INFO 210 - Elements of Style: Urban Culture & Beyond: Trailblazers

Shepard Fairey Inc.: Artist/Professional/Vandal, is the first treatment of his extraordinary domain that is not an authorized product of his studio. From clothing and advertising to the world of fine art, the reach of this "street artist" extends to all aspects of society; yet given his great success, he is also the target of critics and detractors. He has challenged conventions, formulas, paradigms, and traditional borders that make many uncomfortable, spurring consistent debate over the legitimacy of his artwork, the authenticity of his background, and the ethics of his design processes. By reflecting on the many layers of being an antimodern artist, we learn much about both the current state of the art world and Fairey's influence on it. Featuring a wide variety of remarkable color photographs and a Foreword by Robbie Conal, Shepard Fairey Inc. gives us a fresh, objective understanding of the work of this astonishing artist.

A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself--by band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more.   Formed as a New York City hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an unlikely path to global hip hop superstardom. Here is their story, told for the first time in the words of the band. Adam "ADROCK" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond offer revealing and very funny accounts of their transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the debut album that became the first hip hop record ever to hit #1, Licensed to Ill--and the album's messy fallout as the band broke with Def Jam; their move to Los Angeles and rebirth with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul's Boutique; their evolution as musicians and social activists over the course of the classic albums Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty and the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits conceived by the late Adam "MCA" Yauch; and more. For more than thirty years, this band has had an inescapable and indelible influence on popular culture.   With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book upends the typical music memoir. Alongside the band narrative you will find rare photos, original illustrations, a cookbook by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys' New York, mixtape playlists, pieces by guest contributors, and many more surprises. Advance praise for Beastie Boys Book "This entertaining look at Beastie Boys history is as innovative and raucous as the band's music."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Beastie Boys fans will devour this book, as will anyone interested in the early days of hip-hop, the art/music/street life of New York City in the 1980s, and the alternative-nation zeitgeist of the '90s."--Kirkus Reviews

The first monograph on the "godfather of streetwear," this book pays homage to Hiroshi Fujiwara's influence on contemporary fashion, music, and design. The most comprehensive book devoted to the extensive work of Hiroshi Fujiwara-a pioneer in streetwear, music, and art, and the ultimate arbiter of cool. Known internationally as one of the founding fathers of Tokyo's Harajuku scene, Fujiwara exerts a disproportionate influence over contemporary design culture. Having collaborated with the likes of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood as a teenager in the early 1980s, he merged a seminal interest in punk with hip-hop and skate culture to become one of Japan's principal tastemakers. A musician and producer, Fujiwara is also one of the most prolific sneaker designers, and his kicks are some of the most sought-after collectibles. In addition to his very visible and long-standing collaborations with Nike, he has authored a number of fashion lines and is at the head of the Tokyo-based Fragment Design. Chronicling his reign as the arbiter of hip for more than thirty years, this book presents the breadth of his career, including sections on his highly sought-after artwork and graphics, sneakers, product design, and curated personal effects. With contributions by Sarah Lerfel and Ino Hidefumi, this graphically inspired book provides a unique glimpse into one of the most influential tastemakers of our time and is the perfect follow-up to Rizzoli's Pharrell: Places and Spaces I've Been.

A passionate, critically incisive cultural biography of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur and an examination of the forces that shaped him In 1996 Tupac Shakur, one of the most talented artists of his time, was murdered by an unknown gunman. Fred L. Johnson and Tayannah Lee McQuillar examine the theories surrounding his death and the story of Tupac's lost legacy in this definitive biography. For millions, Shakur gave voice to their stories, but there was also another side to him, revealed as his life spun out of control, as the whispered warnings from friends went unheeded and the denunciations of critics grew louder. Disturbingly, he sang and wrote about his impending death. When it came, it brought the music industry to its knees and ended an era when American rappers were leaders in using their art to speak the truth to corporate, government, and judicial power.

Redefining cool for a new generation, Pharrell Williams is a creative force, using music, fashion, and design to express his distinctive style. Originating at the crossroads of art, design, popular culture, and street savvy, Pharrell Williams's output is unique. By playing off different disciplines--namely music, fashion, street art, and design--and using each as an element in the other, Pharrell has redefined the role of the contemporary recording artist, blazing a trail for other musicians and prominent cultural figures. Illustrated with lavish photography, this book also explores his musical career in depth, charting his many projects from his production team The Neptunes, to the band N.E.R.D., and his collaborations with friends Kanye West, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and other hip-hop royalty. This unprecedented volume documents Pharrell's prolific body of work and his contribution to contemporary culture. In his own unique graphic language, he details his extensive creative pursuits, including clothing lines, jewelry, and accessories designs for Louis Vuitton, furniture and other product design, limited-edition toys, graphic designs, skate graphics, and collaborations with Moncler, Marc Jacobs, the artist KAWS, and with architects Zaha Hadid and Masamichi Katayama/Wonderwall.  The book includes ontributions from Buzz Aldrin, Toby Feltwell, Zaha Hadid, Shae Haley, Chad Hugo, Jay-Z, Masamichi Katayama, Ambra Medda, Takashi Murakami, NIGO ®, Loïc Villepontoux, Kanye West, Anna Wintour, Hans Zimmer, Ian Luna and Lauren A. Gould. This book was originally published with three different colored covers and a year later, reprinted with a new set of three colors.  Customers will be shipped any of the six different colors at random.

Focusing on Jean-Michel Basquiat's extraordinary breadth of influences, from graffiti to bebop jazz to Hollywood cinema, this exciting new survey charts his ground-breaking career. Basquiat first came to prominence when he collaborated with Al Diaz to spray-paint enigmatic statements under the pseudonym SAMO©. He went on to work on collages, Xerox art, postcards, performances, and music before establishing his reputation as one of the most important painters of his generation. Accompanying a major exhibition at the Barbican Art Gallery, this book opens with introductory essays from the curators, which place his practice in a wider art historical context and look at his career through the lens of performance. Six thematic chapters offer new research, with essays from poet Christian Campbell on SAMO©; curator Carlo McCormick on New York / New Wave; writer Glenn O'Brien on the downtown scene; academic Jordana Moore Saggese on Basquiat's relationship to film and television; and music scholar Francesco Martinelli on Basquiat's obsession with jazz. This insightful new survey also features extended captions, rare archival material, and extensive photography, demonstrating how Basquiat's legacy remains more powerful and relevant than ever today.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this instant and tenacious bestseller, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight "offers a rare and revealing look at the notoriously media-shy man behind the swoosh" (Booklist, starred review), illuminating his company's early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world's most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands. Bill Gates named Shoe Dog one of his five favorite books of 2016 and called it "an amazing tale, a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It's a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice. Phil Knight opens up in ways few CEOs are willing to do." Fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his car in 1963, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year. Today, Nike's annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight's Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world. But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. In Shoe Dog, he tells his story at last. At twenty-four, Knight decides that rather than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own, new, dynamic, different. He details the many risks he encountered, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors and hostile bankers--as well as his many thrilling triumphs. Above all, he recalls the relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers. Together, harnessing the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the transformative power of sports, they created a brand--and a culture--that changed everything.