CBABI BAYOC
Cbabi (pronounced Kuh-bob-bi) Bayoc is a visual artist and illustrator residing in St. Louis, Missouri. His work can be identified through unique, bold and colorful artistry, while adding some “phunk”. Bayoc, whose given name is Clifford Miskell, Jr., adopted his name CBABI (Creative-Black-Artist-Battling-Ignorance) during his time at Grambling State University (‘92-‘95). BAYOC (Blessed-African-Youth-Of-Creativity) provided a unique and deep connection that could be one day shared with his children.
Following the name change, Bayoc was approached to exhibit artwork at an organization called Dignity House in St. Louis, which was a beneficiary for Prince’s Love 4 One Another (L4OA) charity tour. The volunteer team recorded the food donation event on July 27, 1997 and took the footage back to Prince. The rest, as they say, is history. Prince liked what he saw and collected Bayoc’s art for many years. On October 20, 2000, the day Bayoc’s first child was born, Prince’s management called to request samples of new work. Prince used one of the pieces he acquired during that round, “Reine Keis Quintet”, as the cover art for his 23rd studio album, The Rainbow Children, which was released in 2001. The artwork was also the centerpiece of Prince’s first Celebration event held at his Paisley Park complex in Chanhassen, Minnesota, June 13-17, 2001, celebrating The Rainbow Children album and the re-claiming of Prince’s name after the expiration of his Warner Brothers contract.
After working as a caricature artist at Six Flags in St. Louis, Bayoc pursued a career as an illustrator. Motivated by his love for art and hip-hop, Bayoc obtained his first notable client, Rap Pages magazine. During the entire year of 1998 he was given the RPM section on a monthly basis to display a caricature of the featured artist. Through that exposure, he was contacted by Violator Management to create the artwork for the cover of the Violator Compilation, Vol.1 album, featuring the likenesses of Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, Foxy Brown, Q-Tip, LL Cool J, Mobb Deep, Fat Joe and Big Pun.
Bayoc continued to excel throughout the years where he draws inspiration from personal experiences, community engagement, world issues, education and so much more. Creating art is a strong passion where he is able to highlight important messaging, while at the same time providing hope. His cool and culture changing creativity can be backed by years of a variety of projects from murals, customized portraits, and even children’s book illustrations.
Many of his masterpieces allowed him to receive opportunities to contribute to the world and has allowed connections with influential figures, such as creating a customized piece for Muhammad Ali. In addition, Bayoc has created murals throughout Saint Louis for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of East St. Louis, The Children’s Defense Team, and was selected as the featured artist for the Missouri Arts Awards (Missouri Arts Council). Other recognitions include being an illustrator for a Top 150 recommended children’s book, Young Cornrows Callin out the Moon and album cover art for well-known musical artist group, Field Mob
In 2012, Bayoc began his 365 Days with Dad series, that continues today. This was a resolution to paint a positive image of black fatherhood each day for the entire year resulting in a journey that was inspiring. Ultimately, this established a relationship between fathers in the sharing of many stories of good experiences, new experiences and hopeful experiences of Dads at all life stages. The project started a dialogue within the community about the importance of a strong foundation and support system for all children, no matter the age.
If you were to visit St. Louis, you will probably see Bayoc’s masterpieces on/in homes, hospitals, residential buildings, within small businesses and major corporations, throughout schools, in libraries and other areas where appreciation of art can be acknowledged. A few things that Bayoc holds near and dear to his heart includes enjoying family (embarrassing his teenage children) and supporting family-owned and small businesses. He also maintains his dedication to support his community and takes action to help shift the narrative for African American culture and establish the breakthrough for black artists. Bayoc continues and will always use his platform and talents to voice the need for equality, social justice and economic fairness, systemic changes and development for African Americans.