242 pages Text(s) by Akim Walta, Nika Kramer andMZEE Records Foreword by Zephyr Photographs by Martha Cooper 30.2 x 22.8 cm Language: French Hardback Publisher: From Here to Fame First edition 2004
Hip Hop Files: Photographs 1979–1984 is a landmark monograph by American photojournalist Martha Cooper, first published in 2004 by From Here to Fame. This 238‑page hardcover is a vivid visual chronicle of hip‑hop’s formative years in New York City, capturing the raw birth of a global movement just before it entered the mainstream.
Accompanied by over 70 firsthand recollections from the subjects themselves—including ZEPHYR, Charlie Ahearn, FABEL, and Patti Astor—the book is both visual and oral history, with contextual commentary added between 1999 and 2003 to deepen each story.
