Hip Hop Family Tree 1 ─ Fantagraphics Treasury Edition

The lore of the early days of hip hophas become the stuff of myth, so whatbetter way to document this fascinating,epic true story than in another greatAmerican mythological medium — the comicbook? From exciting young talentand self-proclaimed hip hop nerd EdPiskor, acclaimed for his hacker graphicnovel Wizzywig, comes thisexplosively entertaining, encyclopedic history of theformative years of the music genre thatchanged global culture.Originally serialized on the hugelypopular website Boing Boing, TheHip HopFamily Tree is now collected in a single volumecleverly presented and packaged in a style mimicking the Marvel comics ofthe same era. Piskor’s exuberant yetcontrolled cartooning takes you from the parks and rec rooms of the South Bronxtothe night clubs, recording studios, andradio stations where the scene started to boom, capturing the flavor oflate-1970sNew York City in panels bursting withobsessively authentic detail. With a painstaking, vigorous and engaging KenBurns meets-Stan Lee approach, the battles andrivalries, the technical innovations, the triumphs and failures are allthoroughlyresearched and lovingly depicted. plus the charismatic players behind the scenes like Russell Simmons,Sylvia Robinson and then-punker RickRubin. Piskor also traces graffiti master Fab 5 Freddy’s rise in the art world,andDebbie Harry, Keith Haring, The Clash,and other luminaries make cameos as the music and culture begin to penetratedowntown Manhattan and the mainstream atlarge.Like the acclaimed hip hop documentariesStyle Wars and Scratch, The Hip Hop Family Tree is an exciting and essentialcultural chronicle and a must for hiphop fans, pop-culture addicts, and anyone who wants to know how it went downback in the day.