Hip Hop When The World Was Young

November 18, 2014 7:20 AM

In the early 1990s, photographer and cinematographer Lisa Leone was a fixture on the New York hip hop scene. She recently uncovered a trove of old behind-the-scenes photos of iconic rappers and breakdancers, which have been collected into the book Here I Am, and are currently on exhibit at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. The New York Times' Lens blog has an excellent selection of the shots.
posted by Diablevert (4 comments total)

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posted by Going To Maine at 8:11 AM on November 18, 2014

I apologize for the fact that "the Bronx Museum of the Arts" makes me start giggling. I know it's evil, but I can't help it.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:56 AM on November 18, 2014

Ah. The funny part is the idea that people from the Bronx might be interested in art, then?
posted by Diablevert at 12:37 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

It looks like a cool exhibit, thanks for the link. The article is a bit off, though. I'm going to blame it on some NYT editor and not the artist or the author. I watched the slideshow "Before they were hip hop stars" and all I could think was: a good half of the people they showed (Rosie Perez, Grandmaster Flash, Isaac Hayes, Fab Five Freddy) were quite well known years, and even decades, before the photos were taken.

Pedantic, I know. I get so torn with the NYT. I appreciate that they aim to cover a diversity of voices - but sometimes the NYT just seems so disconnected.
posted by kanewai at 12:54 PM on November 18, 2014