FOR THE ultimate backstage pass offering an unprecedented glimpse behind the scenes just as the culture exploded into the mainstream, grab a copy of ‘The Book Of Rhyme & Reason: Hip-Hop 1994–1997’.
The coffee-table book is a curation of over 130 photographs, previously unseen and published for the first time, captured by Peter Spirer between 1994-97.
As Hip-Hop commemorates its 50th anniversary in 2023 the book takes readers on a fascinating visual journey through a pivotal era of the genre.
The images come from the three-year period that Spirer, a filmmaker, devoted to interviewing over 80 Hip-Hop artists who shaped one of the most important cultural movements of the 20th century.
The result was Rhyme & Reason, the pioneering Hip-Hop documentary that captured the scene at this seminal moment, featuring many of the most influential rap artists and music makers of our time.
Spirer’s photographic archive features pioneers in candid shots documenting intimate, unguarded moments, such as Krs-One, Chuck D, Tupak Shakur, Kurtis Blow, Dr Dre, Salt-N-Pepa, Q-Tip, LL Cool J, Lauren Hill, Jay-Z and many more.
Alongside directing and producing the documentary, Spirer shot accompanying stills using a medium format Rolleiflex camera: “The Rollei allowed me to capture some amazing moments: Puffy getting a trim in his office while doing three tasks at once, Biggie opening record plaques on his couch, Ice-T and Mack 10 hanging with their homies, Heavy D at the barber, playing pool. …
“There were magical moments such as Redman and Erick Sermon freestyling on the mic to amazed onlookers at a block party in Newark and watching Wu-Tang Clan chop it up on the block in Staten Island before they exploded.”
The result is a selection of portraits that offer an alternative perspective to the existing moving image.
As a collection the book pays homage to the artistic success of both filmmaker and subject whilst taking the reader back to the roots of a genre that has become a global cultural phenomenon.
“I wanted America to have a chance to see the human side of the culture and the people in it. The relationships of artists and their families, friends, and parents.
“I wanted to lower the volume so that we could hear from the artist and get their unfiltered thoughts about life, the biz, their hopes and dreams, and get a real peek into their world,” said Spirer.
“I also wanted to create awareness for this amazing culture and create a historical record of what Hip-Hop was all about.
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Ay least we are writing our own history of Hip-hop, rather than having our Hip-Hop history, recorded through the perception of Caucasian writers.