Hip Hop began as a subculture in the 1970s and originated in the Bronx (New York). Over the years, idols within Hip Hop have gained iconic status; it is a culture followed by people all over the world. Ilja Meefout has photographed the world's greatest Hip Hop artists.
Ilja Meefout grew up in the Bijlmermeer in Amsterdam's Southeast. His love for Hip Hop - which arose early on by listening to cassette tapes of Eric B & Rakim, NWA and Public Enemy, among others - is clearly evident in his photography. His portraits are often characterized by a hushed simplicity and briefly take "the artist" out of their everyday context, which often consists of large entourages and a lot of noise. Snoop Dogg, Lil' Wayne, Pusha T, Ice Cube, The Beastie Boys and the Wu-Tang Clan: Meefout captured them all on camera.
Because of his intuitive way of working, Meefout is a leading portrait photographer, with a great love for Hip Hop. Meefout's first photography book '1,2 1,2 - Portraits of Hip Hop' presents an impressive overview of his extensive oeuvre. The book shows Meefout's process as a photographer, but at the same time is also an ode to Hip Hop; told from his own perspective and in the context of the environment in which Meefout grew up with all its metropolitan and social challenges. That context contributes to Meefout's visual language: from local to international stars posing as if they were acquaintances of his, very familiar and natural, and therefore universal.
Specifications
Author: Ilja Meefout & Saul van Stapele
Size: 294 x 223 x 32 mm
Size: 352 pages
Weight: 1684 grams
Language: Dutch
Material: Hardcover
