Rigo Villardo is Chronicling the DMV’s Music Culture Through Images

Rodrigo Villardo known as RigoShotMe is a music photographer and documentarian who has been chronicling Hip-Hop in the DMV over the last five years. Last month, the Chi Modu inspired story teller hosted his solo exhibition and launch event of his book titled Verified at Maketto in Washington DC.

Born in Asunción, Paraguay, Rigo fell in love with the camera and started gravitating towards the art of storytelling at 20. While he knew music was something he was passionate about, photography enabled him picture himself within the music community and potentially leave an imprint.

Rigo recognized that the Hip-Hop scene in DC was filled with talented musicians but there was little content being documented surrounding the community that could transcend outside of it’s borders.

Verified chronicles musicians in both their personal and public spaces mixing documentary and live show photography as a way to humanize and show them as being more than just an online “image” or “brand”.

It is a testament to the ever-changing, ever-evolving obsession with modernized phenomena of like, followers and views. It is the new human metric and scale to which we measure success and credibility.
Rigo centers the story around DC acts like Goldlink, Shy Glizzy and Wale but mixes BTS images with artistes like Kid Cudi, Sheck Wes and Lauryn Hill as a way to present them on level playing field and show that power is in the storytelling across borders.

Since then, his work has been exhibited at Art Basel in Miami and has been featured in prominent publications.

A desire to use his raw style as a way to fill the gap and help show the story of DC’s music culture to the world has seen Rigo mix live performances and documentary style in a way that never compromises the storytelling of the subject.

He additionally hosted another exhibition in LA and is currently touring with Phil Ade.

You can preview Verified here.