the LA UNDERGROUND / Catch Me If You Can Magazine

Daim (Daring to Push the Boundaries)
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Writing since 1989, DAIM is a tireless, multidiscipline graffiti artist whose pieces jump off walls, explode onto canvases, explore natural environments and come to life as sculptures. Creativity and determination allowed DAIM to connect with other artists early in his career, and as a member of international artist collectives such as FX, FBI, SUK and GBF he has become one of the most famous and sought-after graffiti artists in the world, even having earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. This book offers a comprehensive overview of his career while focusing on the years 2000-2004. Selected works are documented step-by-step, compared with preliminary sketches and supplemented with background information.

108 pages, Pb, 135 color illus. 9 1/4” x 8 3/4”

$24.99

StyleFile Best of Issues 01-10
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The first ten issues of Stylefile magazine have sold out! This book is a compilation of the best work featured in those first ten editions, a distillation of raw creativity that saw first light on the streets of Europe’s major cities and their rail systems: Berlin burnbers, Dutch bananas, Danish dynamite, Swiss cheese, European steel and more. Each issue of Stylefile features a writer special, an interview with a writer and a cover created by a high profile writer such as Bomber, Otis, Shaw, Razor, Stuka.bsc. Whether scrawled on walls, completely covering a rail car, or artfully adorning a chosen urban space, graffiti art has evolved into an art form that inspires legions of fans and has finally won the respect of the critics. Best of Stylefile documents the development of the graffiti/writer scene in happening cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Copenhagen, Zurich and more.

256 pages, 9” x 6 1/4“ color throughout

$19.99

Ma'Claim Finest PhotoRealisitic Graffiti
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On 158 pages and 415 images, this extensive collection of works, experiences and technical know-how, documents and explains a young style of graffiti.

Not many graffiti formations can claim having worked their way up of a world-wide movement. Ma'Claim can do so, and this book shows us why. Besides their own works and various co-productions with other graffiti writers, they show tricks and knacks, and thereby open their profession to all those who are interested and those who want to combine graffiti and photorealism. The technique using the spray can is being made learnable with step by step instructions and can serve as the key to translate own concepts into action.

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12 oz Prophet presents "Also Known As Vol. 1.5"
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Packed with never-seen content, Also Known As Volume 1.5 - The official bootleg series picks right up where the instant classic first volume left off. The all new and all exclusive contributions are artifully presented with more of the printing prowess that everyone has come to expect from the AKA Crew. Fueling the fire, Also Known As Volume 1.5 showcases the very best from vandalism to sneakers, and from art to more vandalism.

Spotlights: Ket, Desa, Earsnot, Reas aka Todd James, Kaws, Struggle Inc., KR, Barry McGee, Skuf, and more.

Contents: 96 page book and assorted stickers, specially sealed in flavor-saver packaging.

$12.99

The Art of Getting Over - Graffiti at the Millenium
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The Art of Getting Over (St. Martin’s Press 1999) is the culmination of Stephen Powers 13 years of graffiti experience. More than pretty pictures, the book tells the stories of several writers, creating a compelling depiction of the illicit expression. Having done enough on the outside, He comes in from the cold and returns to the gallery scene in the Spring of 2000. The show at the prestigious ICA in Philadelphia is with co-conspirators REAS and TWIST. The installation is underwritten by the PEW Charitable Trusts, and promises to be both luxurious and dangerous

$29.99

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AutoGraf - New York City's Graffiti Writers
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AutoGraf: New York City's Graffiti Writers, a never-before-seen chronicle of the people and places that populate New York's famed graffiti scene, features fifty-three portraits authentically tagged by 323, AREA, ARTZ, CINIK, CLAW, COPE 2, CYCLE, DECK, DIVA, DONA, DOZE, DSENSE, EARNSNOT, EWOK, FANTA, FUTURA, GEN 2, GLACER, GOAL, JAKEE, JEST, KAWS, KECH, KORN, KR, KSER, LADY PINK, LASE, MADE, MERZ, MINT, MOSCO, MUK, MYNOCK 21, NATO, NET, NYMZ, OZE 108, PEEK, PEZ, RATE, REHAB, REVS, SACER, SAME, SARE, SEMEN, SEMZ, SERF, SINCE, STAY HIGH 149, UFO, VFRESH, YEAR, ZER

