Eazy E skateboarding by Ithaka Darin Pappas

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

 

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.

Historic NWA Photographs by Ithaka Darin Pappas Currently Appearing in Two Museum Shows

Historic photographs of hip hop legends N.W.A. by Ithaka Darin Pappas are currently appearing in two north American museum shows; "Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop" curated by Vikki Tobak at Seattle's Museum Of Pop and "Boyz n the Hood" at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles curated by Esme Douglas. During the years from 1988-1990, Ithaka Darin Pappas photographed Eazy E & NWA a reported 18-20 times. Images from these photographic sessions have appeared in the books; Hip Hop Raised Me by DJ Semtex, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop by Vikki Tobak, Approximate Gestures : Infinite Spaces in the Fiction of Percival Everett by Anthony Stuart and The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll.

Eazy E in Los Angeles (1989) photographed by Ithaka Darin Pappas

Eazy E in Los Angeles (1989) photographed by Ithaka Darin Pappas

Indian-American Oscar Winner, Joseph Patel, To Direct "Contact High" Documentary

Patel in 2019, shown with the image "Skate Outta Compton" (Eazy E photographed by Ithaka Darin Pappas in 1989 from the book, Contact High: A Visual History Of Hip Hop). Indian-American Oscar Winner, Joseph Patel (producer of Best Documentary project Summer Of Soul, To Direct Contact High Documentary Popular book “Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop” is headed to the screen as a documentary. Universal Music Group’s Mercury Studios and Republic Records’ Federal Films, along with Jupiter Entertainment, are behind the adaptation. Joseph Patel is tapped to direct; Jupiter’s Patrick Reardon, Federal Films’ Chris Blackwell and Dana Sano, and Barak Moffitt and Daniel Seliger of Mercury Studios, along with “Contact High” author Vikki Tobak, will executive produce, along with Fred Brathwaite (aka Fab 5 Freddy). The 2018 photo book chronicles the rise of hip-hop from the music of the streets to commercial success through outtakes from more than 100 photo shoots. Likewise the doc will utilize contact sheets, stylized set pieces and archival interviews in telling the story visually. SOURCE VARIETY: https://variety.com/2021/film/news/contact-high-hip-hop-book-documentary-1235049534/

'Dr. Dre is Made in LA'

Source: https://www.imore.com/beats-launches-new-video-campaign-titled-dr-dre-made-la MADE IN LA Beats launches new video campaign titled 'Dr. Dre is Made in LA' The Beats Fit Pro videos just keep coming. Dr Dre Is Made In La Source: Beats Beats has released a new video highlighting its Beats Fit Pro wireless earbuds. The video features Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and more. Dr. Dre and many more stars just performed at this year's Super Bowl halftime show. To coincide with the Super Bowl halftime show performance and the brand's new wireless earbuds, Beats has released a new video featuring Dr. Dre called "Dr. Dre is Made in LA." You can watch the new video below: PROUD to be Made in LA Featuring Dr. Dre and archival footage of Anderson .Paak, Kayvon Thibodeux, Roddy Ricch, Serena Williams, Snoop Dogg and Vince Staples as well a 1988 still photograph portrait of Dre entitled "Miracle Dre" by Ithaka Darin Pappas The video, which featuring a number of stars, also shows off the new Beats Fit Pro, the brand's latest wirless earbuds. The earbuds, which feature Apple's H1 chip for easy AirPods-like connection with the company's products, also include noise cancellation and sweat resistance, making them an AirPods Pro competitor for those looking for a high quality set of wireless earbuds. The new video featuring Dr. Dre as "Made in LA" is quite timely as he just headlined this years' Super Bowl in...Los Angeles. In addition to Dre, the Super Bowl halftime show also featured Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and more:

Portrait of Dr. Dre by Ithaka Darin Pappas featured in new video "Dre Dre Is Made In LA"

Source: https://www.imore.com/beats-launches-new-video-campaign-titled-dr-dre-made-la MADE IN LA Beats launches new video campaign titled 'Dr. Dre is Made in LA' The Beats Fit Pro videos just keep coming. Dr Dre Is Made In La Source: Beats Beats has released a new video highlighting its Beats Fit Pro wireless earbuds. The video features Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and more. Dr. Dre and many more stars just performed at this year's Super Bowl halftime show. To coincide with the Super Bowl halftime show performance and the brand's new wireless earbuds, Beats has released a new video featuring Dr. Dre called "Dr. Dre is Made in LA." You can watch the new video below: PROUD to be Made in LA Featuring Dr. Dre and archival footage of Anderson .Paak, Kayvon Thibodeux, Roddy Ricch, Serena Williams, Snoop Dogg and Vince Staples as well a 1988 still photograph portrait of Dre entitled "Miracle Dre" by Ithaka Darin Pappas The video, which featuring a number of stars, also shows off the new Beats Fit Pro, the brand's latest wirless earbuds. The earbuds, which feature Apple's H1 chip for easy AirPods-like connection with the company's products, also include noise cancellation and sweat resistance, making them an AirPods Pro competitor for those looking for a high quality set of wireless earbuds. The new video featuring Dr. Dre as "Made in LA" is quite timely as he just headlined this years' Super Bowl in...Los Angeles. In addition to Dre, the Super Bowl halftime show also featured Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and more:

