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Hip Hop Family Tree #2
Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 2
Book 2 covers the early years of 1981-1983, when Hip Hop makes its big transition from the parks and rec rooms to downtown clubs and vinyl records. While many performers use flamboyant personas to stand out from the audience, a young group called RUN-DMC comes on the scene to take things back to the streets. This volume introduces superstars like NWA, The Beastie Boys, Doug E Fresh, KRS One, ICE T, and early Public Enemy. Cameos by Dolemite, LL Cool J, Notorious BIG, and New Kids on the Block(?!)! Featuring an introduction by Wild Style director Charlie Ahearn.
"Being in an Ed Piskor comic is cool enough to freeze hot water." - Fab Five Freddy
"...Ed Piskor delves into the history of hip-hop and gets straight-up biblical, penning a 'who-begat-whom' with a b-boy twist." - Jonathan Zwickel, MTV.com
"Being in an Ed Piskor comic is cool enough to freeze hot water." - Fab Five Freddy
"...Ed Piskor delves into the history of hip-hop and gets straight-up biblical, penning a 'who-begat-whom' with a b-boy twist." - Jonathan Zwickel, MTV.com
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2014
27 people are currently reading
615 people want to read
About the author
Ed Piskor
83 books200 followersEd Piskor had been cartooning professionally in print form since 2005, starting off drawing American Splendor comics written by Harvey Pekar. The duo continued working together on 2 graphic novels, Macedonia, and The Beats. Ed began self publishing Wizzywig after developing a huge interest in the history of Hacking and Phone Phreaking. 3 volumes, making up 3/4 of the full story, have been published to date.
Recently Ed had designed the characters for the new Adult Swim series, Mongo Wrestling Alliance.
Recently Ed had designed the characters for the new Adult Swim series, Mongo Wrestling Alliance.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
February 25, 2018
What ended in '81, has picked up yet again in the next two years in Hip-Hop lore in Piskor's Family Tree, Vol. 2. All the cool cats are back with a whole new trove of rappers and their DJ's, most notably (my favorite) Run-D.M.C. Rhymes are rapped and verses are spat. DJ's scratch from vinyl that is phat. The story goes on and stays on course but as happened before, we become lost in the force.
The sonic and thematic fury of the of the first offering is surely amplified definitely but, the same debilitations in approach and application are here again as well. Again and again vociferous name dropping and gritty details overwhelmingly saturate every single page. While this might work for a successful MC assault, its just too much to take in during reading and its beyond easy to drown in this cacophony of names, style, and details that is as frothing as the context that birthed it.
The single greatest strength of the series as also its greatest weakness. While an in media res approach leaves us with a highly verisimilitudinous feel, the camera viewpoint (as it were) remains at its flat angle. Since we're (most) always in the moment sans any zoom outs, its difficult to chronologize where we and the characters are in the story. A great many things are clearly occurring contemporaneously, and a zoom-out here and there would have added a greatly needed degree in the making sense of it all department.
Sure, I respect what Piskor is trying to do here yet, the giddy tone is highly deluging, much to the final product's detriment. It feels like from the sources themselves, Piskor is trying to throw down as many details are humanly possible. Yes, this does humanize the story and adds a surely enjoyable dimension we might not discover in a more scholarly approach. But, this approach results in a choppy mess of cobbled together micro-one-shots merely bounded by a chronological and thematic arena that is poorly demarcated.
I am repeating myself but just like the last one, a few chapters would really have helped chop up (as it were) the story. No doubt, not all comics need to follow the same format and/or style but, there's a reason these things exist. Punctuation is awesome and so too is the work of editors, which were curiously absent, in one way or another, on this track.
Two thumbs up for what Piskor is attempting to accomplish here.
One thumb up for the finished product.
"It's like that yall."
The sonic and thematic fury of the of the first offering is surely amplified definitely but, the same debilitations in approach and application are here again as well. Again and again vociferous name dropping and gritty details overwhelmingly saturate every single page. While this might work for a successful MC assault, its just too much to take in during reading and its beyond easy to drown in this cacophony of names, style, and details that is as frothing as the context that birthed it.
