Image via Complex Original
This month sees the release of the tenth anniversary edition of Bobbito Garcia’s classic sneaker encyclopedia Where’d You Get Those?, but it is also the tenth anniversary of Garcia’s New York based independent publisher, Testify Books.
To celebrate the anniversary of Bobbito's seminal text, he'll be signing books tonight at the The Standard Shop (442 West 13th St.) tonight, from 6 to 8 p.m. Come thru.
In the meantime, check out the words from Testify editor Dana Albarella (pictured below). She's responsible for some of our very favorite books on urban culture, so we asked her to take a moment to look back on some past hits. Keep reading for her commentary on eleven of her very best titles.
Oh, Snap!: The Rap Photography of Ricky Powell (1998)
Author: Ricky Powell
Buy it here
Dana says: "This is the first book I acquired as an editor. I love Ricky, and I love his work. His photos have an immediacy that's compelling."
Fun fact: The captions to this book were written sitting outdoors in the back garden of Rick's apartment, surrounded by lots of his feline friends.
The Art of Getting Over: Graffiti at the Millennium (1999)
Author: Steve ESPO Powers
Buy it here
Dana says: "Steve had moved to New York from Philly, and had a great outsider's perspective on the NYC writing scene, which I think served him really well in putting together a broad survey of where graffiti was at within that moment."
Fun fact: When the book came out, Steve painted an enormous piece on Lafayette Street, right across the street from the Time Café. It said "Please Read The Art of Getting Over." Best promo ever.
ego trip's Book of Rap Lists (1999)
Author: Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Jeff Mao, Gabriel Alvarez, and Brent Rollins
Buy it here
Dana says: "Working with Ted Bawno and his rainbow coalition was a career highlight. This book is a stone classic, a blessing for any real rap fan."
Fun fact: Q-Tip's first MC name was MC Love Child. Real talk.
Angry Blonde (2000)
Author: Eminem
Buy it here
Dana says: "This is a collection of lyrics from the Slim Shady LP and the Marshall Mathers album, with Eminem's commentary on each song. My feelings for Marshall and his music run deep, so I was grateful for the chance to illuminate some of his process for other fans like myself."
Fun fact: The Source's Co-founder, Jonathan Shecter, wrote the intro to Angry Blonde, and Eminem dedicated the book to his daughter, Hailie Jade.
The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band (2001)
Author: Motley Crue with Neil Strauss
Buy it here
Dana says: "The publication process of this book was definitely rocky, but I have to say that the end result was definitely worth all the effort. A monster bestseller when it was released, it deserved every reader it got. Epic memoir."
Fun fact: One of the authors very much wanted to include a photo of a dead relative in their coffin in the book. He was persuaded otherwise.
Dondi White: Style Master General (2001)
Author: Michael White with Andrew Witten
Buy it here
Dana says: "This book celebrates the life and art of Dondi White, a master painter who is one of the early architects of urban letterforms. It was the first book to give a graffiti artist the same treatment—and respect in print—that more traditional artists enjoyed."
Fun fact: Someone in the art department suggested changing the colors in Dondi's pieces to neons to make them "pop" more. Um, no.
Where'd You Get Those? New York City's Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987 (2003)
Author: Bobbito Garcia
Buy it here
Dana says: "The first book I signed up to Testify, I picked a real winner right? The bible of sneakers, Bobbito knocked it out of the park. Critics love it, heads love it, your moms loves it—Testify Books brings people together!"
Fun fact: The Tenth Anniversary edition was released last week—cop a classic!
FUZZ ONE: A Bronx Childhood (2005)
Author: Vincent Fedorchak
Buy it here
Dana says: "An adventure tale for the ages. Fuzz's stories in this book are some of the funniest I've had the pleasure of editing. The Bronx of the 1970s gets the mythology it deserves in this graffiti-centric autobiography."
Fun fact: The original manuscript for this book was typed by Vincent's loving mom, Rose Fedorchak.
BLING BLING: Hip Hop's Crown Jewels (2005)
Author: Minya Oh
Buy it here
Dana says: "Covering the whole history of the love affair between hip hop and jewelry, Minya did an incredible job of collecting the best images and interviews to represent the culture. From Big Daddy Kane and Roxanne Shante to RZA and Jim Jones, she really killed it."
Fun fact: Ghostface's infamous gold arm-eagle was actually inspired by Guyanese men who wore Wonder Woman-style bracelets.
Mascots & Mugs: The Characters and Cartoons of Subway Graffiti (2007)
Author: David Villorente & Todd James
Buy it here
Dana says: "This one is the sleeper of all sleepers! A definitive overview of the figural component of graffiti. We did a sick limited edition that was bound in blue linen and embossed with Transit-color silver. So good. If you claim to know anything about graffiti art and have not read this book then you are perpetrating!"
Fun fact: DOC TC5 provided the artwork for the print included in the limited edition.
Street Level: New York City Photographs 1987-2007 (2010)
Author: Sue Kwon
Buy it here
Dana says: "Sue Kwon is a genius! And her contribution to NYC street photography can't be overstated. I was lucky to collaborate with her on this monograph, which we organized by neighborhood and borough. Shoutout to Little Italy! Sue's work is so strong that we had a really hard time choosing the final selection of images."
Fun fact: This book contains photos Sue took of the Notorious B.I.G. on February 26, 1997, just 11 days before his death.
