Isn’t that J Cole in the middle left?
Of course it is. I thought everyone was kidding. J Cole lives in Raleigh with his family…pretty sure that counts as a Raleigh connection. Come on peeps
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Hell, I’ve played against J Cole in Raleigh adult Parks & Rec basketball leagues many times. So local, check. One of the most influential hip hop artists alive, so musical influence, check.
And for the “better than nothing” comment, are you serious? Look at the detail in that mural. What were you expecting, 3 Doors Down?
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Was really hoping to see Raleigh pop legend Clay Aiken honestly
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Don’t forget Scotty!
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So, maybe this is a passive Deamville advert? So, he lives in Raleigh? I knew he grew up in Fayetteville.
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Dang it, I was skimming by it and no joke thought that was Bob Marley bc of the long dreads. Don’t really listen to his music so still had him in my head as having much shorter hair.
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Drake is middle right, no?
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That’s what I thought.
From left to right: Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Drake, Nikki Minaj.
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I don’t think that anyone is confused by Drake.
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Yeah I definitely did not see J Cole at first 
. My eyes were deceiving me, I apologize.
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This is really cool from a advertising perspective. It’s not a giant flashy billboard in Manhattan, but the fact that Spotify thought enough of our market to place a large wall mural ad and commission an out of state artist to do so is actually pretty rad as far as “raleigh being on the national map” goes (although it would have arguably been cooler if a local muralist was commissioned but we can’t run a mile when we’re still taking baby steps).
Very cool actually.
I’m also a Raleigh native in the camp that all (read: most) public art does not need to have a “raleigh” themed angle. I’m just a fan of having more of it around, and preferably not Raleigh-themed things honestly. Like, I live here. I don’t need to see another acorn or oak tree or skyline. I see them all the time IN PERSON. We get it. Ahahaha
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I completely agree with you regarding not needing to see Raleigh images/themes. I was more interested in what the Raleigh angle was for the commission. When I say “angle”, I was just trying to understand what would compel someone to hire a Los Angeles artist to come and create it. It has to come with a story. Until I hear otherwise, I am going to just presume that the “angle” is Dreamville, and that there’s a marketing intention. My fantasy would be that Dreamville would actually have all of those artists performing. That would be HUGE for the festival and the city.
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I asked the lady painter if it was for Dreamville and she kind of gave me an odd look at first then said it’s a Spotify ad. 
So, that may be the intent behind it for Spotify, but not that she was aware of.
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Well if it ain’t Dreamville. I kind of hope we get a Dreamville mural now in Raleigh
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Hey all - I recently relocated to Raleigh, and I have been seeing a lot of homes and businesses with the same style of artwork displayed proudly on front porches, sides of businesses, etc. I found the link below, which vaguely describes it as being identifiable from southern Appalachia, but I am curious if anyone knows more about why this is such a “thing” in Raleigh?
And for the record, I really like the artwork, just curious what the story is?
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This is a great question. I have seen a few square boards of wood with this type of thing painted on them over in my neighborhood East of Raleigh Blvd
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Quilt blocks were thrown up on barns to honor loved ones and have become quite the folk art tradition…
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Cool! Found this article below. I had no idea—thanks for the education. Seems like more of a Western NC thing, any idea how they became so prevalent in Raleigh? I certainly understand the agricultural history of the piedmont, so curious if ties to that, or if this is a more recent trend?
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