Guru poses for a photo.
Photo by T. Eric Monroe.
What would you give to be a fly on the wall observing some of the richest moments during the ‘90s heyday of hip-hop? For rap heads who came up within that time, no amount of convincing can change their firm beliefs regarding the glorious heights of that era. Last year, during hip-hop’s 50th anniversary celebrations, we got to experience a lot of those revered ‘90s artists and relive the timeless hits that made them icons. If that blast of nostalgia wasn’t enough for you, we have an amazing photo book for you to check out titled, Rare & Unseen Moments of 90’s HipHop, Collector’s Edition.
The author and photographer behind this book is New Jersey’s own, T. Eric Monroe. Growing up in the late ‘80s, he was swept up in the cultural clash of skateboarding and hip-hop. Naturally skilled with the camera lens, his photos got noticed by Thrasher Magazine, and just like that, a career fuelled by passion and innate talent was born. In the mid-to-late ‘90s, Monroe became a highly sought-after photographer capturing the who’s who of the rap scene,
Photo by T. Eric Monroe.
The moments captured in this book are truly incredible. Some of the images you’ll see include vintage Biggie rocking the crowd at Harlem during the Hoodshock Festival in 1996, a candid studio photo captured of Ladybug Mecca and Guru, The Roots photographed at a park in Midtown Manhattan in 1994, Mos Def and Talib Kweli at the Rockstead Anniversary in 1998, Ghostface and Raekwon captured outside RCA Records in 1995 — and that’s not even scraping the surface.
"I maintained and grew a career because I managed opportunities that allowed me to be a part of the fabric of the creative process without inserting myself into it,” Monroe states. “My relationships with people or the subjects I shot were from a space of comfort, yielding visual representations of unguarded moments usually reserved for close friends and family.”
If you’re a collector of authentic hip-hop artifacts, this is a visual treasure that you definitely need to add to your collection. Get your copy here.
A photo of Biggie Smalls by T. Eric Monroe.
