In the age of the Internet and smartphones, paper party flyers may seem borderline obsolete. Back in the '70s and '80s, when hip-hop parties were heating up the Bronx and Harlem, creating flyers was for getting the word out about your jam and gaining credibility. To get crowds to head uptown and join in on the vibe, whether at a skating rink or the legendary Ecstasy Garage Disco, hard-copy invitations were the main medium for communicating information and promoting an event.
Artists like Phase 2 and Buddy Esquire rose to prominence during this time, proving that the graphic elements of graffiti and hip-hop can be reflected in designs themselves. By combining a variety of hand-made techniques, including the use of rub-on letters and cutting and pasting (by hand, not with a click), these bills are ones you'd want to keep and hang on your own walls at home. Check out what the flyer game was like in hip-hop back in the day with these 30 Classic Hip-Hop Party Flyers.
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