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Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop

{{Short description|2018 book by Vikki Tobak}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}

{{Infobox book

| name = Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop

| image = Contact_High_A_Visual_History_of_Hip_Hop_by_Vikki_Tobak,_front_cover.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Front cover

| author = Vikki Tobak

| illustrator =

| country = United States, Japan

| language = English, Japanese

| genre = Photography

| published = Penguin Random House / Clarkson Potter

| isbn =

| isbn_note =

| dewey =

| congress =

| oclc = 0525573887

| pages = 288

}}

Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop is a 2018 photography book created and written by Vikki Tobak and ongoing exhibition series.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/unearthed-photos-of-hip-hop-royalty-from-the-80s-and-90s/|title=Unearthed Photos of Hip-Hop Royalty from the 80s and 90s|first1=Alex|last1=Zaragoza|first2=Taylor|last2=Hosking|website=Vice.com|date=November 30, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/05/lens/40-years-of-hip-hop-photos.html|title=40 Years of Hip-Hop Photos|first=Fayemi|last=Shakur|date=October 5, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times}}{{cite web|url=https://www.popphoto.com/photographers-contact-sheets-celebrate-visual-history-hip-hop|title=Photographers' contact sheets celebrate the visual history of hip hop|website=Popular Photography|date=29 November 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/rare-images-of-biggie-and-tupac-capture-another-side-to-hip-hop/2018/11/08/6e73ae2e-d87e-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html |title=Nicki Minaj and a stack of pancakes? These rare images capture another side to hip-hop. |date=2018-11-08 |author1=Robin Givhan |newspaper=The Washington Post |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}} The volume features contact prints from analog photography sessions of hip hop artists during roughly forty-years, from the beginnings of the genre in the late 1970s until the late 2000s.

Beginning first as an Instagram account in 2016 created by Tobak, the then entitled Contact High Project soon appeared as a regular column in Mass Appeal. It was shown in exhibit form for the first time at the 2017 Photoville in Brooklyn before being signed to a book deal in 2018.

Details

The book has a foreword by Questlove and essays by Bill Adler, Rhea L. Combs, Fab Five Freddy, Michael Gonzales, Young Guru, DJ Premier, and RZA.{{cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/567510/contact-high-by-vikki-tobak-foreword-by-questlove/9780525573883|title=Contact High by Vikki Tobak - PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books|website=PenguinRandomhouse.com}}

The book explores the development of hip hop through the perspective of its photographers.{{cite web|url=https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/10/contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop|title=Red Bull Music Academy Daily|website=daily.redbullmusicacademy.com}} Accompanying the unedited contact sheets in the book are also the personal stories of the sixty featured photographers relating specifically to the musical artists that they worked with on these images. The content of the book is organized chronologically and measures hip hop's rise of influence from old-school to alternative hip hop across the world.{{cite web|url=https://allhiphop.com/features/book-review-contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop-aVwNiEUMrEKfgV1hIMccug/|title=Book Review: "Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop"|website=AllHipHop.com|access-date=2019-04-16|archive-date=2019-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416235819/https://allhiphop.com/features/book-review-contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop-aVwNiEUMrEKfgV1hIMccug/|url-status=dead}}

Among the featured photographic subjects in the book are Notorious B.I.G., Tu Pac, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Eminem,{{cite web|first1=Oliver|last1=Wang|access-date=2019-04-29|title=The icons of hip-hop and the images that might have been|url=https://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-contact-high-20181012-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=2018-10-12}} Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Salt-N-Pepa, and Kanye West.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/10/entertainment/hip-hop-portraits-cnnphotos/|title=The stories behind hip-hop's most iconic images|website=www.cnn.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2018/nov/07/classic-hip-hop-portraits-contact-high-in-pictures|title=Hip-hop's iconic images and the stories behind them – in pictures|date=November 7, 2018|via=www.theguardian.com|newspaper=The Guardian}} Hip hop figures DJ Kool Herc, Rock Steady Crew and street artists Futura and Keith Haring are also included.

