Kluivert stars in new AS Roma hip-hop documentary

Roma’s Dutch international Justin Kluivert stars in a new film that follows legendary New York hip-hop photographer Mel D. Cole as he travels to Rome to shoot his first ever European football match.

The mini documentary, released exclusively on the club’s official YouTube channel today, is the first of a number of films to be released as part of a collaboration between AS Roma and Black Arrow.

Earlier this year, Roma and Black Arrow, a US-based lifestyle brand focused on the intersection of football and black culture, announced a pioneering content partnership that will see both brands working together on the creation of original digital content following stories across Italy, Nigeria and the United States.

The first output from the collaboration follows native New Yorker Mel D. Cole as he flies to Italy to spend time in and around Rome before shooting his first ever European football match at Stadio Olimpico.

This film follows the story of how Mel first fell in love with photography – after taking a disposable camera to a Common show in New York - and tracks his career shooting the likes of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller and The Roots before documenting his trip to Rome, where he was invited into the home of Justin Kluivert.

Watch now: Black Arrow presents Mel D. Cole in Rome

“Opening up AS Roma to the Black Arrow crew has allowed their creative team to tell new stories that approach the club from a completely new perspective,” explained AS Roma’s Mitty Arnold. “What those of us who work here, and those fans who have been deeply immersed in the club for years, sometimes take for granted is all new to Mel D. Cole, a hip-hop photographer who is still new to European football.

"This mini-documentary from Black Arrow allows us to see Roma through the eyes of someone experiencing the passion of Roma and the legendary Curva Sud for the very first time.”

Mel D. Cole shoots AS Roma: From Kluivert to the Curva Sud

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Mel D. Cole Shoots Hip-Hop: From Kanye to Kid Cudi

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