$34.99

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Behind the Beat: Hip Hop Home Studios
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Behind the Beat is a look into the creative spaces of producers and DJ's from the US and UK. Featured are the studios and equipment of some of: Madlib, J Dilla, DJ Design, DJ Premier, DJ Spinna, Skitz, Nextmen, Taskforce, DJ Swamp, E- Swift, Beyond There, Kut Masta Kurt, Fat Jack, Jehst, Beatminerz, DJ Shadow, Dan the Automator, Chief Xcel, Young Einstein, The Grouch, Numark, Cut Chemist, Thes One, J Zone and Mario Caldato Jr.

From the press release: "These photographs are about more than just the equipment. Decades on from hip hop’s birth, producers have an enormous presence, commanding underground and even pop followings. But more often than not, producers are just a name on a record, always in the background. These pictures capture the visual side of the beats they make. They are the images behind the beat."

The book includes a CD of several artists included in the book including tracks by Stones Throw's Lootpack and Roc 'C'.

Author Rafael (Raph) Rashid runs a recording label called Crookneck in Melbourne, Australian, and is co-owner of clothing labels 'Blank' and 'Princess Tina'.

160 Pages, 320 Color photos.

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Burning New York
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A sequel to the best-selling Broken Windows, Burning New York is sure to please an eager audience clamoring for more. New York is the undisputed graffiti capital of the world, the epicenter of a vibrant international scene that attracts artists from all over the globe. Some make the pilgrimage to study old school forms, others to make their own individual contribution to the evolution of the craft. All leave their mark. Burning New York features the latest and most exciting graffiti art being created today. In the same vein as Broken Windows it is a collection of interviews, intimate portraits of the artists working in the streets and hundreds of stunning large scale paintings. Burning New York features contemporary works by genre defying graffiti writers, an interesting combination of those who are just beginning to achieve prominence and others who have been honing their skills for decades.

208 pages, 11 1/2" x 9 1/4" 275 Color Illustrations

$39.99

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Enamelized Graffiti Worldwide
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Enamelized is a book about down and dirty graffiti in the Streets! This lush international survey looks at what's really happening in the urban graffiti scene, not in the galleries, art schools and computer labs. Enamelized features the diverse and unique styles of urban graffiti bombers and the full spectrum of graffiti from the quickly executed tag to full color pieces displayed in the context of the urban environment. Over 250 pieces of graffiti from around the world including Brazil, Denmark Holland, Canada, England and Germany are brilliantly reproduced in full color. One section printed on special Kraft paper focuses on the profusion of graffiti in and around Philadelphia. Artists featured include DALEK, CYCLE, CLAW, SKREW, AMAZE, BATES, ESPO, Grey, GIANT and EZO to name a few.

120 pages, 7” x 9”, 140 color illustrations

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Million Dollar Vandal
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'Million Dollar Vandal' is the uncensored story about the life and times of Brooklyn's prodigal son, Desa MTA. For the first time, we get inside Desa's head and his story gets officially told from the beginning. Exceptionally well written, this book chronicles in detail how Desa became the symbol of New York's war on graffiti during the 1990's, and details the repurcussions that came with being the NYC Vandal Squads public enemy number one. It's also an intimate look into his personal life, and reflects back on the milestones that formed the person he is today, including the death of VE (RIP), his near-fatal accident, and his tumultuous graffiti career being pursued by the Vandal Squad, and state prosecuters. 'Million Dollar Vandal' is full of cinematic-type landscape photos, exclusive action shots, and personal portraits that range from trains to tunnels, platforms to rooftops, and from the streets of New York to the house he lives in.
192 pages

$34.99

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Montana Writer Team - Graffiti at its Best
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MONTANA spray paint is probably the world's most known specialized graffiti spray paint. Since the year 2000 we support a group of artists which we call the MONTANA WRITER TEAM. All members - ATOM, CANTWO, DASH, SMASH137 and KENT are internationally wellknown and respected artists in the graffiti scene; every one of them has been painting for at least 16 years. Since the foundation of the team, several times a year we organizes wall productions for these artists all over the world to do PR for the spray paint products. Meanwhile the team has been painting together in Germany, Italy, Finland, Russia, Poland, the USA, Spain, Switzerland and Denmark. For near future there are plans to go to Asia, South America and Australia.

