HIP-HOP HISTORY

It needed to be done -- that's the explanation editor Johan Kugelberg gives for the idea behind Born in the Bronx (Rizzoli International Publications), his new book about the early days of rap/hip-hop.

"I am always fascinated by the prehistory of pop culture streams, (when) cultural movements are still marginal, where edges overlap and new ideas have a fertile breeding ground before the formula is instigated and the notion of the form predetermined," he tells Sounding Off.

Originally from Sweden, Kugelberg -- now in his 40s and living in New York -- says he was "always aware" of rap, but back in the 1970s, he was more into punk rock and skateboarding. (He remembers hearing Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and The Sugarhill Gang at that time, but his first true rap connection was with Eric B and Rakim.)

Rap, unlike punk and skateboarding, was not self-documenting, Kugelberg writes in the book's introduction.

"Inner-city minority culture doesn't have the instinct to document itself -- it isn't about their place in posterity, it is about having fun and Saturday night," he says. "Therefore, the artifacts and ephemera of hip-hop's early history are scarce."

Through previously unpublished street fliers and the photography of Joe Conzo, Born in the Bronx provides a great visual history of rap's formative years.

"It is amazing to see an artist of such skill and maturity who was only in his late teens at the time," Kugelberg says of Conzo. "He should be an inspiration for any young aspiring documentary photographer: shoot your surroundings, what you know, the people you love, your own culture.”

Born in the Bronx arrives in stores Tuesday (Nov. 6).