Joe Conzo, Jr. was born and raised in the Bronx and began taking photographs at an early age when he attended the Agnes Russell School on the campus of Columbia University. He continued his education at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In 1978, he befriended the pioneering Hip-Hop group, Cold Crush Brothers, joining them for live performances at legendary venues.
His photographs document the excitement of new sounds and new movements. Conzo captured the essence of Hip-Hop, shown in this selection of photographs taken between 1979 and 1982, a foundational period in Hip-Hop. Conzo explains he was “documenting his surroundings.” The publication of Conzo's photography, Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop," was published in 2007 to worldwide praise. Conzo's photographs are archived in the Cornell Hip Hop Collection at Cornell University Library.
