Rapper's Deluxe

50 years later, hip hops influence has never been stronger. This book is proof of that a must have for collectors, artists, dreamers, and hip hop heads everywhere.   Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean), record producer and rapper 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. Rappers Deluxe is a critical contribution to Americas cultural canon, shining a light on hip hops 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 hops 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, Rappers Deluxe is a tale of transformation,  following hip hops arduous, but always triumphant, journey as it rose up to dominate the game.