Sleep is the Cousin of Death

"I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death." I wanted to design something in honor of my favorite rapper, NaS. This concept pulls inspiration from his rhymes on "New York State of Mind." One of the most challenging parts was visualizing Sleep as an actual person. To showcase his celestial status in the family, I designed his beard to appear as if the cosmos flows through it. As the ruler of dreamtime, I believe at least some portion of his being should consist of such cosmic fabric. Although Nas' lyrics depict a vividly hardcore perspective, I thought the art style should be much more fun and light-hearted. After all, the idea of these two sharing a family photo is pretty humorous when you think about it.