**50 years later, hip hops influence has never been stronger. This book is proof of thata must have for collectors, artists, dreamers, and hip hop heads everywhere.Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean), record producer and rapper** **A visual and cultural history of hip hop, charting its meteoric rise from underground trailblazer to global tastemaker** To tell the story of contemporary American culture is to tell the story of hip hop. From its humble, underground origins, hip hop transcended the confines of rap music and spread its influence across a broad spectrum of American lifefashion, film, art, sports, politics, languageto become a cultural movement of profound influence. _Rappers Deluxe_ is a critical contribution to Americas cultural canon, shining a light on hip hops ability to redefine and influence culture, through: photographs; fine art; advertisements; book, magazine, and album covers; film stills; and more. Organized chronologically from the 1970s to the present