Showing posts with label N.W.A. Photographs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label N.W.A. Photographs. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Hip hop photography book: "Beyond South Central": Rap legends N.W.A. as seen thru the lens of Ithaka Darin Pappas (1988-1990)

 





The second edition of the 2016 photography book Beyond South Central (Sweatlodge Publishing) is now available on amazon.com. The book is the result of the three years Ithaka Darin Pappas freelanced for Priority Records, capturing the primary imagery of N.W.A., documenting almost the entire lifespan of the group, from their obscure South Central beginnings to their meteoric rise to controversial super-stardom. This publication includes iconic images such as The Miracle Mile Shot, The Bleacher Shot, Backstage In Phoenix and also rarely seen candid images of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy E, MC Ren, DJ Yella and The D.O.C.

Ithaka Darin Pappas began experimenting with his father's 35mm and medium-format film cameras as early as age 5. He started assisting professional photographers immediately after high school, and within a year, began publishing much of his own work. Perhaps the most published (and republished) commercial photographic works by IDP are his early archival images of the influential LA Gangsta rap group NWA. Pappas worked for the West Coast record label Priority Records between 1988 and 1991 and documented almost the entire lifespan of the group, from their obscure South Central beginnings to their meteoric rise to controversial super-stardom.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

N.W.A. "The Miracle Mile Shot" (The Photograph That Defined A Legend) by Ithaka Darin Pappas





    Watch here:

                     

About the mini-documentary: "The Miracle Mile Shot":


"The Miracle Mile Shot" is an experimental, non-dialogue short-subject documentary film by Greek-American artist-photographer Ithaka Darin Pappas. This is the third in his series of hip-hop Photomentaries almost entirely relying on his own archival imagery of West Coast rap artists.


"I begin seeing these incredible documentaries randomly at different times and places around the world, on planes, at friends houses etc. And it took me a minute to realize that all of this compelling story-telling; Jazz, The Civil War, and The National Parks: America's Best Idea were coming from the same source, Ken Burns. His projects can tell an entire story with only still photographs if necessary, it's amazing.


I realized that I was the creator of much of the kind of raw still photographic material that Mr. Burns uses for his projects, and it has inspired me to begin to edit and present these images in a film format to tell a story. The Miracle Mile Shot is my third short-subject film festival project. I have already completed earlier this year "Eazy E & Venice Locals (A Historic Day in the Brotherhood of Hip Hop and Skateboarding".


I call these projects Photomentaries, meaning at this point I am only using still photographs in movement, with sound and text to vocal communicate ideas. I am not sure I will ever incorporate narration, I am enjoying the closed-mouth communication direction of it all and think I'd like to take it to the next level and even try a much longer project, of up to an hour.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_Mile_Shot
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10519540/
https://businessallstarsblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/26/the-miracle-mile-shot-non-dialogue-short-subject-documentary-at-lagff/