Description
Book Synopsis‘This incredible time capsule is full of insightful history, along with great imagery. A must-have for Hip Hop enthusiasts.’ – Jamel Shabazz, documentary photographer
A visual and cultural history of hip hop, charting its meteoric rise from underground trailblazer to global tastemaker
To tell the story of contemporary American culture is to tell the story of hip hop. From its humble, underground origins, hip hop transcended the confines of rap music and spread its influence across a broad spectrum of American life – fashion, film, art, sports, politics, language – to become a cultural movement of profound influence.
Rapper’s Deluxe is a critical contribution to America’s cultural canon, shining a light on hip hop’s ability to redefine and influence culture, through: photographs; fine art; advertisements; book, magazine, and album covers; film stills; and more. Organized chronologically from the 1970s to the present, image-rich and dynamic layouts show the people, places, events, objects, outfits, and inspirations that redefined the world as we know it – from fur-coated fans lining up for a Muhammad Ali fight at Madison Square Garden to a legendary party in the “Boogie Down” Bronx, through the hoods of South Los Angeles and the trap houses of Atlanta to the extravagant red carpet looks of the Met Gala.
Drawing on a broad range of curated examples, Dr. Todd Boyd re-examines hip hop’s legacy and how the genre remixes ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, past and present, to come up with a style that is uniquely its own. Filled with original insights and clever wordplay, Rapper’s Deluxe is a tale of transformation, following hip hop’s arduous, but always triumphant, journey as it rose up to dominate the game.
Trade Review‘Informative and worth a read.’ – Library Journal
‘Deeply researched and formidably composed... a sumptuous object and a museum of a book. It’s everything you think it is, and then some.’ – Art Spiel
‘50 years of hip-hop history in one Phaidon book.’ – Wallpaper*
‘[A] visual exploration of the history of hip hop and its influence on culture.’ – SHOWstudio
'The new cultural history of rap and hip hop culture.' – The Orange County Register
'Captivating ... a significant addition to [Phaidon's] illustrious collection.' – 92.5 The Beat
'The story of the genre’s lasting and pervasive impact on our culture, with striking visuals and bold fonts that illustrate and speak to hip-hop’s truest nature.' – Hollywood.com