The single greatest strength of the series as also its greatest weakness. While an in media res approach leaves us with a highly verisimilitudinous feel, the camera viewpoint (as it were) remains at its flat angle. Since we're (most) always in the moment sans any zoom outs, its difficult to chronologize where we and the characters are in the story. A great many things are clearly occurring contemporaneously, and a zoom-out here and there would have added a greatly needed degree in the making sense of it all department.
Sure, I respect what Piskor is trying to do here yet, the giddy tone is highly deluging, much to the final product's detriment. It feels like from the sources themselves, Piskor is trying to throw down as many details are humanly possible. Yes, this does humanize the story and adds a surely enjoyable dimension we might not discover in a more scholarly approach. But, this approach results in a choppy mess of cobbled together micro-one-shots merely bounded by a chronological and thematic arena that is poorly demarcated.
I am repeating myself but just like the last one, a few chapters would really have helped chop up (as it were) the story. No doubt, not all comics need to follow the same format and/or style but, there's a reason these things exist. Punctuation is awesome and so too is the work of editors, which were curiously absent, in one way or another, on this track.
Two thumbs up for what Piskor is attempting to accomplish here.
One thumb up for the finished product.
"It's like that yall."
February 4, 2024
Covers 1981-1983
Most of it seems to cover the same players from the first volume - Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash start to produce recordings. But we also see the start of acts like The Beastie Boys with Rick Rubin getting a lot of panel time.
Not the most terribly interesting storylines in my opinion but Ed Piskor's artwork is fantastic. I love the retro effect he gives the pages - and I love the attention to detail like when he's using quotes from a modern perspective that panel will be presented without the retro effects.
There's more time spent on non-music activities like graffiti than in the first volume which keeps things fresh but might just add unnecessary length to the book.
Most of it seems to cover the same players from the first volume - Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash start to produce recordings. But we also see the start of acts like The Beastie Boys with Rick Rubin getting a lot of panel time.
Not the most terribly interesting storylines in my opinion but Ed Piskor's artwork is fantastic. I love the retro effect he gives the pages - and I love the attention to detail like when he's using quotes from a modern perspective that panel will be presented without the retro effects.
There's more time spent on non-music activities like graffiti than in the first volume which keeps things fresh but might just add unnecessary length to the book.
March 21, 2016
Still excellent but not as poignant as the first. Piskor spends a lot of time talking about the making of the film Wild Style and while I recognize its importance, I think he spent too much time on it. I'm also not entirely sure that the degree to which he incorporates the graffiti movement isn't a distraction from his ultimate purpose. I understand the two are perhaps inextricably linked, but every time he goes off on the topic I find my mind wandering until he gets back to hip-hop. I love how he includes little Easter eggs here and there, like a one-panel reference to a major rap artist as a child, listening to the artist Piskor is discussing at the moment in the narrative. It does cause things to jump around a bit more than I'd like, but the material is so interesting, I don't really mind. I love the pinups at the end of each volume, too. I enjoyed the series so much I had to buy my own copy of the box set with the first two :).
February 22, 2016
Important musical history of genre that was thought to only be a fad. This will have you searching YouTube for old school videos for all the songs that are highlighted.
October 28, 2020
Yes yes y’all! Ed Piskor is back with Volume II and its more of the same but maybe slightly less explosive than the first volume. The conflicts seem more trivial, the clamor for territory in the hip-hop space seems to be less front and center in this entry. This book focuses more on the brushing of shoulders and collaboration within the scene as well as the different actors and circumstances that propelled the genre to new heights and audiences. This book finally finds its central villain in Sylvia Robinson though she’s unable to really shine in the role when the territorial conflicts take a back seat in most of this volume. This entry also moves to expand the Universe to the West Coast and doesn’t simply leave them hanging out there. Piskor manages to tie a few threads connecting the largely separate settings in this book which he’s hopefully able to continue as the game spreads throughout the world, or at least the U.S. in following entries. While the conflicts in this entry aren’t nearly as interesting as in the last this book still shines with its origin stories, history and of course artwork/design. My only complaint regarding the art in this entry was that flashforwards didn’t have the same filter as every other panel in the book, its a bit jarring and unattractive to my eyes. Now let me end this review so I can open up Volume III.
