West Coast Hip Hop Revisited

From the late 80’s through the 90’s hip hop climbed the rungs and had come to its most recognizable form in gansta rap. The names that are household today were dangerous then and were associated with gangs, violence, and drugs; an image that not only became alluring, but also helped record sales (now we can see Ice Cube in children’s movies, go figure). No one caught what was going on over on the West Coast like Michael Miller, who, at 47, has released his new book entitled West Coast Hip Hop: A History in Pictures which launched at LA’s Known Gallery along with a slew of never before seen photos. From Tupac to Snoop Dogg, Miller captured the artists both candidly as well as professionally. The photographers that’ve documented artists are so important because they hold weight in how the public’s perceived these often legendary and iconic people.