BORN IN THE BRONX A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop Edited by Johan Kugelberg :: Photographs by Joe Conzo :: Timeline by Jeff Chang Original Flyer Art by Buddy Esquire :: Foreword by Afrika Bambaataa Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop Edited by Johan Kugelberg Photographs by Joe Conzo Foreword by Afrika Bambaataa Original Flyer Art by Buddy Esquire Timeline by Jeff Chang Born in the Bronx is a striking anthology of Hip Hop's baby steps. Not only does it capture the emergence of a burgeoning culture but also the fashion and character of the surrounding community. From rare photographs of MC's and DJs to records, flyers, and other ephemera, writer Johan Kugelberg has pulled together the scattered remains of a movement that never has its eye on posterity. The book includes the improvisational artwork of previously unpublished street flyers of the era, Polaroids buried for decades in basements across the Bronx, and testimonials from the most scholarly historians of Hip Hop culture - the legends and pioneers who lived it!  Through Born in the Bronx, Joe Conzo (described by The New York Times as "the chronicler who took hip hop's baby pictures") presents a unique cross-section of an explosive and experimental time in music history. - Hip Hop's first photographer, Joe Conzo provides the majority of images of legends and urban  scenes from 1977-1982. Additional photos were contributed by fellow pioneering documentarians Charlie Ahearn and Henry Chalfant. - Photos feature The Cold Crush Brothers, Treacherous 3, Afrika Bambaataa, Busy Bee, Run DMC, Wayne "The Hip Hop Ventriliquist" & Charlie, Fantastic Romantic, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Funky Four + 1, Kool DJ AJ Scratch, GrandWizzard Theodore and more. - Flyers created by Buddy Esquire feature Hip Hop jams from 1978-1985. Obscure flyers advertise early Hip Hop jams in Brooklyn, Queens and even Connecticut! - Essays were contributed by legends: GrandMaster Caz, JDL, Joe Conzo, Mare 139, GrandWizzard Theodore, LA Sunshine and Jorge "Fabel" Pabon plus a poem by DJ Disco Wiz and an interview with Buddy Esquire. - The hard cover is embossed. The dust cover unfolds to reveal a poster: "The Hip Hop Map of the Bronx" by Joe Conzo and Tony Tone. Born in The Bronx 9 X 11 inches / 200 illustrations HC ISBN: 978-0-7893-1540-3 $45.00 US / $57.00 Can / £25.00 UK Rizzoli New York Release date: November 9th, 2007 1980: Moe Dee and GrandMaster Caz at Harlem World (Photo by Joe Conzo) Upcoming Sept. 17 - Nov. 19, 2007 The Fort Apache Connection Exhibit Opening: Oct. 3rd from 5-9 pm. Closing: Nov. 7th from 5-9 pm. Artists: Bob Haozous (Ft. Sill - Chiricahua Apache), Carm Little Turtle (Apache/Tarahumara), Douglas Miles (San Carlos Apache/Akimel O'odham), Jason Lujan (Chiricahua Apache), Pena Bonita (Apache/ Seminole) with a special digital media presentation of Joe Conzo, Jr.'s (Boricua) photography, as a historical introduction to this exhibition. Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture 450 Grand Concourse & 149th St. Bronx, NY 10451 www.hostos.cuny.edu Oct. 4: Fort Apache Revisited: Panel Discussion 7 pm. FREE! Curator, Nadema Agard (Cherokee/ Lakota/Powhatan). Panelists: Bob Haozous, Carm Little Turtle, Joe Conzo Jr., Marta Moreno Vega, Ph.D. and Nicholasa Mohr. Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture 450 Grand Concourse at 149th St. Bronx, NY 10451. hostos.cuny.edu Oct. 6: Vh1 Hip Hop Honors 2007 Weekend Joe Conzo and GrandMaster Caz present Born in the Bronx: Slide Show and Artist Discussion from 2 pm-4pm powerHouse Arena 37 Main St. Brooklyn, NY 11201. powerhousebooks.com Nov. 9: Artists Reception with Janette Beckman (The Breaks: Stylin' and Profilin' 1982-1990) and Joe Conzo (Born in the Bronx). 6 pm - 9 pm. Music by GrandWizzard Theodore.  Exhibition Dates: November 3-11, 2007 at The Windows of The powerHouse Arena 37 Main St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. powerhousebooks.com Inside Harlem World circa 1980 (Photo by Joe Conzo) Joe Conzo: Self Portrait About Joe Conzo: Hip Hop's first photographer, grew up in the South Bronx. As a teenager, he shot street scenes in the Bronx. Granted access by his well connected family members, he  documented community activism and protests as well as the greatest legends of Salsa! During high school, Joe became the official photographer for the Cold Crush Brothers, documenting performances and jams. He eventually set down his camera to pursue a career in the military and later became a Paramedic with the New York City Fire Dept. Several years ago, he collected his negatives from his mother's house where they had been kept safe during his lost years. What emerged from these unseen photos was a superb fly-on-the-wall document of early Hip Hop culture. Dynamic, flowing shots of the true pioneers and legends of Hip Hop at throwdowns captured in images so vibrant that you can hear the echo of 'Apache' as you look at the pictures. www.JoeConzo.com www.myspace.com/JoeConzo NY Times feature on Joe Conzo About the Author and Contributors Johan Kugelberg is a writer and the curator of the exhibition of Joe Conzo's photographs Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of Rap. Flyer King, Buddy Esquire is responsible for some of the most arresting poster designs of the era. With his sharp finesses inspired by art deco via the facades of the old Bronx movie palaces from the 1920s, Buddy Esquire truly is a master of the form. Afrika Bambaataa is a Hip Hop DJ pioneer and one of the founding fathers of Hip Hop culture. He is the first Hip Hop activist and a co-founder of the Universal Zulu Nation. His titles include being godfather of Hip Hop as well as the father of Electro-Funk. Jeff Chang is the bestselling author of the award-winning Can't Stop Won't Stop: a History of the Hip-Hop Generation. He recently released Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop. For  Review Copies, Images and/or Interviews with Joe Conzo and Johan Kugelberg: Please contact publicist,  Christie Z-Pabon at toolsofwar@gmail.com We are setting up radio interviews as well!