Hip Hop History Gets the Graphic Novel Treatment

Comic artist Ed Piskor has brought the origins of hip hop back to life with his graphic novels that detail the development of the genre in the 70s and 80s.

Image credits: Ed Piskor

You like your rap music, but what do you know about hip hop history? Graphic novelist, Ed Piskor, thought as much, so he created the Hip Hop Family Tree graphic novel that illustrates hip hop’s formative years from the 1970s to 1981.

The graphic novel has garnered Piskor praises from comic book geeks and the hip hop community for its accurate storytelling and immaculate attention to details, such as using a color palette and illustrative style that harks back to those used in the 80s.

Image credits: Ed Piskor

The novels even feature real-life personalities who shaped the hip hop scene, like Grandfather Flash and the Furious Five. Those who had gone through the birth of hip hop can certainly relive the good old days through Piskor’s novels. One such reader commented that she was amazed at how well Piskor had captured the moment. Little wonder then that Hip Hop Family Tree made its way to the Washington Post‘s top 10 graphic novels list last year.

Piskor has signed on to make at least six books, with volume two of Hip Hop Family Tree (that chronicles the period from 1981 to 1983) due for release next month. If you’re into hip hop or always wanted to know about the roots of the genre, grab a copy of both volumes and enjoy the visual journey through this culture.

The graphic novels are available in Singapore at Kinokuniya, or online at Fantagraphics Books and Amazon.