Eazy E And Venice Beach Skateboarders (1989) Photographed by: Ithaka Darin Pappas

Eazy E And Venice Beach Skateboarders (1989) Photographed by: Ithaka Darin Pappas. Image is featured in the book Contact High (Random House). https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/thrashers-use-of-eazy-e-photo-allegedly-infringes-copyright

NWA: "Straight Outta Compton" shirt featuring photo by Ithaka Darin Pappas

(unauthorized) NWA "Straight Outta Compton" shirt featuring photo entitled "The Miracle Mile Shot" by Ithaka Darin Pappas sold on ebay by plainchampagne https://www.ebay.com/itm/E1SYNDICATE-T-SHIRT-NWA-EAZY-E-ICE-CUBE-DR-DRE-N-W-A-RAP-HIP-HOP-SNOOP-2424-/332256025668

Ultra Rare: Eazy E - "Eazy Duz It" t-shirt featuring photo by Ithaka Darin Pappas

Ultra Rare "Eazy E" T-shirt featuring photo "Eazy E On The Microphone" by Ithaka Darin Pappas taken on November 11th 1988 in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles.

This very rare black on black Eazy E tee was recently spotted selling on Ebay for $450 (used):https://gem.app/product/ruthless-n-w-a-eazy-e-eazy-duz-it-vintage OR https://www.ebay.com/itm/284095011547

EAZY-E VISITS PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH IN THE WHITE HOUSE (30 YEARS AGO) Photo: Ithaka Darin Pappas

"Eazy On The Microphone" photo by: Ithaka Darin Pappas 1988 ________________________________________________________________________________ EAZY-E VISITS PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH IN THE WHITE HOUSE 30 YEARS AGO 30 years ago, Eazy muthaf**kin’ E made his debut on the White House lawn. While other rappers of the time were totally against President George Bush and his staunch law and order policies, Eazy-E, along with his manager Jerry Heller, spent $1250 a plate to attend the Republicans Inner Circle dinner. This private, members-only dinner may have cost Eazy a whopping $2500 for two plates, but that type of publicity couldn’t be bought. Speculation has it that Eazy and Jerry’s attendance at the White House during the Bush administration kept the FBI off of N.W.A’s backs after the controversy over their “Fuck The Police” single. source:

https://thesource.com/2020/03/18/today-in-hip-hop-history-eazy-e-visits-president-george-h-w-bush-in-the-white-house-29-years-ago/

Eazy E - cover of Pollstar Magazine - March 1989

N.W.A photos by photographer, Ithaka Darin Pappas, 1988-1990, without a doubt the most extensive archive of early NWA images by a single photographer such; The Miracle Mile Shot, Skate Outta Compton, Eazy On The Mic, Backstage In Pheonix and The Bleacher Shot (also see: @nwa_photos_by_ithaka). Note: these are not Public Domain photographs - copyrights are in effect. To use for print, or merchandising - contact: ithaka.art@gmail.com

Eazy E: "King Of West Coast Rap" Tee (Target). Photo by Ithaka Darin Pappas

Pay tribute to the king of West Coast rap with the Men's Eazy-E Short Sleeve T-Shirt. This white cotton short sleeve tee featuring the historic 1988 photograph "Eazy On The Mic" by Ithaka Darin Pappas has a regular crew neck and a print of the legend in black & white. Made of cotton, you can wear it any time of the year, just pair it with a jacket during winters so you can show off to everyone what real rap is. NOW AVAILABLE AT TARGET! https://www.target.com/p/men-s-eazy-e-short-sleeve-t-shirt-white/-/A-80825028

Official Eazy E t-Shirts now at Urban Outfitters (photo by: Ithaka Darin Pappas)

"Eazy On The Mic" 1988 Portrait of Eazy E by Ithaka Darin Pappas

"Eazy On The Mic" 1988 Portrait of Eazy E by Ithaka Darin Pappas

"Eazy E On The Microphone" - photographer Ithaka Darin Pappas (1988)

Eazy E On The Microphone - photographed by Ithaka Darin Pappas (1988)

MC Ren (of N.W.A.) photographed in DTLA in 1990 by Ithaka Darin Pappas

MC Ren (of N.W.A.) photographed in DTLA in 1990 by Ithaka Darin Pappas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Ren

Eazy E & N.W.A. Photographer, Ithaka Darin Pappas - self-portrait

N.W.A. photographer, Ithaka Darin Pappas (self-portrait in Minas Gerais, Brazil)

Never Seen Image of Ice Cube & Dr. Dre by Photographer Ithaka Darin Pappas - Surfaces After 31 Years!

NEVER BEFORE SEEN image of Ice Cube & Dr. Dre  just discovered in my deepest archives. Although we were mostly shooting black & white, this was from a lone color roll shot on a Hasselblad 500CE. It was November 11th 1988, the same day we made "THE MIRACLE MILE SHOT" ( aka the official press image for Straight Outta Compton "). This now historic session was made in my old apartment in The Miracle Mile area of LA when my roommates were out at their classes at UCLA 

{watch vid here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa1HApBPD6U }[][]

Image is copyrighted: Please contact ithaka.official@gmail.com for more info:

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

photo: Ithaka Darin Pappas © 1988

This was one of many shoots 

That I did of Ice Cube and NWA for

Priority Records Between 1988 and 1991.

For more information about this image 

Please contact: ithaka.art@gmail.com - Also see:  @_ithaka_

Note: This image is not Public Domain, it is Necessary to acquire authorization

thru my Representatives at the Tack Artist Agency Group in Los Angeles 

before reproducing in print, online or merchandising ... thank you.

Interview in Mass Appeal (Contact High Project)
http://massappeal.com/contact-high-ithaka-darin-pappas-on-photographing-a-bulletproof-vest-wearing-skateboarding-riding-eazy-e/

Interview in The Hundreds:
http://thehundreds.com/ithaka-interview/

Interview in Gerneral Admission:
https://www.generaladmission.us/blogs/news/eazy-e-and-ithakas-iconic-photo

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 #nwa #drdre#icecube #beatsbydre #hiphop#gangstarap #straightouttacompton#themiraclemileshot#musicphotography#Dodgers#hiphopphotography#westcoast #compton #LA#raplegend #rapper#goldenagehiphop #hiphophead#thegodfatherofgangstarap#streetknowledge #streetart #biggie#hiphop_life #tupac #nas#fuckthapolice

#ithakadarinpappas

N.W.A - Backstage In Phoenix (1989) The Last Photographs of N.W.A. - Very Rare pictures by Ithaka Darin Pappas

BACKSTAGE IN PHOENIX - The Last Photographs of the Real N.W.A. (photographed and directed by: Ithaka Darin Pappas) The following images (all from a single roll of film) were taken early evening in Phoenix, Arizona about an hour before Eazy-E and N.W.A would perform one of the most powerful concerts on their 1989 U.S. tour. At the time, I was a regular freelance photographer for Priority Records and was flown out from Los Angeles that afternoon to document a private backstage ceremony. DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and MC Ren were to be presented RIAA certified Platinum Records for their albums N.W.A."Straight Outta Compton" and Eazy-E "Eazy-Duz-It" which had been released almost simultaneously in August and September of 1988. Ironically, it was there in Phoenix later on this very same night, that Ice Cube essentially quit the project, ending The World's Most Dangerous Group as we knew it. These are the last photographs of N.W.A. together as a quintet. - Ithaka Darin Pappas 2019

________________________________________________ The good times couldn't last. Ice Cube was the first to discover all was not right with N.W.A. - at the height of the group's popularity in 1989 when the tour hit Phoenix, Cube stopped the show. Pat Charbonet, then publicist for Priority Records and Cube's future manager had been asking Cube some questions about his financing...How much money had Cube been making off the songs he had written for Straight Outta Compton? Where was the money...and when would Cube get it in his pockets? Cube didn't have any answers - so he stopped the group dead in its tracks. - Dr. Dre: A Biography (2007) page 48
___________________________________________________ At Eazy's request, N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller flew to Phoenix with new contracts in hand and $75,000 for those who signed. The rest of the group complied, but not Cube. He told Heller he wanted a lawyer to review the contract.The others in the group ridiculed him for turning down so much money. Cube in fact discovered he did have good reason to feel he was getting ripped off. According to Rolling Stone magazine, N.W.A. grossed $650,000 for their 1989 U.S. tour, but Cube only received $23,000. By the end of the year, Straight Outta Compton and Eazy-Duz-It had sold a combined three-million copies. Although Cube had written or co-written about half the songs on both albums, he earned a total of $32,000. - Sager 1990, page 166

_________________________________________________________ Royalties, which typically take months to work their way from shops to distributors to record labels and on to artists, weren't arriving fast enough to keep tempers from boiling over. At a gig in Phoenix, Arizona each member was given a check, but only if they signed a contract. I refused to take my check, because I felt I would be admitting that I agreed with what I was being' paid, Cube told me in 2006. They thought I was crazy!, saying, '$75,000 is more money than we've ever seen'. - NME August 25th 2015 Photography, edit and music: Ithaka Darin Pappas
Songs: "Afflicted", "Warm Budweiser", "Butterly Boogie" from the upcoming album, Ithaka Voiceless Blue Raven II Text sources: Sager (1999), Dr. Dre: A Biography (2007), NME Magazine (2015) Executive producer: craig raidor dahl Note: all images in this presentation under U.S. Federal and international copyrights. ©1989, ©2019 Thank you. https://nwafotosbyithakadarinpappas.b... https://www.instagram.com/nwa_photos_... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo97z... https://www.facebook.com/NWAandEAZYEp... #NWA #HIPHOP #IthakaDarinPappas