Hip Hop Family Tree Book 3: 1983-1984 (Vol. 3)

"Ed Piskor navigates the convoluted history of early-’80s urban culture with a buoyant combination of insight and good cheer. He captures such moments as the Beastie Boys’ transition from hardcore to rap, the rise of the Fat Boys, the creation of Whodini’s Escape, and Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin’s forging of the Def Jam label. His graphical skills are formidable. Though he works in a huge, 9-inch-by-13-inch format, each page barely seems to contain its subjects’ energy."