Justin Bua born in New York in 1968 is a third-generation artist following in the footsteps of his mother and grandfather. While a student at New York's High School of Music and Performing Arts he took a year off to tour internationally as a break dancer. He credits his studies at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena California where he earned his B.F.A in Illustration with giving him the tools he needed to express himself. Bua began his art career by doing slick bottom paintings for skateboards. Bua defines his style as a “visually distorted expression of my childhood memories." His work is influenced by the components of hip hop culture including rap music breaking and graffiti. His work can be seen on many CD covers and in advertisements for companies such as Nike. Bua also created the animated opening sequence for “The Lyricist Lounge Show" on MTV. In addition to his painting Bua currently teaches Figure Drawing for Animation at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.