Original (The Classic Hip-Hop Photography of Jonathan Mannion)

For decades, Jonathan Mannion has turned his love of hip-hop and popular culture into a career that has formed the public personas of globally recognized names. This is the first book to publish his outstanding photography—images that have shaped the global identity of legendary artists, including Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill, and Snoop Dogg.

Hailed as the king of hip-hop photography, Jonathan Mannion applies hours of research to each artist prior to every commission; his dedication has been described by Quincy Jones as making the “difference between a nomination and an award.” He has produced images that have defined legendary artists and entire eras of cultural iconography, such as the cover of Jay-Z’s debut album Reasonable Doubt and Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP. He was behind the camera for Aaliyah’s final photoshoot and was the first person that DMX called when he was released from prison in 2017.

Hero shots of hip-hop royalty—including artists ranging from Mos Def and Nas to Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar—are interleaved with previously unseen contact sheets and Polaroids, paired with detailed captions revealing Mannion’s creative process. Detailed commentary from the man behind the camera, reveals the stories behind monumental photo shoots, including DMX’s Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, and Foxy Brown’s 2003 XXL magazine cover shoot. Together, the photos and the in-depth insider stories trace the evolution of the identity of all the key players in hip-hop in the US and the UK. Beautifully presented and with the highest standards of production, Original is the ultimate showcase of Mannion's epoch-defining body of work.