Beyond South Central (book) Eazy E and NWA photographs by photographer, Ithaka Darin Pappas 1988-1990, the most extensive archive of early NWA images by a single photographer including; The Miracle Mile Shot, Skate Outta Compton, Eazy On The Mic, Backstage In Phoenix 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.official@gmail.com #NWA #EAZYE
2018 - Co-founder of Image Club Ltd. - Punk legend Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag, OFF!) discuss with artist/photographer Ithaka Darin Pappas how he began to work for pioneering record label Priority Records in the late 1980's- and began to regularly photograph Eazy E, NWA, Ice Cube
Это был исторический день в отношениях хип-хопа и скейтбординга. Это был первый раз, когда известный рэпер публично одобрил скейтбординг (и даже признался и продемонстрировал, что он был скейтбордистом mesmo). До этого дня скейтбординг был в основном для панков ... хип-хоп не был чем-то увлеченным сообществом скейтбордов. Каким-то образом этот день подал зеленый свет между двумя мирами, что было нормально принимать друг друга. Это было начало пожизненного братства, поскольку все мы знаем, что эти две вселенные теперь движутся рука об руку, абсолютно неразделимы.
este foi um dia histórico nas relações do hip hop e do skate. Foi a primeira vez que um conhecido rapper endossou publicamente o skate (e até admitiu e demonstrou que era um skatista mesmo). Antes deste dia, o skate era principalmente para punks ... O hip hop não era algo abraçado pela comunidade de skate. De alguma forma, este dia serviu uma luz verde entre os dois mundos que era aceitável aceitar um ao outro. Foi o início de uma irmandade ao longo da vida, como todos nós sabemos que esses dois universos agora andam de mãos dadas, totalmente inseparáveis.
Eric "Eazy-E" Wright was a hip-hop visionary who never got the credit he deserved for turning rap into an international phenomenon (though 2015's Straight Outta Compton biopic went a long way toward rehabilitating his legacy). Well, he was a visionary in other ways, too. Decades before it became commonplace for every rapper to have a skateboard or two in his closet, Eazy was practicing kickflips with his young son on the streets of Compton.
At a time when skateboarding was dominated by white kids listening to punk - and the hip hop community disregarded anything related to skate or surf, Eazy E paved the way.
Extremely Rare Photo of Eazy E Skateboarding by Ithaka Darin Pappas now on Exhibit at "Contact High" hosted by The Annenberg Space For Photography
“Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop,” at the Annenberg Space for Photography. A new group show organized by author Vikki Tobak looks at the work of photographers who chronicled the rise of hip-hop, with famous prints (like the iconic portrait of Biggie Smalls in a crown by Barron Claiborne) as well as unedited contact sheets and other images of key musical figures from the genre, including Eazy-E, Jay-Z and Salt-N-Pepa. Tobak is the author of the bestselling book on which the exhibit is based. Opens Friday and runs through Aug. 18. 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, AnnenbergPhotoSpace.org.
Tell us about the cover photo and how you got to that point with N.W.A?
Ithaka Darin Pappas: At the time I was working for Priority Records. I was their main freelance photographer during this period and I had photographed N.W.A. probably more than any other photographer. This particular day was a shoot for MTV and they were doing a little culture clash unite between this pop group Kris Kross and N.W.A. Kris Kross came down and we all met in Venice. Fab 5 Freddy did the interview, an old-school artist and hip-hopper from New York. After the Kris Kross bailed we all walked down to the skate area down there on the beach at Venice. Eazy grabbed some kid's skateboard and took off. I'd already been working with this crew for probably almost two years and I'd never even heard the word skate board came out of anybody's mouth, or surfing, or anything like that. It was a shock to me, and he'd obviously spent some time on a skateboard because he knew what he was doing.
General Admission Magazine: He could skate?
Ithaka Darin Pappas: Yes. He was confident on it. One thing we've learned from this photo is Eazy is a goofyfooter. (Ed’s note: Goofyfoot is the type of stance a surfer or skater is defined by)
Eazy E - SKATE OUTTA COMPTON - Hip Hop's First Skateboarder, Venice Beach 1989 / photographed by Ithaka Darin Pappas @_ithaka_ [][] Book: Contact High A Visual History Of Hip Hop.EXTREMELY RARE These are the only photos in existence of Eazy E skate boarding https://www.amazon.com/Contact-High-Visual-History-Hip-Hop/dp/0525573887
https://www.complex.com/sports/2013/08/history-rappers-skateboard/murs
https://studio.youtube.com/video/6BA4MOlA2BU/edit
Eric "Eazy-E" Wright was a hip-hop visionary who never got the credit he deserved for turning rap into an international phenomenon (though 2015's Straight Outta Compton biopic went a long way toward rehabilitating his legacy). Well, he was a visionary in other ways, too. Decades before it became commonplace for every rapper to have a skateboard or two in his closet, Eazy was practicing kickflips with his young son on the streets of Compton.
