The hip-hop world is mourning the loss of Damien “ELove” Matthias, the man whose silhouette became one of rap’s most iconic images, Public Enemy’s crosshairs logo.
On Friday, Public Enemy confirmed the news in a tribute shared on Facebook, writing: “REST IN POWER TO OUR BROTHER, @ELOVEGLOBAL 🙏🏾🕊️ The man in the logo drawn by @MrChuckD almost 4 decades ago. Animation by @madina_corp 🙏🏾”.
For decades, the instantly recognizable figure in Public Enemy’s emblem has been misinterpreted by some as a police officer because of the hat. But the silhouette was actually based on a photo of ELove standing next to LL Cool J, later adapted by Chuck D, who trained as a graphic designer, when he created the logo by hand in the mid-1980s.
The image, viewed through gun-sight crosshairs, came to symbolize Public Enemy’s political mission and the realities of state violence faced by Black Americans. Chuck D has described it as representing “the black man in America,” reinforcing the group’s role as cultural truth-tellers, a “black CNN” for issues ignored by mainstream outlets.
Beyond his place in rap history as the face of the logo, ELove built a résumé that reached far beyond imagery. He was a multi-platinum writer, producer, and director whose work is credited with selling more than 35 million records.
ELove was best known for his close ties to Def Jam Records and his role in the rise of LL Cool J, one of the label’s earliest stars. He co-produced LL’s landmark debut Radio and later contributed to the artist’s mainstream dominance through performances and appearances on major platforms, including Soul Train, BET programming, and awards shows. He also co-produced the video for LL’s classic “I’m Goin’ Back to Cali” alongside Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin.
ELove’s impact also extended to the culture’s future. He was credited with helping open doors for artists like Tupac Shakur and John Forte (of the Fugees), while also contributing to Def Jam’s early grassroots rise through street-level marketing tactics that helped build the label into a powerhouse.
In 1989, ELove survived a near-fatal shooting in Queens, later reinventing himself through film and production work, an evolution that mirrored hip-hop’s own growth from local movement to global industry.