RUEDIONE, one of the directors of MONTANA and photographer for several years, has been organizing this team from the first day on. On their trips he joins the team and it was also him who started doing artist portraits of each member. Thus the reader of the book MONTANA WRITER TEAM will be enabled to experience the graffiti actions of the team and to gain an insight behind the curtain of each artist. How does CAN2 live? Where does SMASH137 work? Questions that won't get answered to a 100% but you will have the chance to get certain impressions of who they are and what they do.
Pages: 160 pages

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The Nasty Terrible T-Kid 170
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The Nasty “Terrible” T-KID 170 is the autobiography of graffiti writer Julius Cavero aka T-KID 170. This autobiography chronicles the life of a gang member, turned graffiti artist and style mentor for urban youth—the uncensored Bronx hip-hop story. During a gang shoot-out in a local park, Julius Cavero suffered three shots to the leg, one nearly severing his major artery. Left for dead, by gang rivals and so-called comrades, T-Kid survived the ordeal only to come face-to-face with 3 weeks of intensive surgical procedures...

In those three weeks, Julius Cavero sketched, endlessly. It was there that he chose to become T-KID 170—T for the tall and skinny look he had, and KID just because that’s what so many people called him. At that moment, Julius Cavero gave up gang life for a new vocation. T-Kid would now focus on art, specifically street art: GRAFFITTI.

The Nasty “Terrible” T-KID 170 retraces his life from the early 1960s to 2005 through his written accounts and artwork, including images of painted trains, walls, canvases, drawings, and sketches produced over the last thirty years. Few artists today can tell a tale like T-KID’s—a ghetto childhood, gangbanging, and daring feats of graffiti. Many who lived in such times either left their lives or their art behind. T-KID, who won fame early on, lived to tell the tale and withstood the test of time. A journey through a life, an era, and the South Bronx.

T-KID 170 aka Julius Cavero is one of few, who have left their mark on the history of graffiti. T-KID came up in the golden age of Hip Hop and became one of the leading figures in the emerging New York graffiti scene. Few artists today can tell a tale like his – a ghetto childhood, gangbanging and daring feats of graffiti. His work featured in the book Subway Art by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant (Thames & Hudson publishers) made him an international legend. His style, 3-D letters and unique characters have been a source of inspiration for many other writers from all four corners of the globe. Now in his mid 40s, he is still a style master, a pioneer of Hip Hop culture and a significant part of the artistic heritage of the graffiti movement.

$39.99

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Spraycan Art
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Henry Chalfont and James Prigoff have documented the evolution of spraycan art from its very beginnings, photographing the artists in action and recording their comments.

This is a selection of spectacular photographs and thought-provoking quotes – from more than twenty cities worldwide.
224 color illustrations

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StyleFile Blackbook Sessions 01 Graffiti on Paper
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Whether sculpted in steel, scrawled on walls or executed as sketches graffiti is a huge and growing phenomenon. Represented in this book are not so much the finished pieces of art that ultimately make their way onto walls or other outside surfaces, but rather the 'art' that precedes this: the art of the coveted Blackbook. Some are no more than sketches or plans with all their strengths and weaknesses, while others are complex finished works of art. The objective of this book is to show how the creation of graffiti evolves from quick illustrations of thoughts and ideas through a process of trial and error to arrive at the final 'style'. Because many writers guard their Blackbooks closely this book provides a rare opportunity to study the raw talent of some of the world's most famous graffiti artists, past and present.

