Lawrence Watson was born in Hammersmith, London in 1963. In 1979, he left school at aged 16 and undertook an apprenticeship at a darkroom in Old Street at London Weekend Television, and whilst there developed his portfolio in the evening and at the weekends and began contributing to the New Musical Express. In the early '80s, Lawrence was commissioned to document the emerging New York hip-hop scene and his portraits of legendary artists from the era include Run DMC, Eric B and Rakim and Public Enemy and many others. Lawrence's interest in music has led him to work with such legendary bands and musicians as: Tom Waits, Paul Weller, The Smiths, Oasis, Pulp, Snoop Doggy Dog, Orbital, The Pogues, David Bowie, The Clash, Issac Hayes, Pet Shop Boys, Al Green, Jesus and Mary Chain, James Brown, Ian Brown, Grace Jones, New Order an George Clinton.