The Legends of Hip Hop [Hardcover]

Justin Bua (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 8, 2011

You know Q-Tip, Biggie, and Tupac, but you don’t 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 BUA’s personal and professional life, this landmark volume is the definitive word on hip hop from its leading artist.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

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 Bua’s 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 hop’s leading artists and a legend in his own right.

About the Author

Justin Bua is a groundbreaking innovator in both the fine and commercial art worlds, his iconic The DJ being one of the most popular and bestselling prints of all time. An internationally acclaimed artist, he exhibits his work around the world. Born and raised in New York City, Bua currently lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Harper Design (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061854972
• ISBN-13: 978-0061854972
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 0.8 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #589,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius! Insanely great! December 11, 2011

By Turk829

Format:Hardcover

I have been a designer and a design educator for over 30 years and Justin BUA's work left me breathless the first time I saw it and it continues to so every time I look at it. Insanely great!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Iconic March 10, 2012

By Ivan Rott

Format:Hardcover

Immortalizing hip hop icons on canvas and paper, Justin Bua is an innovator himself, specializing in urban/fine art. He's designed everything from album covers to skateboards, capturing and reinterpreting the essence of hip hop culture. The Legends of Hip Hop, Bua's latest book release - a follow-up to 2009's The Beat of Urban Art: The Art of Justin Bua - is a masterful collection of his hip hop portraits and prints. It might just be THE definitive hip hop coffee table. From cover to cover, The Legends of Hip Hop is a highly-saturated collection of the best hip hop has to offer. Justin Bua presents an assortment of paintings and drawings of fifty individuals, artists and groups. Beginning with Muhammad Ali, James Brown and Michael Jackson, Bua works his way up to legends like Melle Mel, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Public Enemy, Guru, Nas, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and Eminem, finally capping things off with President Barack Obama, arguably a product of the multicultural progression of hip hop influence. The inclusion of both paintings and drawings offers a very nice balance of fine art and sketches, not to mention the well-written mini-essays and quotations on each individual's influence(s) on culture and Bua himself. The Legends of Hip Hop is a blast from the past, often times teaching the reader a thing or two about the history of hip hop: Lesser known contributors to the culture like Futura 2000, Mr. Wiggles and Crazy Legs are included in the narrative, given equal exposure as more prominently recognized greats like Slick Rick, KRS-One and Dr. Dre, amongst many others.

4.0 out of 5 stars the Pics were awesome March 8, 2013

By Nelsito

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Got this for my kuzz on Christmas. Loves this artist. On the real the Drawings were mad nice.. enjoyed them..

5.0 out of 5 stars Legends of Hip Hop February 16, 2013

By Snax McLovin

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book arrived on time and is very thick with great pictures enjoyed by all. The rendering of Tupac on the front is amazing.

5.0 out of 5 stars I get this everytime January 12, 2013

By Raymarco Centinaje

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I want this book and every year for the holidays i buy it for a gift exchange and everyone who picks this gift always ends up keeping it.

5.0 out of 5 stars I absolutely love this December 12, 2012

By G4

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bua's artwork is fantastic and truly captures the essence of the artists he portrays. This is a great coffee table book that always sparks conversation. A MUST for any true old school hip hop head!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Artworks BUA January 18, 2012

By Carol C.

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book for my artistic children. I thought it could serve as a conversation starter about the leading voices of HipHop. Its such a beautiful book. Once my children opened the cover, they sat down and pored over the paintings, took it up to their rooms and I haven't seen it since. I guess it was a hit.

3 of 17 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Hip hop means that some crimes can't be forgiven. December 3, 2011

By lakeqi

Format:Hardcover

First thing I'm gonna check in a book like this is to see if due credit is given to the Geto Boys. I didn't see an entry for them as a body, I didn't entries for them as individuals.In other words, if this guy put any real legends in this book, he did it by accident. And then as icing on this sell out cake, he had the nerve to give an entry to one Barrack Hussein Obama, I mean yeah, Obama is a gangster, a thug, and a thief,but a hip hop legend? Anyway,like I said: no Scarface= no credibility.