The Book of Drexciya depicts the sci-fi origin story of Drexciya, the legendary Detroit techno group. Illustrated by renowned artist AbuQadim Haqq, The Book of Drexciya, Volume 1 includes the cover and three original pieces from the seminal graphic novel. Haqq worked closely with Drexciya’s James Stinson and Gerald Donald dating back to the late 1990s to create the album artwork for Neptune’s Lair, the pivotal album that continues to influence Afrofuturism today. In 2019, Haqq developed The Book of Drexciya into a graphic novel. Minting The Book of Drexciya Volume 1 on the Tezos blockchain marks an historic moment for Afrofuturism, the Detroit techno scene, Abu Qadim Haqq, and RefractionDAO.
AbuQadim Haqq (born December 24, 1968), also known as Abdul Qadim Haqq and The Ancient, is an American visual artist who was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He is considered Detroit's number one ambassador of art for world-renowned techno music artists. Haqq's artwork is featured worldwide on classic records by Detroit Techno record labels, namely the records of Juan Atkins, Metroplex, Derrick May, Transmat, Underground Resistance, Kevin Saunderson, Carl Craig. AbuQadim Haqq has been serving the techno music community through Techno Visual Art since 1989.
Haqq, founder of Third Earth Visual Arts, bases his futuristic concepts on time travel. His love for fantasy art was inspired by childhood pastimes such as watching sci-fi and Japanese animation. "Japanese cartoons were all I watched when I was a kid, like Speed Racer, Battle of the Planets and Robotech," says Haqq. "I watched them constantly; I never missed an episode." As a youth growing up in Detroit, Haqq was often sick from asthma and had to stay in the house, which caused him to spend a considerable portion of his time watching science fiction and fantasy shows on TV. These in turn led him to create and illustrate his own stories. Haqq majored in graphic illustration at the College for Creative Studies, originally called the Center for Creative Studies, in Detroit. After graduating in 1991, he committed himself to working as a futurist artist, and remains dedicated to Detroit Techno Art today.
