Contact High

ONE OF AMAZON’S BEST ART & PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS 0F 2018
AN NPR AND PITCHFORK BEST MUSIC BOOK OF 2018 PICK
ONE OF TIME’S 25 BEST PHOTOBOOKS OF 2018
NEW YORK TIMES, ASSOCIATED PRESS, WALLSTREET JOURNAL, ROLLING STONE, AND CHICAGO SUN HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE PICK

The perfect gift for music and photography fans, an inside look at the work of hip-hop photographers told through their most intimate diaries–their contact sheets.

Featuring rare outtakes from over 100 photoshoots alongside interviews and essays from industry legends, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop takes readers on a chronological journey from old-school to alternative hip-hop and from analog to digital photography. The ultimate companion for music and photography enthusiasts, Contact High is the definitive history of hip-hop’s early days, celebrating the artists that shaped the iconic album covers, t-shirts and posters beloved by hip-hop fans today.

With essays from BILL ADLER, RHEA L. COMBS, FAB 5 FREDDY, MICHAEL GONZALES, YOUNG GURU, DJ PREMIER, and RZA

Editorial Reviews

Shots of the earliest days at clubs and parties in the Bronx are almost startling in their intimacy…Unforgettable pictures of Run-DMC and Tupac Shakur…are incontrovertible evidence of hip-hop’s bold visual statement matching its musical power. Contact High also serves as a love letter to old-school photography on film, by including the contact sheets from which each larger image was selected…Tobak has assembled a celebration of both the musicians and those who documented them, who captured this historic era by heeding the words of the photographer Lisa Leone: „Feel the energy. Don’t just click away; really see.“
– The New York Times Book Review – Alan Light

„Vikki Tobak has put together narratives told by the very image makers who helped shape the culture, discovering fascinating stories and lessons on those sheets.“ — The New York Times

„…[A] wondrous tribute to the way hip-hop overturned not just the sound of culture but also ways of seeing…Contact High provides a fascinating prehistory of our present, a glimpse into a time when nobody quite knew where hip-hop could go.“ — The New Yorker

„Tobak’s best contribution isn’t just in the wealth of new images she offers but also in the simple act of assigning names to them. As MC Shan once rapped about his producer and DJ, Marley Marl: ‘I’m gonna give the man behind the wheels some credit.’ With Contact High, Tobak insists we extend the women and men behind the camera the same gratitude.“ — The Los Angeles Times

„Writer Vikki Tobak delivers a coffee table book for the ages, a feast of words and iconic hip-hop portraits spanning four decades…[Contact High] is not only a trip down memory lane, but a testament to the enduring power of hip-hop, a culture that’s constantly growing, constantly changing and continues to inform the world we live in.“ — NPR

„[Contact High’s] collection of contact sheets reveals the care and consideration photographers put into each frame, the unavoidable mistakes they made and how they coaxed a public persona from a private person.“ — The Washington Post

„A vivid timeline of a most American phenomenon.“ — CNN

„[A] unique perspective on the charisma, style, and swagger of some of the greatest rappers to ever spit verse.“ — Buzzfeed

„Contact High is an irresistible showcase for rap’s brightest stars, and a deeply considered meditation on the power of media in hip-hop culture.“ — Pitchfork

„Vikki Tobak’s great new book, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop…[is] a long-awaited treat, a coffee table book of iconic photographs from hip-hop culture’s four-decades-long timeline — opening with images of New York innovators such as Kool Herc, Rocksteady Crew, Futura and Keith Haring, and Grandmixer DS.T, and closing on portraits of today’s greatest rappers, the likes of Kendrick, Nicki, Tyler and Gucci…Don’t sleep. This one’s a keeper.“ — AFROPUNK

„[Contact High] is a clever and multidimensional look at history, with images once relegated to the cutting room floor adding color and context to just how superstars — and the stories about them — were made.“ — The Fader

„Contact High celebrates the off beat moments of hip hop history–the quiet moments captured in a contact sheet, for instance, rather than the endlessly looped and meme moments we all know by heart.“ — PAPER

„Hip hop heads, film photographers, and music lovers will rejoice over this one.“ — Popular Photography

„[Contact High] is a visual homage to rap’s legend-making stamp on society… To be frank, it’s a read all rap-philes need to add to their reading lists.“ — Cools.com

– From the Publisher

*12/01/2018

Journalist Tobak (Detroit News; Paper) provides a valuable lens into the history of hip-hop, offering iconic photographs spanning 1979-2012, along with the contact sheets. Commentary from the photographers gives context on how the shoots developed, locations were selected, interactions with the musicians, and other observations. There are essays by contributors such as photo collector and former Def Jam Recordings publicity director Bill Adler, artist Questlove, record producer DJ Premier, and Rhea L. Combs, curator of film and photography at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Among the photos are Gordon Parks’s A Great Day in Hip-Hop (a remake of A Great Day in Harlem featuring more than 200 artists, including Fab Five Freddy, Twista, and Pete Rock), along with images of Tupac Shakur, Aaliyah, Run-DMC, Notorious B.I.G., Slick Rick, Queen Latifah, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and many more. VERDICT Take out your magnifying glass and dig into these famous shots. Whether readers are familiar with or new to the music, they’ll appreciate this oversize full-color tome that communicates the energy, power, culture, and images of hip-hop. [See also Mahnaz Dar’s „Testifying to the Power of Hip-Hop at the New York Public Library,“ ow.ly/4A5k30mz98K]–Lani Smith, Ohone Coll. Lib., Fremont, CA
– Library Journal

*Winter 2018

Through the contact sheets of more than 100 photo shoots, as well as interviews with photographers and essays from artists, this collection offers an intimate look at hip-hop, spanning almost 40 years. Since the book relies so heavily on interviews, it is conversational and easy to read but also incredibly enlightening for anyone wanting to learn about the history of hip-hop from 1979 to 2012. Those doing high school or early college-level research papers will find it useful. The images primarily depict hip-hop artists but sometimes include their friends and family, dancers, and fans, giving a wide view of the genre’s influence on our culture over the years. The use of contact sheets, or the negatives from analogue photo shoots that were printed onto sheets for photographers to consider all their shots, adds interest. This volume gives readers a look into the process, rather than just focusing on the final shots that made it onto magazine covers. VERDICT A rich history both of hip-hop and photography, for all collections.–Emily Butler, Deerfield Academy, MA
– School Library Journal