BACK IN THE DAYS (2001)

As a hip young cat in the '80s, Jamel Shabazz trolled the streets of New York, snapping photos of B-boys and -girls striking classic poses and showing off their fresh threads. Bedecked in Adidas, Puma, and Kangol gear, these trendsetters spawned a nonchalant cool that continues to inform hip-hop style. Like the best photo collections, this one evokes a time and place so sharply that the smells and sounds seem to drift off the page. Though he occasionally references the drugs and violence that plagued urban America during the decade, Shabazz presents a portrait utterly drenched in love, joy, and community.