During his six-year tenure as director of publicity at Def Jam Recordings, Bill Adler was allowed access to the day’s biggest and brightest hip-hop stars, as you can imagine. Developing close relationships with a number of Def Jam-affiliated hip-hop photographers, Adler later opened a gallery devoted to the many images he commissioned over the years.

Over 400 vintage photographs are now in Adler’s possession, including images of Jay Z, RUN DMC, Eazy-E, Queen Latifah, and even the earliest pioneers of the genre like Big Daddy Kane and Rakim – although a large portion of his collection belongs to the Cornell Hip-Hop Collection.

A full set of Adler’s images is available courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution.

Now hop to the other side of the pond and treat yourself to Skepta’s latest tune “Man.”‘

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