Book reception

The book was included in Time's "25 Best Photobooks of 2018".{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/longform/best-photobooks-2018/|title=Time's Best Photobooks of 2018|magazine=Time}}

Museum exhibitions

File:Entrance of Contact High - A Visual History of Hip Hop exhibit at The Annenberg Space For Photography April 2019 photo by Ithaka Darin Pappas.jpg

Los Angeles:

In April 2019, The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles hosted an exhibit, also called Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, reflecting the entirety of the book's content. It was curated by the author, Vikki Tobak, with creative direction by Fab Five Freddy.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8503248/contact-high-photography-exhibit-la-visual-hip-hop-history|title='Contact High' Photography Exhibit in LA to Showcase Intimate Visual History of Hip-Hop|magazine=Billboard}}{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/art/contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop|title="Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop" - Annenberg Space for Photography - Art in Los Angeles|website=Time Out Los Angeles}}{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/history-hip-hop-1383856|title=A stark, new exhibit at the Annenberg take us on a visual historical journey of Hip-Hop|first=Paula Froelich On 4/4/19 at 4:45 PM|last=EDT|date=April 4, 2019|website=Newsweek}}{{cite web|url=https://allhiphop.com/news/fab-5-freddy-s-grass-is-greener-cannabis-documentary-to-premiere-on-netflix-jmm_tjK0KkihYQcPyCLQ7A/|title=Fab 5 Freddy's 'Grass Is Greener' Cannabis Documentary To Premiere On Netflix|website=AllHipHop.com}}

In addition to videos, memorabilia, and music to complement the photographs, the exhibit also included a documentary short film produced by the Annenberg Foundation and RadicalMedia, and produced and directed by Melissa Haizlip, featuring a selection of the Contact High photographers at work and in conversation including; Janette Beckman, Danny Clinch, Eric Coleman, Joe Conzo, Brian B+ Cross, Jack McKain, Estevan Oriol, Jorge Peniche, Ithaka Darin Pappas,{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-datebook-contact-high-annenberg-story.html|title=Datebook: Roy Dowell's hypnotic plays on pattern|first=Carolina A.|last=Miranda|website=Los Angeles Times|date=2019-04-25}} Dana Scruggs and Jamel Shabazz.{{cite web|url=https://www.annenbergphotospace.org/exhibits/contact-high/|title=Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop|website=Annenberg Space for Photography}}

One of the pieces in the exhibit is an installation surrounding Barron Claiborne’s group of portraits of The Notorious B.I.G wearing a plastic gold crown in front of a bright red backdrop.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenalvarez/2019/04/30/contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop-is-a-pure-documentation-of-a-cultural-phenomenon/|title='Contact High: A Visual History Of Hip-Hop' Is A Pure Documentation Of A Cultural Phenomenon|first=Lauren|last=Alvarez|website=Forbes}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gqmiddleeast.com/how-i-took-the-last-ever-picture-of-biggie-smalls|title=How I Took The Last Ever Picture Of Biggie Smalls|website=Gentlemen's Quarterly}} The pictures were made in March 1997, three days before the rapper's untimely death. The most known image from the series entitled "The King of New York," is one photograph from a couple of dozen of the rapper from the photo session.{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/quartzy/1602581/biggie-kendrick-lamar-and-salt-n-pepa-in-rarely-seen-photography/|title=From Biggie to Kendrick Lamar: outtakes from hip-hop's most iconic photos|first1=Johnny|last1=Simon|website=Quartz (publication)|date=26 April 2019 }} Most of these other photographs had never been seen by the public before inclusion in the book Contact High. In addition to a 100 cm x 150 cm print of the principal image, the museum exhibit installation of "The King Of New York" featured one of Small's music videos playing on a small screen alongside two enlarged contact prints as well as the plastic crown that Claiborne had purchased for the shoot.

New York:

After the exhibit's debut in Los Angeles, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop was scheduled to be exhibited in its entirety for the second time from January 18, 2020 – May 15, 2020 at the International Center of Photography in New York as part of the inauguration of the ICP's new location at 79 Essex Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The exhibit's opening event was attended by Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei, Questlove, ASAP Rocky, Debi Mazar, Jasmine Lobe, Contact High documentary short film producer and director Melissa Haizlip, curator and writer Antwaun Sargent, Contact High curator Vikki Tobak and exhibiting photographers; Janette Beckman, Danny Hastings, Jorge Peniche, Ithaka Darin Pappas, Ricky Powell (now deceased),{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-02-05/ricky-powell-photographer-beastie-boys-hip-hop-dies|title=Ricky Powell, streetwise photographer who captured NYC hip-hop's golden age, dies at 59|website=Los Angeles Times|date=5 February 2021}} Lisa Leone, Al Pereira, Barron Clairborne, Dephine Fawandu, Mark Seliger and Joe Conzo Jr. After just four weeks the exhibit was forced to close due to COVID-19 restrictions.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/01/contact-high-hip-hop-exhibit|title='Contact High: A Visual History Of Hip-Hop' Is A Pure Documentation Of A Cultural Phenomenon|series=Hip-Hop’s Visual History, on Display|magazine=Vanity Fair}}{{cite web|url=https://yrbmag.com/event-recap-opening-reception-for-the-new-icp-and-its-inaugural-exhibitions-icphotog-tyler_mitchell_-contacthighproj/|title=Event Recap: Opening Reception for the new ICP and its inaugural exhibitions|website=YRB Mag|date=25 January 2020}}