160 pages, 6 1/4'' x 9 1/4'' (235 x 160 mm)
75 color, 120 s/w Illustrations, English/German

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StyleFile Blackbook Sessions 02 Graffiti on Paper
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The "blackbook" is the most coveted and guarded part of a graffiti writer's arsenal. The forerunner to this great new book, Stylefile - Blackbook.Sessions.01, was a runaway bestseller. Blackbook Sessions 2 draws the reader into this magical new form, and shows how the creation of graffiti evolves from quick illustrations of thoughts and ideas to a process of trial and error, finally arriving at the final street style. Some street styles are no
more than sketches or plans with all their budding strengths and difficulties, while others still are complex finished works of art. Because many writers guard their Blackbooks closely this book provides a rare opportunity to study the raw talent of some of the world's most famous graffiti artists, past and present.

160 pages, 9” x 6 1/4“
64 color- and 96 b/w-Illustrations

$24.99

StyleFile Blackbook Sessions 03 Graffiti on Paper
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The latest offering in this amazing series from the publishers of Stylefile invites the reader to peer beneath the covers and into the pages of the blackbooks of some of the world’s top graffiti writers. Usually reserved for a small personal cadre fellow graff heads, these sketches are now available for the hungry eyes of those looking to explore the processes and skills behind the art of the streets. From improvisational, off-the-cuff sketches, scribbles & outlines to more intricately conceived and executed piece demonstrate how writers work out their ideas for dynamic letter construction on paper.

144 pages, Pb, 9” x 6 1/4”, 450 color illus.

$24.99

Subway Art
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Ephemeral, secretive, illegal, Rebellious, provacative, competitive. This is America's newest folk art. Seeded in the gang rivalry of New York's adolescents, it has developed from crude graffiti writing to a highly sophisticated calligraphy that flowers in a constantly changing, bold and brilliant traveling show on the city's subway system.

Two gifted photographers, working closely with the "writers" themselves, have documented every aspect of this extraordinary urban subculture: it's origins and history, styles and techniques, vocabulary and conventions, the philosophy of the talented and innovative young artists, and the hostility of unappreciative authority.

This is the definitive record of a unique cultural phenomenon that is equally fascinating in its social significance and in its artistic importance. Subway art has surfaced from underground to appear on the walls of major galleries and museums around the world. Along with break dancing and rap music, it is a component of the hip-hop style that has become the most dynamic creative expression of the early 1980's.

with 239 full-color illustrations

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The Art of Rebellion-The World of Street Art
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Street art has taken over the world in recent years. Cities have been “liberated” by artists who are as motivated by the drive to invent new forms of media as they are to create new images. Art of Rebellion features the broadest possible variety of street art including flyers, stickers, spraycan and stencil art, and a host of interesting hybrids that fall somewhere in between. Provocateurs such as Space Invader, Above, Lefunk, Milk, Fume, Hoernchen and East Eric use an amazing variety of techniques to create their own individual iconography in projects as crazy as bathrooms painted gold, battle tanks painted pink and cities plastered with pictures of toasters. The ultimate collection of worldwide street art this remarkable book leaves absolutely nothing sacred. Author Christian Hundertmark is founder of Munich based design studio C100, working for various clients in the sports and music industry.

144 pages, 6 1/2" x 9" 250 color illustrations

$19.99

The Beat of Urban Art-The Art of Justin Bua
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In The Beat of Urban Art, artist BUA brings us his groundbreaking vision, which melds urban rhythms, graffiti, and classical training. This visually arresting book is about his life, his work, and the birth of Hip-Hop. As we follow BUA through his turbulent youth, navigating the streets and underground worlds of the urban jungle, we recognize the powerful evolution of BUA’s distinct style—"Distorted Urban Realism."

In the legacy of the masters, Justin BUA represents the lives of both the revered and the marginalized, the heroes and the underdogs of his time—New York City during the 1970s and 80s. With an autobiographical narrative accompanied by drawings, sketches, studies, and explanations of how even his most famous paintings were created, The Beat of Urban Art takes you into the head of the Toulouse-Lautrec of our time.