At a time when skateboarding was dominated by white kids listening to punk - and the hip hop community disregarded anything related to skate or surf, Eazy E paved the way.
Extremely Rare Photo of Eazy E Skateboarding by Ithaka Darin Pappas now on Exhibit at "Contact High" hosted by The Annenberg Space For Photography
“Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop,” at the Annenberg Space for Photography. A new group show organized by author Vikki Tobak looks at the work of photographers who chronicled the rise of hip-hop, with famous prints (like the iconic portrait of Biggie Smalls in a crown by Barron Claiborne) as well as unedited contact sheets and other images of key musical figures from the genre, including Eazy-E, Jay-Z and Salt-N-Pepa. Tobak is the author of the bestselling book on which the exhibit is based. Opens Friday and runs through Aug. 18. 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, AnnenbergPhotoSpace.org.
General Admission Magazine:
Tell us about the cover photo and how you got to that point with N.W.A?
Ithaka Darin Pappas: At the time I was working for Priority Records. I was their main freelance photographer during this period and I had photographed N.W.A. probably more than any other photographer. This particular day was a shoot for MTV and they were doing a little culture clash unite between this pop group Kris Kross and N.W.A. Kris Kross came down and we all met in Venice. Fab 5 Freddy did the interview, an old-school artist and hip-hopper from New York. After the Kris Kross bailed we all walked down to the skate area down there on the beach at Venice. Eazy grabbed some kid's skateboard and took off. I'd already been working with this crew for probably almost two years and I'd never even heard the word skate board came out of anybody's mouth, or surfing, or anything like that. It was a shock to me, and he'd obviously spent some time on a skateboard because he knew what he was doing.
General Admission Magazine: He could skate?
Ithaka Darin Pappas: Yes. He was confident on it. One thing we've learned from this photo is Eazy is a goofyfooter. (Ed’s note: Goofyfoot is the type of stance a surfer or skater is defined by)
[Contact High: Hip-Hop’s Iconic Photographs and Visual Culture]
Rapper, Eazy E skateboarding in Venice Beach, California Feb. 24th 1989 - photographed by:Ithaka Darin Pappas
Presented by Contact High with support from Mass Appeal and Invictus Black
Curated by Vikki Tobak; Associate curator: Syreeta Gates
“Contact High” spotlights the photographers who have played
critical roles in bringing hip-hop and music culture imagery onto the
global stage. Photographers share their era-defining stories’ iconic
images, what legendary street photographer Henri Cartier Bresson called
‘The Decisive Moment’. “Contact High” offers a rare glimpse into the
creative process and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the
imagery that shaped hip-hop and music visual culture. Getting access to
the original and unedited contact sheets, we see the ‘big picture’
visual legacy being created. Contact sheets let you look directly
through the photographer’s lens and observe all of the other shots taken
during these legendary moments.
Hip-hop and rebel cultures have always been about self-definition,
especially when it comes to visuals and style. For artists, that one
iconic pose, press shot or album cover would play a major role in
shaping them into icons by any means necessary—skills, style, swagger,
bravado and visuals. Today, the way we digest and create cultural
imagery has radically changed. Today’s visual landscape is haphazardly
shaped from every direction. The contact sheets reveal how photographers
shaped the evolution of a visual cultural phenomenon.
Let’s get analogue for a minute. Contrary to the iPhone’s dominance,
film is not dead. In fact, there’s a whole movement of analogue film
photographers hashtag bragging: #FilmIsNotDead #35mm #ishootfilm
#analogphotography #analogvibes… the list goes on. In this digital age
of Instagram and Photoshop, it’s easy to hide imperfections. Analog film
reveals beauty and individuality by exposing imperfection and process.
There is individualism and eccentricity in every shot, like the dust and
grooves of vinyl records. Photographers typically don’t show their
contact sheets. It’s their visual diary. Not every shot worked, in fact,
most didn’t. Back when every photo was methodically shot on analog
film, the negatives on a roll of film would be contact printed on
photographic paper allowing you to see the full range of images that
would eventually develop into the ‘money shot’.
ORGANIZATION BIO
“Contact High: Hip-Hop’s Iconic Photographs and Visual Culture”
spotlights the photographers who have played critical roles in bringing
hip-hop and music culture imagery onto the global stage.
The exhibition encompass more than 40 years of history and celebrates
what and how photographers saw as hip-hop evolved into a global force.
Coinciding with the publication of “Contact High: Hip-Hop’s Iconic
Photographs and Visual Culture” (Clarkson Potter/Penguin Random House)
to be published fall 2018.
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
