Anyone who’s photographed Snoop Dog, Jay-Z and M.I.A--among hundreds of others in the hip-hop and rap world--is bound to have a few good stories to tell.
New York photographer Mike Schreiber (who still mostly shoots film, and describes himself as “a documentary photographer who happens to take portraits”) has built a career on snapping everyone who’s anyone in hip-hop on their way up (and down) the ladder of stardom, and as such, just sort of fell into the position of being one of the main visual chroniclers of the genre. He’s collected a bevy of mostly black-and-white shots and behind-the-scenes anecdotes in his book True Hip-Hop, out now from Random House. The book covers 12 years of shooting, from live and backstage work to portraits and candids, and even includes some previously unpublished work—like a surprisingly sweet and upbeat look at a then-unsigned Eminem and a very young Mos Def (pictured).
The self-taught lensman—whose work has appeared in places like Vibe, Spin, XXL, and Rolling Stone—will be on hand at a release party for the tome tonight at Clic Gallery in Nolita.
True Hip-Hop by Mike Schreiber. Wednesday January 19, 6-8PM at Clic Bookstore & Gallery, 255 Centre Street, 212-219-9308. Free admission.
