Rap! Portraits and Lyrics of a Generation of Black Rockers
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.
First edition, first printing of an early '90s hip-hop photo book. xx, 108 pp. Bound in publisher's pictorial wraps. Near Fine with very light wear. Portraits of hip-hop musicians from the 1980s and 90s, including Queen Latifah, Ice Cube, Big Daddy Kane, Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Kool Herc, and Salt 'n' Pepa. Janette Beckman began her photography career with the London punk scene, but refocused on hip-hop after moving to New York in 1982. She later said in an interview with American Photo: "Nobody was that interested in it, no one knew how big it was going to get. It is amazing, 30 years later, people going ‘oh you photographed legends.’ I guess I did, but they weren’t legends when I was taking pictures of them." Foreword by Yo! MTV Raps hosts Doctor Dre (the DJ, not the rapper and producer) and Ed Lover.
Price: $250