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We work with leading artists, DJs, labels and collectors to create collecting experiences that go beyond any other. Discover & Collect. Since 2001.

14/05/2026

Pen & Pixel Week. 7 Days of auctions. 24 hours to bid

From May 18th we’ll be dropping daily items from the expansive archive of Pen and Pixel, the Houston design studio that brought bling to the face of hip hop with over 19,000 album covers.

🔉 Comment ‘P&P’ for more…

Through collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Master P, Lil Wayne, Juvenile, Three Six Mafia, Chris Rock, Destiny’s Child, Scarface and countless others, they cemented themselves as architects of an aesthetic that went on to define generations.

We’ll be celebrating their legacy through original signed artworks, records and coveted concert t shirts released across a 7 day week.

May 18 - Cash Money Records
May 19 - Rap-A-Lot Records
May 20 - Pen & Pixel: The Architects
May 21 - DJ Screw, ESG & The H town underground
May 22 - No Limit Records
May 23 - The Covers
May 24 - The Merch Vault

Expect a new drop everyday at 3PM NYC / 8PM BST / 9PM CEST

🎖️Save this, Share this and set your alarms so you don’t miss out

Only on waxpoetics.com

11/05/2026

Louis Theroux took a trip down south and wound up at Pen and Pixel’s Houston studio. Keep watching to see the album cover he left with 👀

From May 18th we’re launching 7 days of drops straight from the Pen & Pixel archive, with rare posters, records, t shirts and more

🔉Comment P&P and get a direct link to the items

Stay updated on waxpoetics.com

05/05/2026

Introducing our latest issue.

4 covers. 14+ articles. Only the deepest music stories.

Now available at WaxPoetics.com

🔊Comment PRINT or share this post and we’ll DM you the link.

-—

Excerpt from our Editor’s Letter...

Professional networks, tight-knit scenes, and informal underground subcultures are invaluable to creative development, giving artists and musicians a forum to find their voice, and workshop creative ideas before joining the glut of the broader market.

You’re probably familiar with Malcolm Gladwell’s ten-thousand hour rule. In his 2008 book, Outliers, the social theorist argues that ten thousand hours of dedicated practice is a prerequisite for the sort of success we associate with creative genius and game-changing innovation. The Beatles’ Hamburg years, wherein the Lads from Liverpool found their rhythm performing six shows a day (seven days a week!) is one case study. When it comes to music—and most other creative disciplines, too—there’s another component that I’d argue is just as crucial as talent and diligent practice, though: community.

In this issue, we explore the ten thousand hours that preceded the professional breakthroughs of some truly iconic figures—the work before the work, if you will— and the role that community played in facilitating those breakthroughs. We start with and Tupac Shakur—some might say the definitive recording artists of the 1990s—and a pair of circa-’88 demo tapes that have come to light as part of our Wax Poetics Collections.

Words by Jesse Serwer.

Issue presented by

nightmaresonwax yukimi

29/04/2026

There is an unheard, unreleased Mos Def track on this reel - and it’s up for auction

During the first session where “Brooklyn” was originally recorded, a separate track was created called “Books Joint”. While this track was never fully finished, it was captured on the same studio tape and has since remained unheard and publicly unreleased. This is the only existing studio tape from that session, and it’s up for auction.

🔊Comment ‘SELECTS’ for more

Bidding closes tomorrow 3pm NYC / 8pm LDN

on waxpoetics.com

21/04/2026

What makes this Rhodes more than just a keyboard?

For Leon Ware, this was the very instrument that carried his ideas from feeling to form, remaining by his side from the late 1970s until his passing.

During one of the most defining stretches of his career, it became a central voice in his creative world. By then, Ware had already cemented his place as one of soul music’s most influential architects. His work on I Want You(1976) with Marvin Gaye helped reshape the sonic landscape of modern soul into lush, sensual, and emotionally immersive compositions.

It takes center stage on Taste the Love, a project that captures Ware’s evolving artistry, where his writing became richer, more intricate, and emotionally resonant.

His reach extended even further, writing and producing for icons like Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and Minnie Riperton, threading a lineage that stretches from Motown’s golden era into the future of neo-soul.

Built as a Suitcase model, complete with integrated amplifier and speaker cabinet, the instrument reflects the premium studio setups of its time. Later, it was modified with a Gulbransen KS20 MIDI adaptor, a detail that mirrors the shifting landscape of music production and Ware’s willingness to evolve with it.

Played across decades of writing and recording, this Rhodes was the glue behind much of Leon Ware’s musical outputs.

👉Bid on this Rhodes on waxpoetics.com

🔊Comment “Selects” and receive a link for more

20/04/2026

Jam Master Jay’s personal archive is up for auction - here are a few highlights from Run-DMC’s golden era

🔊Comment “JMJ” for more

The groups lasting impact on hip hops sound, style and visual world defined a generation and set the tone for a range of future artists. Swipe to discover just a handful of times Run-DMC were first in line

👉Explore the Jam Master Jay collection on waxpoetics.com

17/04/2026

The Jam Master Jay Collection is now live…

Together with the Jam Master Jay estate, we’ve curated a collection honouring the life and influence of Jam Master Jay through the items that defined his style, work and impact on hip hop culture. As one founding members of Run DMC, his contributions the groups sound and visual word helped cement their cultural influence on a global, mainstream scale.

The iconic adidas leather tracksuit that became synonymous with Jam Master Jay’s signature style, sits at the heart of this collection. It had previously been preserved at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, and stands as one of the first collaborations between rap music and sportswear.

Surrounding this iconic piece are records, accessories and other signed artefacts straight from JMJ’s personal archive.

🔊Comment “JMJ” to discover more

👉Bidding live now on waxpoetics.com

10/04/2026

Swipe & you might find the legendary sl-700 turntables 👀

On April 8th we joined forces with the to celebrate the life and legacy of Biz Markie at a very special, invite-only event in NYC. To say it was special would be an understatement.

1: A rare Biz Markie portrait by photographer George DuBose
2: Marley Marl and the limited edition print
3: and the collection
4: Slugo studio reel from the Wax Poetics Arthur Baker collection
5-6: NY Dj reacts while seeing Biz Markie’s SL 700’s in person
7: Biz Markie’s custom piano, painted by
8: Klipz from Nise going through The Biz Markie Experience
9: Handwritten “Just a Friend” lyrics
10: Selling fast! Get yours at waxpoetics.com

More to come... Comment BIZ and we’ll send you a direct link to the print.

Credit: 📸
Venue: .studio

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