The Art and Influence of Hip Hop

The Art and Influence of Hip Hop

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 117. Word Up! and Rap Masters promotional t-shirts.

[Kate Ferguson]

Word Up! and Rap Masters promotional t-shirts

Lot Closed

March 30, 05:56 PM GMT

Estimate

1,000 - 1,500 USD

Lot Details

Description

Two vintage Word Up! and Rap Masters promotional t-shirts.


Black t-shirt, size unknown, "WORD UP! MAGAZINE" on front; green t-shirt, size XL, "RAP MASTERS MAGAZINE" on front, slight discoloration to right of logo.

T-SHIRTS REPRESENTING TWO OF THE MOST ICONIC HIP HOP PUBLICATIONS OF ALL-TIME


By the time The Notorious B.I.G namechecked the publication in "Juicy," Word Up! magazine had already amassed a dedicated following of fans and readers.


Word Up! magazine was a monthly magazine dedicated to Hip Hop and R&B's up-and-coming prodigies, performers, and producers. Founded in August of 1987, the publication quickly rose in circulation, attracting a wide range of youthful readers and Hip Hop enthusiasts. Word Up! stood out from other magazine 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 Word Up! magazine (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.


Rap Masters was the sister publication to WORD UP! magazine, with both magazines produced by Faces Magazines, a teen entertainment publishing company based in Paramus, New Jersey. Dedicated to rap music and the practitioners of the upstart artform, the magazine helped to popularized MCs and DJs, with many of them eventually becoming megastars and icons of popular culture.


The two promotional t-shirts offered here are owned by Kate Ferguson, who was at once editor-in-chief of both the Rap Masters and WORD UP! publications.


Provenance: From the personal collection of Kate Ferguson


Condition Report:

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