Ed Piskor | https://www.comicsbeat.com
Ed Piskor | https://www.comicsbeat.com
As the global impact of hip hop culture continues to be woven into the fabric of our lives, Ed Piskor's graphic novel series, Hip Hop Family Tree helps chronicle the origins of the culture and features the elements and the early innovators credited with its creation.
In honor of the 50th anniversary (and counting) of hip hop, here is a collection of recommended books, music and media for you to explore.
"Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang is widely considered to be the first mainstream hip hop song on the first label to produce and promote rap as a genre and can be found in the compilation album, The Sugar Hill Records Story.
LL Cool J and Method Man are two of the many music artists produced and promoted by the Def Jam label, now in its 39th year of operation. Check out Def Jam Recordings, an illustrated volume about the first 25 years of this foundational label.
For those looking to explore the emergence and impact of west coast hip hop artists on the social landscape of American culture, Westhoff's Dirty South and Original Gangstas explore the history and development of the genre.
Additionally, the movie Wild Style showcases graffiti writers, b-boys and b-girls (break dancers), rappers and DJs, and Krush Groove, a film loosely based on Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin’s record label, stars a young LL Cool J and other Def Jam recording artists.
Finally, Fresh Fly Fabulous highlights the evolution of fashion trends from customization to hip hop mogul-owned fashion labels, and Global Noise features 13 essays highlighting hip hop music content across multiple continents.
Be sure to explore 50 years of hip hop music and let us know your favorite era of hip hop culture!
Links for more information:
Hip Hop Family Tree - http://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1560877126
The Sugar Hill Records Story - http://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/item/show/763987126
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