Abu Dhabi:

After the exhibit closed prematurely at New York's International Center of Photography, it was then scheduled to open in June 2020 in association with Sole DXB at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dabhi (UAE) but was postponed, again due to COVID-19, finally opening on Dec 15, 2020 scheduled to until August 31, 2021. It was the first exhibit of its kind in the Middle East{{cite web |url=https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/events/contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop |title=Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop {{!}} Visit Abu Dhabi |website=visitabudhabi.ae |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221215604/https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/events/contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop |archive-date=2020-12-21}}[https://www.gqmiddleeast.com/tags/manarat-al-saadiyat] {{dead link|date=May 2023}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.sole.digital/contacthighad | title=CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop|website=Sole.digital }}

Seattle:

On October 16, 2021, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop, opened at the Museum of Pop Culture located in Seattle, Washington for a two-year showing. This rendition of the exhibit also contained artifacts including early rap battle fliers, Tupac Shakur manuscripts, Flavor magazines, and costumes from Sha-Rock, The Notorious B.I.G., and MF DOOM.{{cite web|url=https://www.mopop.org/exhibitions-plus-events/upcoming-exhibitions/contact-high/|title=Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop A single image can define a moment, creating an instant icon.|website=MoPOP}}{{cite web|url=https://visitseattle.org/events/contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop/|title=CONTACT HIGH: A VISUAL HISTORY OF HIP-HOP|website=Visit Seattle}}{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/seattle/article/CONTACT-HIGH-A-VISUAL-HISTORY-OF-HIP-HOP-Opening-At-MoPOP-October-16-20210924|title=CONTACT HIGH: A VISUAL HISTORY OF HIP-HOP Opening At MoPOP, October 16|website=Broadway World}}{{cite web|url=https://www.king5.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/evening/history-of-hip-hop-mopop-contact-high-music-rap-fab-5-freddy/281-24760852-cd25-4574-b9c0-c768fea3fa03|title=History of hip-hop at Seattle's MoPOP|website=King 5|date=15 October 2021}}

Rotterdam:

On August 11th 2023, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop (running simultaneously with the Contact High exhibit hosted by the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington) opened for the first time in Europe. This three-week incarnation of the show was hosted by Ferro Gashouder in Rotterdam, Netherlands and coincided with the 50th Anniversary of hip hop as a musical genre. Included in its short running were hip hop culture film screenings (presented Black Soil Film Festival) including Wild Style directed by Charlie Ahearn and Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest directed by Michael Rapaport. There were also live performances by; UK-based hip-hop ensemble OMA, Surinam-born rapper Winne and Dutch vocalists Alee Rock, and ADF Samski. {{cite web|url=https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/hip-hop-anniversary-rotterdam|title=The Visual History of Hip Hop Comes to Rotterdam|website=Widewalls|date=2 August 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ferrogashouder.nl/#|title=

ART EXHIBITION - CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF HIP-HOP|website=Ferro Gashouder.nl|date=3 August 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://motelmozaique.nl/opening-night-contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop/|title="Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop" – Opening Night|website=motelmozaique.nl/|date=3 August 2023}}

==Featured photographers and their subjects==

{{Cite book|url=https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/17283031|title=Contact high: a visual history of hip-hop|first=Vikki|last=Tobak|date=November 10, 2018|publisher=Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC|website=Iucat.iu.edu|isbn=9780525573883}}{{cite web|url=https://idealistpropaganda.blogspot.com/2019/04/contact-high-visual-proof-sheet-history.html|title=CONTACT HIGH - A Visual Proof Sheet History of Hip-Hop|website=Idealistpropaganda.blogspot.com|date=April 25, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.buzzinus.com/2019/04/05/contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop-debuts-at-the-annenberg/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-06-02 |archive-date=2019-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602031846/https://www.buzzinus.com/2019/04/05/contact-high-a-visual-history-of-hip-hop-debuts-at-the-annenberg/ |url-status=dead }}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website|www.contacthighproject.com}}

Category:Books of photographs

Category:Hip-hop books

Category:Photography exhibitions