This book looks great and I can't wait to read it. -EF
**Please note this item is oversize and may require additional postage. We eill contact you after we receive your order regarding postage.
"The lore of the early days of hip hop has become the stuff of myth,
so what better way to document this fascinating, epic true story than
in another great American mythological medium - the comic book? From
exciting young talent and self-proclaimed hip hop nerd Ed Piskor,
acclaimed for his hacker graphic novel Wizzywig, comes this
explosively entertaining, encyclopedic history of the formative years
of the music genre that changed global culture.
Originally serialized on the hugely popular website Boing Boing, Hip Hop Family Tree
is now collected in a single volume cleverly presented and packaged in
a style mimicking the Marvel comics of the same era. Piskor's exuberant
yet controlled cartooning takes you from the parks and rec rooms of the
South Bronx to the night clubs, recording studios, and radio stations
where the scene started to boom, capturing the flavor of late-1970s New
York City in panels bursting with obsessively authentic detail. With a
painstaking, vigorous and engaging Ken Burns-meets-Stan Lee approach,
the battles and rivalries, the technical innovations, the triumphs and
failures are all thoroughly researched and lovingly depicted.
Piskor captures the vivid personalities and magnetic performances of
old-school pioneers and early stars like DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster
Flash and the Furious Five, the Funky 4 + 1, Afrika Bambaataa, Kurtis
Blow, The Sugarhill Gang, and three kids who would later become
RUN-DMC, plus the charismatic players behind the scenes like Russell
Simmons, Sylvia Robinson and then-punker Rick Rubin. Piskor also traces
graffiti master Fab 5 Freddy's rise in the art world, and Debbie Harry,
Keith Haring, The Clash, and other luminaries make cameos as the music
and culture begin to penetrate downtown Manhattan and the mainstream at
large.
Like the acclaimed hip hop documentaries Style Wars and Scratch, Hip Hop Family Tree
is an exciting and essential cultural chronicle and a must for hip hop
fans, pop-culture addicts, and anyone who wants to know how it went
down back in the day."
"Being in an Ed Piskor comic is cool enough to freeze hot water."