BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Drivers across Broward County may have noticed colorful new murals brightening city streets. Behind the artwork is Cey Adams, the legendary graphic designer whose work helped define the look of hip-hop before he turned his talents to large-scale public art.
Adams, the founding creative director of Def Jam Recordings, has designed iconic visuals for some of music’s biggest names, including Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, the Beastie Boys, Method Man, Slick Rick and EPMD. He also created the recognizable logo for “Chappelle’s Show.”
Today, Adams is leaving a different kind of legacy through “Lead With Love,” a public art initiative bringing murals to communities across Broward County.
The murals can be found in communities including Plantation, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Las Olas and Dania Beach, each featuring a unique design inspired by the neighborhood where it is located.
“Every single one of these murals is unique in its own way,” Adams said. “The one thing that they do all have in common is they are a part of the ‘Lead With Love’ theme.”
From album covers to city walls
Before becoming known for his public artwork, Adams spent decades helping shape hip-hop’s visual identity.
“Anything that had a visual — logos, T-shirt designs, tour backdrops, clothing, everything,” Adams said. “If it had an image on it, I was designing.”
He said he began working with artists such as Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys in the early 1980s, long before they became global stars.
“I met my friends, Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys in the early ’80s when their careers were starting,” Adams said. “Every artist that I worked with ... was starting out at ground zero.”
Rather than one defining moment, Adams said his career grew alongside the artists he collaborated with.
“It really is a testament to how far we have all come as a group that 30 years later, I’m still getting calls from folks that I came up with back in the day,” he said. “Now they’re whatever is beyond a megastar, and it’s a wonderful feeling.”
Art designed for the community
The Lead With Love initiative is a partnership between the Community Foundation of Broward and Business for the Arts Broward. The project aims to create nine custom murals in nine Broward communities by 2027.
Each mural is designed to reflect the history, colors and personality of the community where it is installed.
“One of the things that’s really exciting for me is that I get to create something that’s shared by the community,” Adams said.
Beyond the artwork itself, Adams said mentoring the next generation of artists has become one of the most rewarding parts of the project.
He works alongside a team of young artists from across Florida and hopes his story inspires them to pursue creative careers.
“I really want them to understand that once upon a time, I was just like them,” Adams said. “I was a young artist that didn’t have a specific path carved out. I just knew I had talent, and talent combined with support is what success looks like.”
Six of the planned murals have already been completed, with three more scheduled before the project concludes in 2027.
Click here for more information about the Lead With Love initiative or getting involved.
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