Joe Conzo, Jr. photographs and ephemera

Joe Conzo, Jr. is an American photographer, born in the Bronx, New York City in 1963. In 1978, while attending South Bronx High School, Conzo became friends with members of the Cold Crush Brothers, an important and influential early Hip Hop group which included DJs Charlie Chase and Tony Tone and MCs Grandmaster Caz, JDL, Easy AD, and Almighty KayGee. Conzo became the group's personal photographer, documenting their live performances at the T-Connection, Disco Fever, Harlem World, the Ecstasy Garage, and the Hoe Avenue Boy's Club. He also took pictures of other Hip Hop artists and groups, including The Treacherous 3, The Fearless 4, and The Fantastic 5. As a result, he captured some of the earliest images of Hip Hop culture, along with every day street scenes and Latin music performances and events between 1977 and 1984. Joe Conzo is currently a Medical Technician with the New York City Fire Department, and is active in leadership of the EMTs labor union. He continues to photograph Hip Hop and other music performers both nationally and internationally.