November 1, 2017
Even if Ed Piskor's continuing history of hip hop wasn't highly entertaining (and informative), who could resist a Treasury Edition-sized cover of Afrika Bambaataa in a Wally Woodesque spaceship?
With all the irreverent enthusiasm of his Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1, Pisker brings his history up to around 1983. That means the rise of Run DMC is covered, the origins of The Beastie Boys, the beginning of beat-boxing, the beginning of Def Jam Records... Plus, pinups by Katie Skelly, Matt Bors and more!
Piskor crams a lot into 96 pages. Highly recommended if you're interested in the complex and all-too-human fits and starts of a revolutionary art form.
With all the irreverent enthusiasm of his Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1, Pisker brings his history up to around 1983. That means the rise of Run DMC is covered, the origins of The Beastie Boys, the beginning of beat-boxing, the beginning of Def Jam Records... Plus, pinups by Katie Skelly, Matt Bors and more!
Piskor crams a lot into 96 pages. Highly recommended if you're interested in the complex and all-too-human fits and starts of a revolutionary art form.
July 24, 2020
Esta novela gráfica (así se autodefine en la contraportada) de Ed Piskor está hecha para y por personas del movimiento. Cada tomo incluye al final una bibliografía, una discografía y un índice onomástico. Esto es lo que, en mi opinión, hace que pase a ser más que un tebeo: es una obra de consulta. Una crónica ilustrada, un retrato de los inicios que todo aficionado (como dirían en el flamenco) debería tratar de conseguir. Unos lo comprarán, otros lo mangarán, a otros se lo regalarán (como ha sido en mi caso) y otros lo leerán pirateado (seguro que hay copias rulando digitalmente) pero lo importante es disponer de él.
Reseña completa en https://denmeunpapelillo.net/hip-hop-...
Reseña completa en https://denmeunpapelillo.net/hip-hop-...
February 18, 2022
This series is so fun - I felt like Vol. 1 was pretty scatter shot and unstructured. With Vol. 2, Piskor was clearly hitting his stride, as hip hop was getting more structure as a culture and began making money. Piskor made the origin stories and little vignettes much more easy to follow, and I think part of that had to do with my beginning to better understand how to read the book.
It is so fun to read the stories and then to go and listen to the music. This series makes me appreciate hip hop history so much more.
It is so fun to read the stories and then to go and listen to the music. This series makes me appreciate hip hop history so much more.
October 13, 2019
This was even better than the first volume! Ed managed to include more dates in this one to help the reader track the evolution of the art form. Lots of cross over with the growing punk movement and alllllll sorts of new, wild people introduced into this crazy, chaotic, truly fascinating scene.
There is a certain old-school quality to both the art and the presentation here. I'm reading it digitally, so I don't get to hold the giant, oversized book these come in, BUT the color and printing all look like comics I grew up on. -this is me once again admitting I'm largely the target demographic for this series.
There is a certain old-school quality to both the art and the presentation here. I'm reading it digitally, so I don't get to hold the giant, oversized book these come in, BUT the color and printing all look like comics I grew up on. -this is me once again admitting I'm largely the target demographic for this series.
November 7, 2017
An entertaining look at the evolution of hip hop from 1981-1983
October 22, 2018
SIX WORD REVIEW: Lest we foolishly forget the pioneers...
December 28, 2020
Superb use of the format to tell the history including some of the footnotes - and so beautifully drawn.
August 2, 2020
You can't really go wrong with combining the two loves of my life: hip hop and comic books. Whereas volume 1 was more an educational trip for me, this volume 2 starts to be closer to the days of my personal affiliation with rap music and hence added nostalgia bonus. The art continues to be exceptional! The only issue I have with this series is the fragmented feel that comes from short snippets of history lessons. A little bit of longer narrative would have been appreciated. Then again there is so much to cram into 100 pages or so and many things will undoubtedly get omitted even as it is.
Hot (& probably self evident) tip: create or find a playlist containing the songs mentioned in these pages to pull you properly into the 80's.
