The Boombox Project: The Machines, the Music, and the Urban Underground

About this book

On the heels of the graffiti renaissance comes a vibrant look at an old-school icon that figured prominently in the hip-hop rock & roll and punk movements of the 1970s and 80s. The Boombox Project features contemporary fine art portraits of an array of vintage boomboxes as well as scores of documentary photographs of the people who brought the boombox movement to life back in the day. The book is more than just a collection of images though; its also an oral history of the early days of hip-hop featuring memories from Fab 5 Freddy Bob Gruen Rosie Perez Kool Moe Dee LL Cool J Lisa Lisa DJ Spooky and Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys among others on the role this once ubiquitous machine played. Part pop cultural history and part gadget porn this lively and highly stylish volume is one of the cool books of the season. Praise for The Boombox Project: "Photographer Lyle Owerko tells the whole story with crisp still lifes and an oral history of an era when graffiti and antigentrification ruled." --Playboy October 2010