To be associate editor of SLAM magazine at age 23 was one thing — an incredible thrill and a job I felt lucky to have (thank you, DP and Tony G.!), but one that I also felt I’d worked toward, having treated basketball fandom as a part-time job since I was 10 years old and having been paid to cover the sport for several years already. I’d also read SLAM since its very first issue dropped in 1994. But to inherit the same title at XXL — a rising hip-hop publication suddenly led by a gifted leader in the space, Sheena Lester — felt like a true gift. I was a basketball journalist but still very much a hip-hop fan. In a way, though, one prepared me for the other. As the XXL staff prepared for the Great Day and began to track who was going to show up on 126th Street, excitement mounted. Slick Rick is going to be there? Scarface?! Tribe?! The freakin’ Wu-Tang Clan?! I was going to be in the presence of artists I’d bumped in dorm rooms and cars, seen in concerts but never been, you know, face to face with. But I had my SLAM experience to lean on. SLAM had already sent me to numerous games to do countless interviews — I had even been in the Chicago Bulls’ locker room during the ’98 NBA Finals a couple months earlier. So I had learned … no autographs. No geeking out. Keep it professional! So when September 29 rolled around, and interacting with these amazing rappers face to face was my job — literally, Datwon Thomas and I were tasked with shooting Polaroids and getting signed releases from every single artist who came through — I was able to keep my cool. Except when Rakim showed up..

—Ben Osborne

Photos by Ben Osborne © iD8 Studios

More From Ben Osborne:

“I found these negatives of these photos years after taking them and barely remember just how vibrant the colors were that afternoon. Of course I remember the day, and I know I played a big role — that day and especially producing the issue — but to see this personal photo I took when my work was done, years after the fact, is an incredibly strong reminder that I was right there. Gives me goosebumps, to be honest.” 

–Ben Osborne

The post Hip-Hop’s Greatest Day — In Living Color by Ben Osborne appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Please join XXL veteran journalists and contributors on May 9, 2023 — Sheena Lester, Datwon Thomas, Bonsu Thompson, Larry H

Almost 25 years ago, on September 29, 1998, I placed my Rolleiflex camera in my shoulder bag and took the train up to 126th Street to meet Gordon Parks on the block where he would capture history for XXL — a magazine I helped launch in ’97. I spent the day with Mr. Parks for what would become one of my greatest life moments.  

I was always drawn to journalists and photographers. In my era, they were the documentarians of the golden age of hip-hop journalism: The Source, Vibe, Rap Pages, Ego Trip, On the Go, Stress, 4080 and, of course, XXL … those were the days, man. Although one of the greatest photographers to ever live, Parks had never documented hip-hop culture, and he was about to make some noise.

17 East 126th Street had already made history in 1958 with Art Kane’s original shoot for Esquire, coined “A Great Day in Harlem,” in which he captured 57 legendary jazz musicians. It was a powerful and cerebral moment watching the sun attempt to shut down the shoot of close to 200 rap legends as Parks was waiting to press the shutter-release button. He got the shot and history was made. As the dozens of rap artists dispersed, I took out my camera going through 10 rolls of film. I made it a mission to identify other folks who were snapping photos that day and developed the largest archive of behind-the-scenes photos of that “great day.”  

I am honored to receive the invitation from Fotografiska to moderate a discussion about the legendary photoshoots from ’58 and ’98. iD8 Entertainment has published a special-edition journal for the evening, in which I edited, entitled “Hip-Hop’s Greatest Day” — giving a glimpse of some of the day’s images that were captured by Parks’ protégé Johanna Fiore, former SLAM editor Ben Osborne and myself. (Shout out to Paul Scirecalabrisotto for the masterful design work).  

Tickets on sale here

It is incredible witnessing Kane’s photo continuing to reunite people 25 years later.  I’ve learned firsthand: Most great work is that which stands the test of time — which can only be realized later in one’s life when least expected.  

With the soon-to-be-released, five-episode podcast series on Audible (in which I am Executive Producer) entitled “The Greatest Day”, about Sheena Lester’s story of making the impossible happen, it is truly an honor to continue to strive to make sure this day is never forgotten and recognized as the greatest day in hip-hop history.

1 luv,

JONATHAN RHEINGOLD, RESPECT. Founder

Gordon Parks prior to capturing Hip-Hop’s Geratest Day. Photo: © Johanna Fiore

What also turn out to be … Hip-Hop’s “greatest” block party! Photo: © Johanna Fiore

The post A Great Night In Hip-Hop. Paying Tribute to Hip-Hop’s Most Iconic Photo at Fotografiska NY appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.