Hot (& probably self evident) tip: create or find a playlist containing the songs mentioned in these pages to pull you properly into the 80's.
May 8, 2016
Amazing to think that vol. 1 of this series covered the entire first decade of hip hop, while this second volume only covers three years. It really illustrates how intense the scene became as hip hop became more wide-spread. And not just the music of hip-hop, but the culture: in this volume we get more about the other urban arts, such as graffiti and breakdancing. We also begin to see how some pioneers on the West Coast begin to dabble in hip-hop. We also see how hip-hop starts making its way into more mainstream venues both on television and in clubs and galleries in Manhattan.
I found the focus of this volume to be much tighter, maybe because the time frame is tighter. I also like some of the new narrative tricks that Piskor employs such as using more saturated colors to flash-forward in time. Overall, the narratives seemed easier to follow as Piskor spends a little more time on each person or group than he did in the first volume.
I found the focus of this volume to be much tighter, maybe because the time frame is tighter. I also like some of the new narrative tricks that Piskor employs such as using more saturated colors to flash-forward in time. Overall, the narratives seemed easier to follow as Piskor spends a little more time on each person or group than he did in the first volume.
December 20, 2014
The more I learn to focus on the fashions, art style, and caricatures of this series, the more I enjoy reading it. Hip Hop Family Tree can feel tedious at times, as it constantly trades exposition with snippets of dialogue and glimpses as the creations of particular tracks.
Now I'm looking to find if anyone has created accompanying playlists for these books, which would greatly enhance the reading experience.
Now I'm looking to find if anyone has created accompanying playlists for these books, which would greatly enhance the reading experience.
September 22, 2014
Every bit as fascinating and entertaining as Volume 1. Hip Hop is one of the many musical genres I know very little about. Nonetheless, I found this to be an engrossing read. I could only wish for an accompanying soundtrack. I do recognize names from my youth, and it's nice to have faces and a context for them at last. I'll definitely keep up with future volumes in this series, as well as Piskor's work in general.
September 17, 2014
Another pure delight. I raced through Vol. 2 in a day, which I hope is a testament to Piskor's engrossing storytelling and visuals and not an affront to the time and effort put into each frame (which deserve a more patient look, but all I wanted to do was keep charging ahead!). Bring on the next installment...whenever you're ready, Mr. Piskor, of course.
September 5, 2014
This book has great atmosphere. The paper, the ink, and the art are wonderful. I look forward to future editions of this book.
February 18, 2019
Ed Piskor continues his Who's Who of major players of the evolution of hip hop. This chapter finishes out 1981, blows through 1982 and ends at the waning days of 1983. While West Coast Rap is still pretty much in it's infancy here and the majority of the action is taking black in the 5 boroughs of New York, there's a few moments in which you see the early days of Dr. Dre, Easy-E and Ice T.
But as I said, the majority of the action occurs in the Big Apple. Afrika BamBaataa and Grandmaster Flash are clearly the leaders of this new revolution in music. Some Jewish kids named Adam Y, Adam H and Michael are making some waves in the music dungeons of white New York. And Joseph Simmons and Darryl McDaniels are fresh out of high school and ready to take Run's big brother, Russell, to task on his promise to make them big stars upon graduation.
You see a lot of names of hip hop legends that at the time of 1981-83 aren't even a blip on the music industry's radar. While I wouldn't want to spoil the fun, let me just say there's at least one cameo that is a 'biggie.'
One interesting aspect is how much hip hop has to thank the punk scene and the art scene of New York. Musicians of punk were considered outcasts and always open to new players who were accepting to them. And these artists of the era's hottest sound had connections to producers with money, time and studios. Then you've got subway taggers who with their graffiti, were making waves with punk artists who wanted something wild on their next art cover. With up-and-comers like Basquiat making connects between artists with musical inclinations and art lovers with money to burn, who would have guessed that a can of spray paint would be as vital to a hip hop performer as a loud mic and a turn table?
There's a great documentary called 77: My Year In Hell. It focuses on the rise of both punk and hip hop music in 1977. But it fails to really connect the symbiotic nature between the two genres. Ed Piskor corrects that oversight in this epic collection.
