The Art and Influence of Hip Hop

The Art and Influence of Hip Hop

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 64. Gerrie Summers' Kiss 98.7 fm varsity jacket, [ca. 1988].

[Gerrie Summers; Kiss 98.7 FM]

Gerrie Summers' Kiss 98.7 fm varsity jacket, [ca. 1988]

Lot Closed

March 30, 05:03 PM GMT

Estimate

1,000 - 1,500 USD

Lot Details

Description

Gerrie Summers' custom Kiss 98.7 fm jacket, ca. 1988.


Black and red varsity-style jacket, size M, wool torso with leatherette sleeves. “Gerri Summers” embroidered at right chest,"Kiss” patch embroidered at front right, large Kiss 98.7 fm logo embroidered on back.

98.7 KISS FM CUSTOM MADE 1988 VARSITY JACKET


Launched on August 1, 1981, 98.7 Kiss FM was an iconic NYC urban radio powerhouse that programmed “Classic Soul and R&B” and was pivotal in establishing a beachhead on commercial radio for Hip Hop. In October of 1983, pioneering icon Kool DJ Red Alert made his debut on Kiss-FM with a show that quickly became appointment radio for tri-state rap fans who, making sure they had fresh batteries and clean cassettes, would religiously tape every show. Renowned producer and DJ Chuck Chillout was another must-listen to staple on KISS and played a key role in expanding the station’s hip hop imprint. In 1985, the influential DJ/production team The Latin Rascals moved to Kiss FM with their famous brand of chopped up beats and razor blade edits. 


The jacket offered here was custom made for 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.


Airplay on 98.7 Kiss fm—and often a feature in Summers' Word Up! magazine—would prove essential to launching the careers of Run DMC, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, and many more.


Provenance:

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


Condition Report:

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