Set Moment for the Young Man About to Set the Art World Alight.

Jean Michel Basquiat (foto Rose Hartman | Getty Images)

The Video is but A Small Bottling of New York S Down Town Scene in the 1980 S, capturing the Ascendence of Rap and the Collision of Creative Worlds. Hip Hop, of course, was emerging as A Culture that encapsulated Music, Style, and Art. But also around this time, Keith Haring was collaborating with Grace Jones, Photographer Maripol was styling A Then Unknown Madonna, and Venues including the Mudd Club and Danceteria saw yet more Artists, Designers, and Musicians rubbing shoulders.

Basquiat himself was A Musician, forming in the Band Gray with Film Maker Michael Holman, and designed the Cover for Rammellzee and K Rob S 1983 Record Beat Bop, Now A Highly Valued Collector S Item. Most Famously, of course, he dated A Singer, who he described to his Dealer Larry Gagosian as “Her Name is Madonna and She S Going to Be Huge.”

What S the Deal with Leonardo S Harpsichord Viola? Why were Impressionists obsessed with the Color Purple? Art Bites brings you A Surprising Fact, Lesser Known Anecdote, or Curious Event from Art History.

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Verity Babbs

ArtNet News, September 11, 2025

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-bites-basquiat-blondie-rapture-video-2669807

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