In 1973, a young man named Clive Campbell, born in Kingston (Jamaica), but whose family emigrated to the United States when he was 12 years old, began DJing in the Bronx using a musical cutting technique that allowed him to return to the starting point and return. at him over and over again with the record player needle. Through his artistic alter ego, DJ Kool Herk, he popularized this style that he decided to call breakbeat.
Soon all the young people in the neighborhood began to imitate Herk. A few months later, all of New York was talking about hip hop and thanks to a handful of radio stations in New York and Los Angeles, the breakbeat It spread like a virus throughout the United States. To celebrate 50 years of the epic, the cult British publisher Reel Art Press publishes The book of rhyme & reason. This book by Peter Spirer is one of the most relevant works to understand the cultural fire that this movement caused, thanks to a man who was there, right in the middle of a revolution that turns half a century this year. After studying photography and film at the University of Miami, Spirer directed a documentary about the photographer Sally Mann and came into contact with various hip hop figures, getting fully into the scene thanks to his camera and his ease of fitting into a world where not everyone was welcome.
“In those memorable gatherings, the parties were more than just music; “They were vibrant expressions of art and identity,” Spirer tells EL PAÍS. The graffiti artists decorated the surroundings with their works, the dancers break dance They captivated the spectators and the DJ served as the axis that held the entire event together. People were redefining themselves through the clothes they wore, reflecting the essence of hip hop’s cultural tapestry. For Americans, there is a fundamental distinction between hip hop and rap, and it is important to underline their cultural significance by capitalizing both terms. To truly embody hip hop, one must fully embrace all of its facets, including the break, graffiti art, DJ and fashion. As KRS-One said: “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.”
But Spirer is not only a photographer and direct witness of the golden era of the genre, he is also the director of what many consider the best documentary on the universe of hip hop, with the same title as the book he is about to publish: Rhyme & reason. “During my documentation of hip hop, I witnessed a dynamic period of emergence, especially with the rise of MCs [master of ceremonies, los anfitriones y auténticos protagonistas de las veladas musicales]. Each element of culture had its moment of prominence. However, when record companies discovered the profitability of record sales, attention shifted primarily to the rapper, and the other components of the culture began to fade and eventually fade into the background,” explains Spirer.
The documentary, released in 1997 and produced by Miramax, is a compelling review of the lights and shadows of hip hop and includes testimonies from figures such as Ice T, Dr Dre, Da Brat, E-40, Method Man, The Notorious BIG, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Q-Tip or Wu-Tang Clan, among others, adding up to more than 80 artists essential to understanding the boom of a musical style that continues to sweep the 21st century. The book covers what is unanimously considered the period of greatest upheaval in the history of the genre, between 1994 and 1997. “During the time I documented, there was an incredible wealth of style and diversity within that culture. I was lucky enough to be around during what I consider the golden age of hip hop. Because hip hop has always transcended the realm of music; It is a culture born from the struggle of individuals from the South Bronx who sought to express themselves in a fresh and stimulating way,” says the photographer and documentary filmmaker.
For Peter Spirer, there is an intrinsic quality, tied specifically to the genre, that he has tried to reflect in his work: a fierce loyalty in the world of hip hop. “Most artists feel an obligation to take the people around them with them. When a rock band makes it, you don’t see their friends go the same way or take a piece of the pie. Hip hop was different, the relationships were different, the circle was different. Both with the documentary and with The book of rhyme & reason, I wanted America to have the opportunity to see the human side of the culture and the people who make it up. The relationships of artists and their families, friends and parents. I wanted to turn down the volume so we could hear the artists talk unfiltered about life, the business, their hopes and dreams, and get a real look into their world. Frankly, that’s all I cared about and I hope I got it,” she concludes.
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