A Great Night In Hip-Hop

About the Event

In 1998, XXL magazine recruited Gordon Parks to shoot a recreation of Art Kane’s legendary 1958 Esquire magazine photoshoot, known as “A Great Day In Harlem”. Kane’s image featured 57 of the greatest jazz musicians of the time gathered around the stoop at 17 West 126th street in Harlem. That image remains one of the greatest moments in jazz music history. 40 years later, Gordon would photograph 179 rap musicians paying tribute to Hip-Hop culture, at the very same location.

This is a photographic retrospective about the legendary stoop and the iconic jazz and Hip-Hop photoshoots in 1958 and 1998 respectively. We will view never-before-seen images from the original photo shoot by Art Kane, as well as photos captured by numerous photographers that were on 126th Street on September 29, 1998. We will learn about why Gordon Parks was recruited … plus many other behind-the-scenes tales and stories behind the photos.

The event features former XXL staff members and a range of journalists, photographers and cultural luminaries. Moderated by Jonathan Rheingold.

Thank you to RESPECT. magazine for organizing this discussion.

Photo “Great Day, Great Man.” © Jonathan Rheingold