A visual and cultural history of hip hop charting its meteoric rise from underground
trailblazer to global tastemaker To tell the story of contemporary American culture is to
tell the story of hip hop. From its humble underground origins hip hop transcended the
confines of rap music and spread its influence across a broad spectrum of American life -
fashion film art sports politics language - to become a cultural movement of profound
influence. Rapper's Deluxe is a critical contribution to America's cultural canon
shining a light on hip hop's ability to redefine and influence culture through: photographs
fine art advertisements book magazine and album covers film stills and more. Organized
chronologically from the 1970s to the present image-rich and dynamic layouts show the people
places events objects outfits and inspirations that redefined the world as we know it -
from fur-coated fans lining up for a Muhammad Ali fight at Madison Square Garden to a legendary
party in the "Boogie Down" Bronx through the hoods of South Los Angeles and the trap houses of
Atlanta to the extravagant red carpet looks of the Met Gala. Drawing on a broad range of
curated examples Dr. Todd Boyd re-examines hip hop's legacy and how the genre remixes 'high'
and 'low' culture past and present to come up with a style that is uniquely its own. Filled
with original insights and clever wordplay Rapper's Deluxe is a tale of transformation
following hip hop's arduous but always triumphant journey as it rose up to dominate the game.
|A visual and cultural history of hip hop charting its meteoric rise from underground
trailblazer to global tastemaker| Dr. Todd Boyd is Price Chair for the Study of Race and
Popular Culture and Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at USC. A media commentator author
producer and consultant Dr. Boyd has appeared in documentaries such as The Last Dance
(ESPN 2020) and the Ken Burns-directed Muhammed Ali (PBS 2021). His body of work includes
seven books and his essays have appeared in the New York Times Los Angeles Times
and the Guardian .