$39.99

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We B Girlz
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"Women have always been right there on the front lines in Hip Hop, adding our flavor to what the men are doing and making it our own. B-girlz have been holding it down from jump. It's good to see them finally getting the recognition they deserve with We B*Girlz.” —Missy Elliott-

In 1985, B-Boys were all the rage but where were the girls? Fast-forward twenty years for the answer: We B*Girlz, a lively look at the hot and happenin world of B-Girlz of the twenty-first century as documented by photographer Martha Cooper and writer Nika Kramer. Breaking is back with a new twist as today's stylish fly girls can battle the best of them.

We B*Girlz, the first handbook for accomplished or aspiring B-Girlz and the boys who love them, showcases the dynamic style and nonstop energy of B-Girlz in action, in practice, on stage, and at home. Providing inspiring insight into a previously little-known subculture that has swept the world, We B*Girlz includes chapters like Lady Legendz, Girlz n' Crewz, Floor Warz, Ride the Beat, We B*Family, Work it!, We B*Stylin' and practical information in the B*Girl Guide on footwork and gear, as well as source information on websites, events, competitions, and classes.

Featuring pioneering B-Girlz like Rokafella from the Bronx, who now dances professionally, and Asia-One from L.A., who organized and promoted the B-Boy Summit for ten years, We B*Girlz also showcases the gutsy girls who dare to dance with all-boy crews such as Vendetta from Atlanta's Burn Unit and Valentinewhose Paris crew, Fantastik Armada, came in second in the 2004 Battle of the Year, the largest international competition in Germany. Presenting girls of all ages and walks of life, We B*Girlz spotlights twelve-year-old Wonder Woman from France, a serious contender at last year's IBE; Krazee Grandma, a beloved sixty-five-year-old B-Girl from Sweden who still spins on her head and travels around Europe to dance competitions; B-Girl Mom Honey Rockwell, whose three-year-old daughter is known as "The Annialator"; and B-Girl & Boy couple Chyna and Sake who organize an annual couple's battle called "Lover's Rock" in San Diego.

Introduction Herstory by Ana Rokafella Garcia, a Spanish Harlem–born hip hop dancer and choreographer who has danced with crews such as The Transformers and The Breeze Team before joining the hip hop dance company GhettOriginal. Rokafella has appeared in music videos such as Fabolous’ “Youngin’”; is the cofounder of Full Circle Productions, a hip hop artist collective; and appeared in Soular Power’d, a hip hop theater show she codirected with her husband, B-Boy Kwikstep. Rokafella has done work for artists like Will Smith, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Tito Puente, among others. She lives in New Jersey

Cooper and Kramer first began documenting this new breed of B-Girlz in a breakdance competition in Germany in 2004. Following the dancers to the biggest battles - including Mighty4 in San Francisco, the Spinfactor Finals in Rhode Island, Breaklanta in Atlanta, IBE in the Netherlands, and the International Battle of the Year in Germany-they photographed and interviewed B-Girlz representing everywhere from South Africa to New Zealand, from New York to California, and from Japan to Germany. Culminating in the first annual We B*Girlz competition at veteran B-Boy Ken Swift's studio in Brooklyn, Cooper and Kramer's work will introduce a new generation to the art of B-Girling.

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WildStyle the Sampler
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“I mean love is love. Recognize the hip hop culture ‘cause that’s what we are doing. We’re having fun with it. We spread love. There’s no animosity. There’s no prejudice in our culture. None of that. It’s red black green orange. We all in it. We come from Japan. You ever hear them rapping in Japanese? You ever hear them rapping in Swahili? I want you to know Charlie Ahearn has done his thing. The cast of the movie, I love you all. We all did our thing. We are history. Wild Style is all over the world.”

—The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, 2006

In 1982, Charlie Ahearn wrote, directed, and produced a small, independent movie that released a year later, taking the world by storm as it screened in Cannes, Tokyo, and Times Square. Wild Style, the first film to unite the underground urban art forms of nascent hip hop culture—DJing, MCing, b-boying, and graff writing—was filmed on location in the South Bronx without permits or pretensions. Some twenty-five years after it’s release, Wild Style is truly a classic, having inspired countless artists, musicians, and writers with unforgettable scenes starring the era’s most memorable personalities.

