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The Hip Hop Files


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Martha Cooper was a photo-journalist living in New York City when she first began documenting the origins of B-boy (short for break-boys) and hip hop culture. While other New Yorkers at the time saw this movement as a trite, uninspired or even offensive fad, Martha found a new form of expressing art. Through her camera lens we recount the infancy of hip-hop culture, from the alleys and subways of New York to the masses beyond the boroughs.
ThomasGreen

25 responses // The Hip Hop Files

  • Great piece! Such a treat to see the images and hear the stories of the origin of the hip hop culture, and the media's early take on it.
    leahl
  • that's beautiful! martha coooper and henry chalfant captured an era in nyc that has reverberated throughout the entire world. she and others like them were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and have contributed greatly to bringing this artform to the notoriety it possesses to this day.
    ultrasur1
  • yes yes y'all...really nice prop this morning on wooster collective mailer to !!!

    the pod's ace - most people would be stoked at having documenting the early days of graf, let alone hip hop, AND b'boying...she's still so humble and insightful about the whole scene

    met her last year - a true inspiration...for the cause not the cash...!

    check out powerhouse in Dumbo NYC, they publish a load of books on the early 80's NY scene, and often have some cool exhibitions to support...

    d
    derider
  • http://www.moenipulation.co.uk
    God bless the Grandmother of Graff.

    Without the likes of Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver the whole street art scene would not be as diverse and relevant as it is today.

    I personaly owe a great deal to these individuals and only hope others discover the world they documnented and became part of.

    moe
    moenipulation
  • Moe, Thanks for your comment and for the kind words in your email to me. This pod was actually a test of an idea we had of doing a series of short documentaries on photographers who have managed to capture an era of our lifetime. The interview was done by Georgi Goldman, a current VC2 Creative Exec, and former New Yorker who reached out to her after seeing some of her work.

    Would you like to see more pieces done like this?
    ThomasGreen
    1 response to this
  • Dope. Very Dope.
    IAMHIPHOP
  • You have to be pretty cool to get that close to the street.
    derk
  • that was good. I luv graffiti I do sum myself actually.. well I have a ntoebook I havent gone as far as sizin ma images up 2 human scale, but im workin on it. dis was very interesting to see. I hope more people make vids like this about wat tha hiphop/b-boy/graffitti culture is about.
    iah
    • iah
    • 1 month ago
  • wow GREAT pod
    fiLakaMrPink
  • http://www.iamhiphop.com/video/352
    Peep this... This is the trailer for a doc I did called "The Freshest Kids, a history of the B-Boy."
    IAMHIPHOP
  • http://www.50mmlosangeles.com/
    Los Angeles graffiti website.
    mikeywally
  • How interesting. Old school hip-hop was cool but I'm not too impressed with the crap I hear on the radio these days. While I'm ranting, can we draw an artistic line between the artful "graffiti" as displayed in this pod and the "tagging" crap that you see all over?
    damnneargenius
  • COOLIO!
    michaelgonline
  • Thanks for sharing this interesting docu.
    It´s cool that she was already named MC...
    Inalatu
  • It would be cool to hear from Edwin now. I wonder what he is up to.
    ThomasGreen
  • Awesome!!!! what happened to the end though>>> : /
    federicoharo
  • Tom, that shit was awesome.
    smells
  • Awesome pod. Thanks a lot.
    helloimcat
  • That was niffty! Graffiti and hip hop have both evolved artistically. Some of the graffiti of today and the hip-hop dancers are beyond words incredible! Ode to Martha Cooper, a true photo journalist!
    jjmaster
  • sick pod. this lady looks like my mom and she documented the begings of hip hop nice. also her shots were awesome.

    also a random question can anyone tell me the name of the track playing in the new vangaurd add?
    sweetwaters919
  • Long live Martha Cooper! and ya don't stop!
    frankyk
  • Great Video!
    alfalpha10
  • Awesome pod! I want to take a look at her book now. It's a culture who's past seems to be glossed over by the present day perception of the hip hop industry. Great presentation!
    kacarlson
  • Saw this last night! I love this video.. her photography is an inspiration.
    DanaDanger

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