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A Great Day in Hip Hop

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A Great Day in Hip Hop
XXL #7 centerfold of the photograph
ArtistGordon Parks
Completion dateSeptember 29, 1998 (1998-09-29)
TypeStreet photography
LocationHarlem, New York
OwnerThe Gordon Parks Organization

A Great Day in Hip Hop is a black-and-white photograph of over 200 hip hop artists and producers in Harlem, New York, taken by photographer Gordon Parks on September 29, 1998.[1] It was commissioned by XXL magazine, as a homage to Art Kane's A Great Day in Harlem, photographed in 1958.[2]

The photo was featured on the cover of December 1998's special edition of XXL,[3] titled "The Greatest Day in Hip Hop", as the date of photoshoot coincided with the release dates of albums from Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, OutKast, Brand Nubian, and Black Star.[4][5]

Background

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17 East 126th Street where the photograph was taken (pictured in 2015)[2]

In 1995, Life Magazine commissioned a retake of A Great Day in Harlem gathered ten of the surviving musicians from the photograph, with Parks photographing where they stood. American writer Michael A. Gonzales wrote about the photograph, “As a Harlem boy born a few blocks away from the brownstone where Kane shot the ensemble of jazz musicians, I knew firsthand how much the community had changed in the 40 years since the original picture was taken. That neighborhood had seen it all—from riots and blackouts to heroin and the crack years.”[6]

Three years after the photograph, 177 participants were assembled, including rappers, producers, and influencers, on the stoop of brownstone number 17. The photograph would represent the following generation, giving a new touch to the 1958 photograph.[7][8] Various rappers including the Beastie Boys, Big Pun, Public Enemy, KRS-One, and most members of the Wu-Tang Clan were invited to attend, but did not attend or cancelled the invitation.[9]

Musicians in the photograph

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The photograph features over 200 people, including artists who participated without an invitation and bystanders who happened to be at the scene. XXL staff identified 177 people:[10]

Aftermath

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A Great Day in Hip Hop received national attention through the XXL magazine, paving the way for many shoots in various cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Houston, the following years.[8]

The following year, West Coast rappers gathered together for a photo shoot known as A Day in the West in Los Angeles, with rappers including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Warren G, DJ Quik, King T, and more present.[11][8]

In 2005, MTV would organize an event for Atlanta's most notable rappers including Ludacris, T.I., Young Jeezy, Killer Mike, and DJ Drama.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Grove, Rashad (September 17, 2019). "10 Must-See Films At The 2019 Urbanworld Film Festival". BET. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Hosking, Taylor (November 30, 2018). "Unearthed Photos of Hip-Hop Royalty from the 80s and 90s". Vice. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  3. ^ Hinckley, David (September 30, 1998). "Rappers Retake Famed Pic". New York Daily News. p. 39. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Howard, Jacinta (September 29, 2022). "RTB REWIND: THE GREATEST RELEASE DAY IN HIP-HOP HISTORY?". Rock The Bells. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Purdom, Clayton (August 22, 2018). "Seinfeld ends, TRL begins, Titanic goes on and on: 17 pop culture windows into 1998". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Gonzales, Michael A. (September 29, 2014). "XXL's A Great Day in Hip Hop: 16 Years Later". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  7. ^ Rosenberg, Josh (July 17, 2023). "How Sheena Lester Recreated One of Esquire's Most Iconic Photographs". Esquire. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Lindsey, Craig D. (September 28, 2018). "MY LONG-LOST, UNPUBLISHED PIECE ON 'GREAT DAY IN HIP-HOP' SHOOTS". medium.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  9. ^ Reiss, Randy (September 8, 1998). "Top Rappers To Say 'Cheese' For 'Great Day In Harlem' Update". MTV. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "Hip-Hop America". XXL. Vol. 3, no. 1 #7. New York: Harris Publications. December 1998. pp. 86–118.
  11. ^ "Snoop Dogg, Mack 10, Xzibit To Come Together For "A Day In The West"". MTV. July 13, 1999. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
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