Joe Conzo: The man who took hip hop’s baby pictures

Receive our FREE acclaimed newsletters: EDITORIALLY BLACK, ELECTION 2024 and ART + SOUL to your email inbox Get the top Racial Equity stories of the day from one of America’s most influential oldest continuously published Black newspapers, serving the nation’s largest Black and brown community. Includes powerful reporting from Word In Black. Sign up to stay connected. Sign up for our acclaimed free newsletter Editorially Black with the top Racial Equity stories of the day to your inbox! While the fledgling hip hop culture was still in its infancy during the 1970s, few knew it would become the global phenomenon it eventually morphed into during the succeeding decades. One Bronx-native just happened to be in tune, and began visually documenting its artistic aspects simply for the love, unknowingly also capturing its history.  While doing so, Joe Conzo, 61, has become recognized as one of the genre’s premier photographers.“I didn’t do it on purpose,” he tells the AmNews. “It happened organically. I love taking pictures of my neighborhood.” #placement_785200_0_i{width:100%;margin:0 auto;} His stepfather gave him his first camera at around 10 years old, which sparked his interest, as he flicked away at family functions. “Thankfully my parents supported my love for photography,”...