Hip Hop Family Tree 1975-1983 Vols. 1-2 Gift Box Set by Ed Piskor


Hip Hop Family Tree 1975-1983 Vols. 1-2 Gift Box Set
Title : Hip Hop Family Tree 1975-1983 Vols. 1-2 Gift Box Set
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1606997912
ISBN-10 : 9781606997918
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 224
Publication : Published October 7, 2014

To celebrate the resounding critical and commercial success of the first two volumes of Ed Piskor’s unprecedented history of Hip Hop, we are offering the two books, volumes 1 and 2 of the series, in a mind-blowingly colorful slipcase, drawn and designed by the artist. As if that’s not enough, in addition to the two books and the slipcase itself, Piskor has drawn a 24-page comic book — Hip Hop Family Tree #300 — specifically for this boxed set that elegantly reflects the confluence of hip hop and comics, which was never more apparent in the early 1990s than with the famous Spike Lee-directed Levi Jeans commercial starring Rob Liefeld, who went on to create Youngblood and co-found Image Comics, not to mention ending up on the radar of gangster rapper Eazy E. Piskor tells this story as a perfect parody/pastiche/homage to ’90s Image comics.

Hip Hop Family Tree 1975-1983 Vols. 1-2 Gift Box Set Reviews

  • Jeff Larsen

    Unless you work for Fox News, you know how much rap music has influenced American pop culture since the 1970s. But you might not know its roots. Let Ed Piskor's love of rap history and alternative comics lead you to hip hop enlightenment. Word.

  • D.M.

    Being a bit of a music-head and more than a bit of a comics geek, Hip Hop Family Tree had a natural attraction for me. It just took a while for me to get around to it, but I'm glad I finally did.
    Beyond the gorgeous packaging Fantagraphics have offered this box set release of these two volumes, Piskor has done a fun and engaging piece of work here. He manages to ably juggle all the various elements of the early days of hip hop, and pulls all the players together into a reasonably coherent narrative. The main focus throughout both volumes is pretty clearly Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, pioneers and early superstars on the scene. While other actors come and go, the Five in various incarnations continue and work as a sort of story hub Piskor repeatedly returns to. Beyond the music of the scene, he also touches on the dance and art aspects of hip hop culture, as well as going beyond the music's centre into the spheres it influenced and was influenced by (Jean-Michel Basquiat, Blondie's Debbie Harry and Def Jam Recordings founder Rick Rubin are all prominent repeat peripheral players).
    While I am not entirely at home with Piskor's art (kind of a lazy homage to his comics heroes in Marvel and DC from the same period), it isn't distracting enough to detract from the story he's telling. If I have a single issue with these books, it's that there are rarely any exact dates. This may just be an issue of the sources from which he's drawn information (oral history is notoriously unreliable for precision), but I did find it a weakness to this as an historical retelling. The books' strengths far outreach their weaknesses, though.
    Overall, Hip Hop Family Tree is an entertaining and fascinating tale full of colourful characters, humour, drama and of course killer lyrics worth a read for anyone with even the most passing interest in the roots of hip hop culture.

  • Paul Schillinger

    Awesome. A fresh and fun way to experience the history of hip-hop.

  • Jonathan May

    Clever and delightful while remaining thorough and authoritative.

  • Odowalt

    Love the art style, very interesting, but also hard to follow sometimes.