What do you think?
Rate this book
Rap Tees: A Collection of Hip-Hop T-Shirts 1980-1999
One of the world's foremost collectors of all things hip-hop, DJ Ross One presents--for the first time ever--a much sought after collection of T-shirts in this lushly produced and detailed catalog showcasing over 500 of the genre's best. Rap Tees outshines all other rap tee collections and will be the definitive reference for generations to come. Providing not only a valuable reference and style guide to these ultra-rare shirts, Rap Tees is also a unique chronology of the history of hip-hop.
Beginning with the earliest rap concert shirts from the Sugar Hill Gang and New York Fresh Fest, circa 1980-84, and spanning the next two decades, Rap Tees includes rare shirts from a wide selection of the who's-who of the business Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Beastie Boys, Eric B and Rakim, Wu Tang Clan, Jay Z, Nas, EMPD, and many, many more. Rap Tees bookends the golden age of rap with unique street-corner memorial shirts commemorating the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.
Unlike typical rock n' roll shirts, hip-hop tees were often made in extremely limited quantities. The elusive concert, promotional, and bootleg tees included in this book are nearly impossible to find on the open market. Only DJ Ross One could track down these gems for you in this one-of-a-kind book, making Rap Tees the consummate guide for these unique pieces of music history.
Beginning with the earliest rap concert shirts from the Sugar Hill Gang and New York Fresh Fest, circa 1980-84, and spanning the next two decades, Rap Tees includes rare shirts from a wide selection of the who's-who of the business Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Beastie Boys, Eric B and Rakim, Wu Tang Clan, Jay Z, Nas, EMPD, and many, many more. Rap Tees bookends the golden age of rap with unique street-corner memorial shirts commemorating the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.
Unlike typical rock n' roll shirts, hip-hop tees were often made in extremely limited quantities. The elusive concert, promotional, and bootleg tees included in this book are nearly impossible to find on the open market. Only DJ Ross One could track down these gems for you in this one-of-a-kind book, making Rap Tees the consummate guide for these unique pieces of music history.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2015
1 person is currently reading
100 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 7, 2017
A great coffee table book for any hip-hop fan. Some amazing T-shirts in here, most of which I've never seen before. If I had one small criticism, I'd maybe want a bit of accompanying text to flesh out some pieces, but then again, it's all about the items themselves, so that's not that important. If you're into vintage rap, you'll definitely have wardrobe envy.
May 13, 2020
Thorough and entertaining!
July 27, 2022
Probably one of the coolest books I've had the chance to glance at. As a vintage t-shirt collector, having this is like an archive of what really is out there. It's basically a catalogue of vintage rap tees from various artist from the 80's to the 90's. One of the best coffee table books for vintage nerds like myself.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews