The Smithsonian's Latest Collection Is a Time Capsule of Photos Documenting Hip-Hop's Golden Age
Take a trip down “Memory Lane.”
Upon its opening in the fall, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will show a collection of photographs documenting the “Golden Age of Hip-Hop” (up until the early ’00s) obtained chiefly by music critic and industry lifer Bob Adler. Adler started hoarding Polaroids and publicity shots of rappers he was covering, both as a critic at the Ann Arbor Sun and then later on as a curator at Eyejammie Fine Arts, a hip-hop photo gallery in Chelsea. The photo collection depicts a swath of G.O.A.T.s, from Eazy-E, Big Daddy Kane, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard to KRS-One, Black Sheep and Mary J. Blige, in moments both candid and iconic.
Head on over to The New York Times‘ Lens blog for more of the photos and be sure to stop by the museum on the National Mall, if you happen to be in Washington, D.C. this fall.
