hip hop photography

checked out jamel shabazz’s exhibition “a time before crack” now showing at powerhouse gallery in manhattan and have been struck by how much documentary photography is out there chronicling the early days of the hip hop culture

e.g.
back in the day: jamel shabazz’s book and exhibition
born in the bronx: bronx-born photographer joe conzo’s images that predate those of shabazz and cooper, now showing in london [via trace magazine]
hip hop files: martha cooper’s book about grafitti artists and b-boys from that time; she also had an exhibition at the brooklyn museum earlier this year
yes yes y’all book and travelling exhibition.

so what’s the african connection? why me. few things have influenced me more than that early hip hop that came out of new york and somehow found its way to my cassette player high school back in kenya and in my first couple of years of college here in the states. looking at all the images, i feel like i am looking into my own past and the aesthetics (music, art especially) that inform part of who i am today. the connection, part of that conversation that takes place between africa, america, cuba, brazil, manchester and other points in the african diaspora that shows up in favela beats, drum ‘n bass, dub, bongo flavor, dancehall and one geek’s lifelong love with music, especially that one flavor that was born in the bronx in the late 1970’s.