Yo! The Early Days of Hip-Hop 1982-84 is a new book published by Soul Jazz Books/Records that features 300+ pages of stunning photographs documenting the rise of hip hop in the early 1980s, taken by French photographer Sophie Bramly.

Sophie Bramly lived in New York during this period and became firmly embedded in the emergent scene. The book features many stunning, intimate images of a star-studded roll call of legendary hip hop figures, all of whom were only just getting known or in their ascendency. These include Kool Herc, Grandmixer DST, Jazzy Jay, Red Alert, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Kurtis Blow, Lisa Lee, the Fat Boys, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys and many more. Bramly knew that hip hop was becoming a cultural force rather than just a musical fashion, and spent many hours photographing the four essential elements of this new world: the emcees, the deejays, the graffiti artists andthe break dancers.

Here you will see legendary graffiti artists captured at work and play, such as Keith Haring, Dondi, Futura, Phase One, Zephyr and Lady Pink, and break dancers including members of Magnificent Force, Dynamic Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew.

Sophie Bramly is a French photographer born in 1959. In 1982, she moved from France to New York at age 22 and for two years documented the burgeoning hip-hop scene, taking pictures of everyone from graffiti artists and breakdancers to rappers such as the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC. She returned to France in 1984, bringing a number of US hip-hop artists to Europe and then in 1987 moved to London to host and produce MTV’s first ever hip-hop show, Yo! MTV Raps. She currently lives in Paris and her work is featured extensively at Hip-Hop 360, a six month long exhibition showing at the prestigious Philarmonie de Paris, France (Dec 21–Aug 22).

“All these photos speak for a time that is so special, is never coming back and changed the world. It’s pretty much this experience that changed everything forever. What makes it amazing, is that you hear stories about superheroes that changed the world, and that was us.” - Grand Mixer D. St

Title: Yo! The Early Days of Hip Hop 1982-84
Author: Photography by Sophie Bramly
Publisher: Soul Jazz Books
ISBN: 978-1-9163598-2-6
RRP: UK: £35 / US $49.95
Format: Flexibound, 224x284mm, 304pp, 1.75kg