The Art and Influence of Hip Hop

[Hip Hop Press Materials]

Important archive of press materials, [1980s-1990s]

Lot Closed

March 30, 05:12 PM GMT

Estimate

5,000 - 8,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Collection of vintage Hip Hop publicity materials, ca. '80s and '90s, including headshots, promotional photographs (most 8 by 10 in.), bios, press releases, printed folders, concert flyers, stickers, magnets, postcards, and various other printed ephemera.

Over 750 items from over 300 of the absolute biggest names in Hip Hop, including Tupac Shakur, Run DMC, Salt-n-Pepa, Notorious B.I.G., Ice T, Kurupt, Snoop Dogg, A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, Too Short, L.L. Cool J, MC Lyte, Nas, Naughty by Nature, N.W.A., OutKast, Public Enemy, Queen Latifa, Puff Daddy, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Black Sheep, De La Soul, Common, Cypress Hill, DMX, Eazy-E, Rakim, Foxy Brown, Ice Cube, Jay-Z, Kid N' Play, Vanilla Ice, Black Sheep, Arrested Development, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, KRS-One, Bow Wow, Kris Kross, Da Brat, Digital Underground, Eightball & MJG, Eric B. & Rakim, Eve, The Fugees, Geto Boys, Grandmaster Flash, MC Hammer, Ja Rule, Kool Moe Dee, Will Smith, Kurtis Blow, Marley Marl, Mase, Master P, Mobb Deep, Redman, The Roots, Young MC, Wu-Tang Clan, and many more.

COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF EARLY HIP HOP PUBLICITY MATERIALS

Essential in helping to not only establish Hip Hop careers, but the success of the genre itself, the materials offered here represent the first marketing attempts from artists who were destined to become some the biggest names in music history.

Publicity materials are some of the best primary sources for documenting the rise of the Hip Hop movement. Packed with information, they record early marketing and PR approaches, production company details, media coverage, commercial successes, fashion, artist biographies, and more. These documents, photos, and ephemera allow us to trace the early evolution and careers of numerous DJs, artists, and producers, and performers. Because most of these materials were only intended for short time and/or media use, very few remain, with fewer still in good condition.

Offered here is the archive of Gerrie Summers, founding editor of Word Up! magazine, a monthly publication dedicated to Hip Hop and R&B's up-and-coming prodigies, performers, and producers. Founded in August of 1987, the magazine quickly rose in circulation, attracting a wide range of youthful readers and Hip Hop enthusiasts. Word Up! stood out from other publications of its kind due to its emphasis on Hip Hop music and rap artists, including artists that had not yet made it into the mainstream. Features in Summers' Word Up! (1987-2012) proved indispensable in both launching and propelling the careers of innumerable Hip Hop and R&B legends. The magazine arguably did the same for other publications as Word Up! preceded, inspired, and influenced the influx and growth of Hip Hop magazines.

Provenance:

From the personal collection of Gerrie Summers, Founding Editor-in-Chief of Word Up! Magazine

Condition Report:

To request a condition report for this lot, please contact pop@sothebys.com