I love his old school artistry that reflects mainly the Marvel Comics of this era. Piskor does experiment with one visual element not seen in the first volume. Scenes that take place in the 90s and later are rendered in a pastel palette that is almost done in a black light style. (I kinda wish I had a black light in order to test this theory out for myself.) Anyways, what I am saying is that while Piskor is firmly in trenched into the comic medium style of early 80s, he finds plenty of ways to be experimental!
But as I said, the majority of the action occurs in the Big Apple. Afrika BamBaataa and Grandmaster Flash are clearly the leaders of this new revolution in music. Some Jewish kids named Adam Y, Adam H and Michael are making some waves in the music dungeons of white New York. And Joseph Simmons and Darryl McDaniels are fresh out of high school and ready to take Run's big brother, Russell, to task on his promise to make them big stars upon graduation.
You see a lot of names of hip hop legends that at the time of 1981-83 aren't even a blip on the music industry's radar. While I wouldn't want to spoil the fun, let me just say there's at least one cameo that is a 'biggie.'
One interesting aspect is how much hip hop has to thank the punk scene and the art scene of New York. Musicians of punk were considered outcasts and always open to new players who were accepting to them. And these artists of the era's hottest sound had connections to producers with money, time and studios. Then you've got subway taggers who with their graffiti, were making waves with punk artists who wanted something wild on their next art cover. With up-and-comers like Basquiat making connects between artists with musical inclinations and art lovers with money to burn, who would have guessed that a can of spray paint would be as vital to a hip hop performer as a loud mic and a turn table?
There's a great documentary called 77: My Year In Hell. It focuses on the rise of both punk and hip hop music in 1977. But it fails to really connect the symbiotic nature between the two genres. Ed Piskor corrects that oversight in this epic collection.
I love his old school artistry that reflects mainly the Marvel Comics of this era. Piskor does experiment with one visual element not seen in the first volume. Scenes that take place in the 90s and later are rendered in a pastel palette that is almost done in a black light style. (I kinda wish I had a black light in order to test this theory out for myself.) Anyways, what I am saying is that while Piskor is firmly in trenched into the comic medium style of early 80s, he finds plenty of ways to be experimental!
December 6, 2023
Continuing the exploration of early hip hop history, Piskor now drives the series into the early '80s where the story of Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and early pioneers continues but also heralds up-and-comers like Public Enemy, Ice T, NWA, The Beastie Boys and many others. This volume also does a bit of a better job exploring the cultural impact of hip hop on other contemporary art forms, along with the spread of influence to Compton and abroad. The storytelling is still quite erratic with a lot of rapid cuts to new scenes, which just seems to serve as a way for Piskor to show off as much of his research and knowledge as he can with little care for a cohesive narrative. I found this a fair bit more interesting than the previous volume, but that's just because I'm a bit more aware of this era of hip hop. Overall though, I can't imagine this has much appeal for non-hip hop heads since it's really just an overindulgence of exposition. The cartooning is very slick though, and I really enjoy the way Piskor composes his layouts.
May 23, 2017
Piskor's sophomore hip hop history graphic novel anthology begins to segue to the second generation of hip hop. The first generation artists are still going strong, but the scene is changing. Africa Bambaataa makes history with "Planet Rock" and legal troubles follow Grandmaster Flash following the release of "The Message." Meanwhile, white audiences and art pop hipsters are picking up on the hip hop scene. Charlie Ahearn sets to make a movie about hip hop, Malcolm McLaren tries to cash in by appealing to punk audiences, and newcomers like Run-DMC, Dr. Dre, and Beastie Boys are changing the sound with drum machines and heady rhymes. Chronicled also is the bankruptcy of Sugarhill Records, the birth of Def Jam, and the increasing realization that hip hop could go from niche market to big business. Piskor's illustration style continues to be striking.
May 26, 2021
I think I've burned myself out on this one. These things are just too big and too dense to work my way through at this point.
I still really like the idea of this series, but it's probably better if you already have an intimate knowledge of all the players, and I...don't, and I don't feel like I'm getting the depth from this that I'm wanting. Everyone is running together, and I feel like some people get mentioned like one time and then just disappear forever. Which is maybe real life, but it makes for an overcrowded and confusing story.
