Synopses & Reviews
Sweeping in its scope,
The Legends of Hip Hop is an intimate look at the visionaries, the movers and the shakers, and the pioneers who have helped shape the world of hip hop.
Groundbreaking artist Justin Bua profiles and paints fifty key figures, including everyone from Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash to President Obama and Jay-Z, providing a portrait of each legend in a style reminiscent of the great masters. The artwork is accompanied by an engaging autobiographical narrative that contextualizes the impact each icon has had on Buas personal life and on the hip-hop culture at large. With a foreword by Chuck D, this landmark volume is more than a celebration of hip hop; it is the definitive word on the subject as told by Bua, one of hip hops leading artists and a legend in his own right.
Synopsis
You know Q-Tip, Biggie, and Tupac, but you dont know them like this. The Legends of Hip Hop drops a visual roundup of fifty hip-hop icons, showcasing not only the DJs and MCs but also the graffiti artists, producers, B Boys, and others who have helped shape the hip-hop culture. Artist Justin BUA profiles fifty of the most iconic hip-hop legends of our time, painting each legend in portraiture style. Completewith an autobiographical narrative that traces the impact these trailblazing icons made on hip hop as well as on BUAs personal and professional life, this landmark volume is the definitive word on hip hop from its leading artist.
About the Author
Since the early 1990s, BUA has been making a mark in the art world with his unique style of Distorted Urban Realism, spearheading a new genre of art. Born in 1968 in NYC's untamed Upper West Side and raised between Manhattan and East Flatbush, Brooklyn, BUA was fascinated by the raw, visceral street life of the city. He attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts and complemented his education on the streets by writing graffiti and performing worldwide with break dancing crews. BUA went on to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he earned a B.F.A. in illustration. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he teaches at the University of Southern California and continues to be a leading innovator in the fine art and commercial art worlds.