Synopsis
Hip-hop playaz. Street punks. Supermodels. Plenty of tattoos and lots of bling bling. Big Up is a photographic scrapbook of America s raucous youth culture, created by one of the brightest young photographers in the fashion industry. Our limited hardcover edition of this extraordinary document was so eagerly sought that all 1,500 copies were accounted for before we even released the book. Now we're reissuing it -- how could we not? -- in a handy and inexpensive paperback format that's sure to once again capture the imagination. But don't just take our word for it. Here are what the critics have to say about Big Up:
"Big Up, a hectic insider's view of the past dozen years of urban youth culture by London-born, Australian-raised Ben Watts, is too wild and too idiosyncratic to go unmentioned. The spontaneity and verve Watts packs into his pictures are perfectly mirrored in the book's...scrapbook-style design. Cut up, collaged, crayoned, and tagged with markers, the photos feel less like fixed, flattened documents than little time bombs about to explode. This sense of terrific, barely contained energy makes Big Up big fun, and the ideal time capsule for a style moment that just won't quit."--Village Voice
"British photographer Ben Watts shot some rad pictures of wrestlers for us a short while ago. We were in love with his images then, and we haven't fallen out of love since. Big Up collects a variety of his raw, high-energy hip-hop portraits into one inspiring scrapbook."--Tokion
Library Journal
The oversized format of this book is the perfect match for the big style and urban flavor it delivers. Shot and designed by photographer Watts, a regular contributor to Interview and Rolling Stone (and brother of actress Naomi Watts), it was originally created as a scrapbook portfolio to send out for jobs, but it impressed so many people who came across it that Watts was asked to publish it. This version reproduces not just the photographs but the tape and markers he used to put the portfolio together. Watts's penchant for pushing the style envelope to create edgy, vibrant pictures straight from the street is amply demonstrated here. His images seamlessly blend celebrity and everyday moments to create an astonishing visual record of urban life from the early Nineties to the present-showing the boxing gyms of London, New York City's Puerto Rican Day parade, hip-hop fashion shoots, and more. Stylist Emil Wilbertkin contributes a foreword, and in an introduction Watts himself provides background on how the book came to pass and how his career started. A great addition to any large photography collection.-Rachel Collins, "Library Journal" Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.