The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has acquired more than 400 photographs from the Eyejammie Hip-Hop Collection, originally compiled by Bill Adler, a pioneering music historian who has written about, advocated for and studied hip-hop since the 1980s. These images will contribute to the museum’s arts and entertainment collection, designed to explore how cultural movements like hip-hop influenced the nation.

The acquisition will be NMAAHC’s largest contemporary photography collection featured in its Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts, which houses an extensive collection of photographs, films, audio recordings and digital resources by and about African Americans. CAAMA will give visitors access to its vast media collection, produce public programs and present exhibitions to show the sweep of African American history and culture from the 19th century to the present.

The Eyejammie Hip-Hop Photo Collection was exhibited at Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery in New York City between 2003 and 2007, featuring mostly black-and-white photographs taken from the early 1980s to 2004. The images represent the diversity of the individual photographer’s eye and of the hip-hop community. There are images of hip-hop’s major innovators, including Run DMC with Russell Simmons at the start of the group’s career, a young Nas in front of the Queensboro Bridge, the 1990s rap duo Black Sheep with the World Trade Towers in the background, LL Cool J during his first performance in the basement of Benjamin Franklin High School in New York City, early images of Public Enemy and photographs of female artists such as MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, Yo-Yo and Queen Latifah, among many others.

For more information and to view additional images of the photo collection, please visit Smithsonian’s News Desk website to read the press release.