Original. The classic hip-hop photography of Jonathan Mannion

The first book to showcase Jonathan Mannion’s epoch-defining body of work, presenting the iconic shots alongside the contact sheets and the polaroids, and revealing the stories behind the legendary campaigns.

For decades, Jonathan Mannion has turned his love of hip-hop and popular culture into a career that has shaped the public personas of globally recognized names. This is the first book to publish his outstanding photography – images that have shaped the global identity of legendary artists including Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill and Snoop Dogg.

Hailed as the king of hip-hop photography, Jonathan Mannion applies hours of research to each artist prior to every commission; his dedication has been described by Quincy Jones as making the ‘difference between a nomination and an award’. He has produced images that have defined legendary artists and entire eras of cultural iconography such as the cover of Jay-Z’s debut album Reasonable Doubt and Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP. He was behind the camera for Aaliyah’s final photoshoot and was the first person DMX called when he was released from prison in 2017.

Hero shots of hip-hop royalty – including artists ranging from Eminem and Aaliyah to Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar – are interleaved with previously unseen contact sheets and polaroids, paired with detailed captions revealing Mannion’s creative process. Detailed commentary from the man behind the camera alongside exclusive contributions from the artists themselves reveal the stories behind monumental photoshoots, including DMX’s Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood and Foxy Brown’s 2003 XXL magazine cover shoot.

Together, the photos and the in-depth insider stories trace the evolution of the identity of all the key players in hip-hop in the US and the UK. Beautifully presented and with the highest standards of production, Originals is the ultimate showcase of Mannion’s epoch-defining body of work.