To celebrate the film’s silver anniversary, Wild Style The Sampler provides an inside look at the making of the film, it’s release, and the reverberations it caused around the world. Curated by Ahearn, this exhibition and accompanying book of the same name introduces us to a cast of characters and outrageous adventures through a collection of photographs, original artwork, production stills, and archival materials and includes the work of Ahearn. Martha Cooper, and Cathy Campbell, as well as animators Zephyr and Dr. Revolt. Featuring iconic images of legends and pioneers including the Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Lee Quinones, Fab 5 Freddy, Dondi White, Zephyr, Smiley 149, DJ AJ, Grandmaster Caz, GrandMaster Flash and the Furious Five, Melle Mel, the Fantastic Five, The Funky Four, Sha Rock, Double Trouble, Rammellzee, Debbie Harry, Patti Astor, and Frosty Freeze, among others.

Recounting the film’s influence over the past quarter century, Wild Style The Sampler offers incomparable insight into hip hop’s most indelible film.

In the summer of 1980, Charlie Ahearn began working with Fred Brathwaite and Lee Quinones on the hip hop classic Wild Style, which he wrote and directed and was first screened in 1982. After producing a number of videos on artists, Ahearn wrote and directed his next feature film, Fear of Fiction, in 2000. With Jim Fricke, Ahearn coauthored Yes Yes Y’all: The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hop’s First Decade (Da Capo Press, 2002), which featured more than one hundred photographs, many by Ahearn. Currently hosting a weekly Internet radio show on WPS1.org called Yes Yes Y’all, Ahearn lives and works in New York.

$39.99

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The Wu Tang Manual-The RZA
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The first book, the definitive book from HIP-HOP'S ORIGINAL DYNASTY!

Long awaited and much anticipated, The Wu-Tang Manual is The RZA’s first written introduction to the philosophy and history of Hip-Hop’s original Dynasty, the Wu-Tang Clan.

Since the release of the revolutionary Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — over the course of four seminal group albums and a multitude of ambitious side projects — the Wu-Tang Clan has constantly redefined what hip-hop can do and where hip-hop can go. Now, after a decade of dark beats and mysterious lyrics hinting at a larger whole, the RZA, the abbot of the legendary Staten Island hip-hop collective, fully reveals, for the first time, the complex, multilayered Wu-Tang Universe in The Wu-Tang Manual.

Written in a style that is at once personal and philosophical, The Wu-Tang Manual unravels the intricate web of personalities (and alter egos), warrior codes, numerological systems, and Eastern spiritual ethics that define the Wu-Tang dynasty. Packed with information that reflects the breadth and depth of the RZA’s — and rest of the Clan’s — intellectual interests and passions, The Wu-Tang Manual is divided into four books of nine chambers each, for a total of 36 chambers. All together, the book provides the breakdown of essential Wu-Tang components, from basic information about each of the nine core members of Wu-Tang Clan to deeper explorations of the key themes of the Wu-Tang universe, a dictionary-like Wu-Slang lexicon, and an entire section of lyrics with densely annotated explanations of what they mean.

Elegantly laid-out and richly printed, the book is designed to reflect the Asian influence on the Wu-Tang universe, which, as the book explains, began with a fascination with kung-fu movies but quickly led to serious study of martial arts and Eastern philosophy and spirituality. The book also includes a map of Shaolin; a trove of never-before-seen photos of the Wu-Tang Clan, including shots of RZA’s trip to China with Sifu Shi Yan-Ming, live shots, and portraits-by Michael Lavine, Craig Wetherby, Sophia Chang, and Frank151; and original illustrations of many of the guiding lights of the Wu-Tang universe.

For the hardcore Wu-Tang disciple and the recent initiate alike, The Wu-Tang Manual is the definitive guide to the essence of Wu, one of the most innovative hip-hop groups of all time.

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