Maybe I'll revisit this someday, but for now I'm putting it down for something a little lighter.
I still really like the idea of this series, but it's probably better if you already have an intimate knowledge of all the players, and I...don't, and I don't feel like I'm getting the depth from this that I'm wanting. Everyone is running together, and I feel like some people get mentioned like one time and then just disappear forever. Which is maybe real life, but it makes for an overcrowded and confusing story.
Maybe I'll revisit this someday, but for now I'm putting it down for something a little lighter.
December 1, 2022
I haven't listened to the 50 track discography, but this volume prompted me to look up Afrika Bambaataa. Unfortunately, like other leaders, he sexually abused many of the young men who wanted to learn from him. I rescind my comments regarding the dark paper now that I see it does a serve a purpose. In the first volume, there is no reference to the present, so you never get to see a bright, clean panel. In this volume, there are a few present-day interviews and other interactions, so the bright panels makes the contrast between the decades extremely apparent.
January 8, 2023
Piskor focuses in on a smaller timeline with this volume, so there's more depth to some of the artists and acts featured here. Familiar faces (for me, at least) are more prominent, and some of the artists who were in the background for the first volume have more of a focus here. It's getting more familiar, which makes it a bit more exciting. I'm also learning a lot about what went into the industry and how ground roots it was. I've theorized before there are a lot of similarities between hip hop and punk rock, and that point is made here (and in the Beastie Boys Book, which I'm also reading).
March 23, 2023
I feel like this was a little faster and flowed better than Volume 1. It also documents the years when hip hop started to leave behind its disco sounds to become more stripped down and tougher. The full page portrait of Run DMC in their black street outfits is absolutely beautiful, and I loved the glimpses of future stars sprinkled throughout, like little Biggie looking all like Fat Albert! Looking forward to cranking through Volumes 3 and 4 this weekend, thanks to the joy of interlibrary loan.
October 22, 2016
Second in the series...A lot of the songs and artists were more familiar to me, and it did help to look up some of the videos that are mentioned. He covers a lot of material and expects the reader to know a lot and be a fan, but I learned some more hip hop history. This time I made sure to read it in better light- I still don't like the dark paper- still hard to read.
June 10, 2019
Sporo gadających głów, postaci i faktów, w których momentami trudno się połapać. "Genealogia" to komiks nie dla każdego, bardziej kronika skierowana do dosyć hermetycznego kręgu odbiorców, fanów gatunku i estetyki. Świetnie przetłumaczona rzecz i cudnie zobrazowana oldschoolową kreską Piskora. Wspaniały hołd dla kultury hiphopowej. Gdybym miał takie coś o jazzie, pewnie byłby to mój komiks życia.
January 1, 2020
I was a little eager to move the story along, to get to the 90s, but just like the first instalment, this is a big ol' book of amazing history and stories in the world of hip hop.
And as with volume 1, it's best to read this with Youtube handy so you can listen along as you read about these groundbreaking rekkids.
PS. I hope KRS-ONE's brother is doing okay.
And as with volume 1, it's best to read this with Youtube handy so you can listen along as you read about these groundbreaking rekkids.
PS. I hope KRS-ONE's brother is doing okay.
December 20, 2020
Overall not as good as the first book in the series. The first one packed a punched and really sucked me in, this book more so focuses on hip hop becoming commercial thanks to record companies and how artists got screwed over. It was nice to read how DMC were originally formed. Piskor could have focused on the wild style being better developed in the storyline as it is a major factor of graffiti and hip hop overlapping.
February 12, 2023
This book is amazing as well. I only read this one and the first volume.
This one is easier to read because it’s only about hip hop in the beginning of the 80’s.
But I preferred the first volume, the story is more exciting. It was the era where everything was starting.
Overall: piskor did an amazing job and the design and the concept are great!
This one is easier to read because it’s only about hip hop in the beginning of the 80’s.
But I preferred the first volume, the story is more exciting. It was the era where everything was starting.
Overall: piskor did an amazing job and the design and the concept are great!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews