LL Cool J Presents the Streets Win - by LL Cool J & Vikki Tobak & Alec Banks (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A celebration of 50 years of Hip Hop's vibrant history, and its transformative influence not just on American music and culture, but across the world.

This vivid chronicle of the rhythm, rhyme, and reason of Hip Hop is told through intimate narratives, over 150 iconic images, and the voices of Hip Hop's founding artists.

Co-authored by the legendary LL COOL J, celebrated journalist Vikki Tobak, and Rock The Bells' editorial director Alec Banks, this unparalleled collection is a must-have for music fans.

-Personal Stories from Hip Hop Luminaries: Firsthand accounts from the likes of DJ Kool Herc, Salt-N-Pepa, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and many more.
-Insights from Hip Hop Royalty: Written contributions from an A-list roster including Rakim, MC Lyte, Jay-Z, and many more.
-Iconic Shots from Photographic Legends: Contributions from Joe Conzo Jr., Ernie Paniccioli, Jonathan Mannion, and others who chronicled Hip Hop's rise.
-Rare Images & Cultural Artifacts: Capturing the essence of Hip Hop, from street scenes to iconic performances. Delve into a collection of album covers, handwritten lyrics, and original graffiti art.
-Essential for an Aficionado's Collection: With art direction by Hip Hop photography icon Ernie Paniccioli and photo editing by the renowned Jonathan Mannion.

This treasure-filled testament to a cultural revolution charts Hip Hop's birth, meteoric rise, and enduring influence on the American music scene for fans everywhere.

Review Quotes

"A beautifully illustrated homage to 50 years of hip-hop in the words of the icons who were there at the beginning. Includes rarely seen images and recollections from Salt-N-Pepa, Public Enemy, Run-D.M.C., Mary J. Blige and more. Peep Ludacris as a cutie child on page 288." -- ASSOCIATED PRESS

"Celebrate half a century of a revolutionary musical movement with "The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness," an LL COOL J joint that brings together stunning photography, illuminating artifacts and intimate testimonials from many of the people who took rap music from a Bronx block party to the world stage." -- THE NEW YORK TIMES

"And finally, equally as epic is LL Cool J Presents: The Streets Win, 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness, a photographic encyclopedia of the art form and the legends who birthed it, like DJ Kool Herc, to today's titans, like Jay-Z." --Neil Patrick Harris, WONDERCADE

"For the culture! On the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hip-Hop, rap statesman and entertainer LL COOL J adds to the celebration with this book that traces the journey of the genre that shaped music, fashion and culture. It's filled with icon stories from all the greats, as well as photos from back-in-the-day block parties, street scenes, album covers, graffiti art and music videos." --MANSION GLOBAL

"Presented under the auspices of rap's first G.O.A.T., LL COOL J, and his Rock The Bells enterprise, [The Streets Win] is part coffee-table book--replete with both rare and truly iconic imagery of hip-hop's elder luminaries--and part Who's Who reference book with contextualizing entries for each person pictured. Through a focus on the individual players and participants who gave shape to what we know today as hip-hop, it lovingly tracks hip-hop's beginnings and development through the early 2000s. Oversize and weighty, it reflects the culture's bombast with its scale." -- AIRMAIL

"...this glossy Rizzoli book chronicles [hip-hop] history in photos, interviews and essays." -- WSJ. MAGAZINE

"In their new book, LL COOL J Presents The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness, author, journalist, and music photography curator Vikki Tobak and the editorial director of LL Cool J's Rock The Bells Alec Banks celebrate hip-hop's 50th birthday by highlighting the culture, sound, and voices that created the genre." -- COMPLEX

"Through the eyes of two-time Grammy award-winning artist LL Cool J, and co-authored by Vikki Tobak and Alec Banks, this commemorates half a century of hip hop with more than 150 images from the genre's most celebrated photographers." -- FINANCIAL TIMES, HOW TO SPEND IT

"Grammy Award-winning Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee LL COOL J, journalist/music-photography curator Vikki Tobak (Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History), and journalist/Rock the Bells editorial director Alec Banks use vibrant imagery and firsthand accounts to tell the story of how some of hip-hop's prominent voices first came to know the genre in this eye-catching photobook. Most of the pictures are a mixture of energetic action shots during performances; portraits of the subjects also loom large in one- or two-page spreads. Readers will learn that Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa was inspired by Run DMC and that Ludacris fell in love with hip-hop after performing an LL COOL J song during a talent show in fourth grade. In other stories, performers and DJs discuss their childhoods, what keeps them going, and their perspectives on the culture. Refreshingly, there are also recollections either from or about graffiti artists, album-cover designers, clothing designers, and studio owners. VERDICT - A treat for hip-hop fans of all ages." -- LIBRARY JOURNAL

"In his new book The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness, rapper and actor [LL COOL J] celebrates the history of the genre, which, he says 'facilitated all my dreams.'" -- PEOPLE MAGAZINE

"This eye-catching survey...spotlights important players in hip-hop history, from the 1970s, when skeptics believed the genre "had the same shelf life of a carton of milk," to the moneymaking phenomenon enmeshed in today's popular culture. [The book's] all-star lineup and the treasure trove of photos...bring to vivid life the energy and history of hip-hop." -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

About the Author

LL COOL J is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Award-winning Hip-Hop icon, Kennedy Center Honoree, actor, New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, founder and CEO of Rock The Bells. Vikki Tobak is an author, journalist, and curator of music photography and contemporary culture. Alec Banks is a journalist and the editorial director of Rock the Bells.