Current:Home > Scams25 years on, a look back at one of the most iconic photographs in hip-hop history -AssetLink
25 years on, a look back at one of the most iconic photographs in hip-hop history
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:59:45
New York City — Friday will mark the 25th anniversary of one of the most iconic moments in music history — when 177 of the greatest artists in hip-hop gathered together on a city block in Harlem for a cover photograph for XXL Magazine.
The photograph, taken on Sept. 29, 1998, included musicians Rakim, Common, Mos Def, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes and Questlove, among countless others.
"I knew it," Fat Joe, one of rap's first Latino superstars, told CBS News on whether he was aware at the time the image would become historic. "On that day, seeing so many of my peers, so many people that I looked up to…we knew that was history."
At the time, the photo was a recreation of another iconic photograph taken in the same spot by photographer Art Kane in 1958 that featured 57 of the world's greatest jazz musicians. That photo was used in Esquire Magazine to mark the end of the golden age of jazz.
"Just to pay homage to the jazz legends, and basically, their children in hip-hop, you know, all these artists basically came out of that jazz, came out of that genius," Sheena Lester, who was the XXL editor-in-chief at the time the photograph was taken, told CBS News.
Lester said the idea for the photograph was brought up in an editorial meeting.
"Once it was brought up, I couldn't let it go," Lester said. "It was too good an idea to not follow through."
The photograph was made magical when Lester convinced famed photographer Gordon Parks, who was 86 years old at the time, to snap the picture into history.
Lester said Parks initially turned the magazine down until she spoke to him directly and conveyed their vision.
"Once I basically told him that we had determined that nobody else could take this photo but him," Lester said. "…We knew that he should take the picture because of who he was, and because of what this was, nobody else could take it. And then he said yes. Because I think he knew then that we knew what we were asking for."
This year marks hip-hop's 50th anniversary, a music genre born out of struggle that grew all the way up into a multi-billion-dollar industry.
- In:
- Harlem
- hip hop
- Questlove
- New York
Jericka Duncan is a national correspondent based in New York City and the anchor for Sunday's edition of the "CBS Weekend News."
TwitterveryGood! (2)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Nevada Republicans prepare to choose a candidate to face Jacky Rosen in critical Senate race
- Buying a home? Expect to pay $18,000 a year in additional costs
- While youth hockey participation in Canada shrinks, the US is seeing steady growth
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Young Thug's attorney Brian Steel arrested for alleged contempt of court: Reports
- A New York county with one of the nation’s largest police forces is deputizing armed residents
- 'American Idol' contestant Jack Blocker thought he didn't get off on 'right foot' with Katy Perry
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Nvidia 10-for-1 stock split puts share price within reach of more investors
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Arthritis is common, especially among seniors. Here's what causes it.
- Police in Ohio fatally shoot man who they say charged at officers with knife
- Horoscopes Today, June 9, 2024
- Trump's 'stop
- Primary races to watch in Nevada, South Carolina, Maine
- An Oregon man was stranded after he plummeted off an embankment. His dog ran 4 miles to get help.
- US opts for experience and versatility on Olympic women’s basketball roster, passes on Caitlin Clark
Recommendation
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
NYC bird group drops name of illustrator and slave owner Audubon
16-year-old American girl falls over 300 feet to her death while hiking in Switzerland
Prison inmate accused of selling ghost guns through site visited by Buffalo supermarket shooter
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Why Emilia Clarke Feared She Would Get Fired From Game of Thrones After Having Brain Aneurysms
Fire tears through Poland weapons factory, killing 1 worker
Could Apple be worth more than Nvidia by 2025?