It started with a haircut. A.J. Hall needed one, and a mutual friend recommended New Orleans rap renaissance man Nesby Phips. (The prolific hip-hop producer and rapper also is a barber.) Hall called ...

While working on a mural near Southern University's New Orleans campus earlier this year, local artist Nesby Phips would catch the sunset over Lake Pontchartrain on his way home. At first, he'd notice ...