Eazy E & N.W.A. photographs by: Ithaka Darin Pappas

The largest known existing body of photographs of west coast gangsta rap icons Eazy E & N.W.A. by an individual photographer are those made by the Californian born Greek-American artist, Ithaka Darin Pappas. Between the years of 1988-1991, Ithaka photographed Eazy E, N.W.A. and its members a reported 18-20 times.

Ithaka began working as a freelance photographer with N.W.A's Hollywood-based record label Priority Records in 1988 and during the next few years documented almost the entire life-span of the group, from their obscure South Central, Los Angeles beginnings to their meteoric rise to controversial super-stardom and their eventually disassembly. He has photographed N.W.A. more than any other single person.

This first session between subjects and photographer was primarily intended to create the record cover for the 12" vinyl cover of Eazy E's "We Want Eazy" (shot at Ithaka's own apartment, in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles) followed by a quick publicity photo-shoot of all of N.W.A.'s five principal members; Dr. Dre, Eazy E, Ice Cube, MC Ren & DJ Yella. From this second part of the shooting, one of the most iconic images of N.W.A. appeared, now known as "The Miracle Mile Shot".

The Miracle Mile Shot: November 11th 1988

The Miracle Mile Shot, captured in late 1988, was used as the official press photo for N.W.A.'s double-platinum album, Straight Outta Compton. It was subsequently printed in hundreds of newspapers and magazines during 1989 (the year of the album's release), most importantly on the May 1989 cover of The Source to illustrate the article, "California Rap Hits Nationwide!".

Since 2013 (the 25th anniversary of Straight Outta Compton) the image has been republished in Rolling Stone, Q Magazine (UK), The Hundreds, Mass Appeal, Los Angeles (magazine), Los Angeles Times, Blitz Magazine (Portugal) etc., and was used as the primary backdrop for the entire NWA segment of the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Brooklyn, New York. The Miracle Mile Shot was used as the DVD cover of the 2015 documentary, Kings Of Compton. The Miracle Mile Shot also appears in the 2017 HBO documentary, The Defiant Ones, about Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine directed by Allen Hughes.

Eazy E Skateboarding In Venice Beach, California: February 24, 1989

Of the thousands of images that Ithaka captured during this period, some of the most unusual were made on February 24, 1989 of a bullet-proof vest wearing Eazy E riding a skateboard in Venice Beach, California and hanging out with the local skateboard community. At the time, skating and hip hop were not very linked culturally.

The day the skate images were captured was during a filming of a segment of Yo! MTV Raps hosted by Fab Five Freddy focusing on Eazy E and N.W.A. Other hip hop recording artists such as Above The Law, The D.O.C. and Kris Kross also appeared as special guests of N.W.A.

Eazy E, being a skateboard enthusiast, wandered off from the MTV interview to talk with local hardcore skaters near the riding area. Ithaka followed him and gathered everyone together to take several pictures. Among the kids alongside of Eazy E in the photographs appear several now-famous skaters, artists and photographers including; Aaron Murray, Ricky Reynaga, Barnall Weathersby, David Katz, Luke Hudson, Josh Bagel Klassman and Pep Williams. By most members of the skateboard world, this picture is considered historic. One of these images has become a top-selling T-Shirt produced by Thrasher (magazine), a leading international skateboard publication, and has also been used in advertising and other merchandising. In addition, this same photograph has appeared in international photography exhibits involving skateboarding including the group show, "Thrasher: A Retrospective", hosted by House Of Vans London (U.K.) in August of 2014.

However, the photographs of Eazy E actually riding the skateboard had been lost since they were made and only recovered in 2016, after more than two-and-a-half decades. Since reappearing, these very rare images of Eazy E have appeared in various venues. One was used during N.W.A.'s segment at the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Brooklyn, New York. In December 2016, the same image was printed on the cover of the first edition of the magazine General Admission (U.S.) and in early 2017 other photos were published as part of the Contact High Project created by journalist Vikki Tobak in Mass Appeal Magazine.

To celebrate 2016's international Go Skateboarding Day, the official instagram of Beats By Dre, owned by Beats Electronics/Apple Inc. licensed an image of Eazy skateboarding for a six month usage. The Eazy E skateboarding pictures have also appeared on hundreds of other websites around the world.

MacArthur Park, Los Angeles: March 11, 1989

One of the premier sessions between Eazy E, N.W.A. and photographer Ithaka Darin Pappas took place on March 11, 1989 at MacArthur Park near downtown Los Angeles. MacArthur Park, during that time, was considered an extremely dangerous place, with a reported 30 murders committed within the grounds in 1989 alone.

The session was suggested to be a simple documentation of an interview that was being filmed of the artists, but while waiting for the video crew to arrive, Ithaka proceeded in capturing a quick group portrait session on the bleacher-seating of the Levitt Pavilion, consisting of a two rolls of film. These images would later appear in several pages of Spin Magazine, a full-page ad in Billboard Magazine and on the cover of both the U.S. and U.K. editions of the "Express Yourself" maxi-single (which also features the track "A Bitch Iz A Bitch" and an extended remix of the song, "Straight Outta Compton").

Eazy E and Daughter Erica Wright in Los Angeles: March 19, 1989

Photographed during an autograph session at a Wherehouse Records in Korea Town (LA), Ithaka Darin Pappas made several images of Eazy E and young daughter, Erica Wright, offering a rare 'loving' glimpse into the personal family life of a performer known publicly to be a ruthless villain.

Backstage in Phoenix: Summer 1989 (The end of the original N.W.A.)

In early summer of 1989, Ithaka was the only photographer invited to a private backstage Straight Outta Compton Tour ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona where Eazy E and N.W.A. were presented platinum plaques to signify 1,000,000 albums sold of both Straight Outta Compton and Eazy-Duz-It. This was same night Ice Cube opted not to sign a long-overdue exclusive contract with Priority Records, essentially breaking up N.W.A.'s original format as a group.

One of these images was published for the first time in Q Magazine (UK) in 2016 and then in the official event program book of the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, followed by many other publications.

Media uses

Record covers

• 1989 We Want Eazy (12" Remix) Shot in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles 1988
• 1989 Express Yourself - (12" Maxi-Single) Photographed at MacArthur Park, Los Angeles
• 1989 Express Yourself - (UK Edition)

Films & documentaries

• 2015 DOPE - Directed by Rick Famuyiwa (Image of Eazy E by Ithaka Darin Pappas featured in Malcom's bedroom)
• 2015 Kings Of Compton - Documentary about N.W.A. directed by: Andre Relis, Mike Corbera (The Miracle Mile Shot was used as the dvd cover)
• 2016 The 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony documentary (aired HBO May 2016
• 2017 The Defiant Ones - HBO feature about Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine (images of N.W.A by Ithaka Darin Pappas used throughout film)

Group exhibitions

• 2011 Art Now Gallery (San Francisco) "Love And Guts" - Photo: Eazy E and Venice Skateboard Locals (1989)
• 2014 House Of Vans (London) "Thrasher: A Retrospective" - Photo: Eazy E and Venice Skateboard Locals (1989)
• 2017 (Sept) Images from this collection included in Contact High's exhibit at Photoville photography fair in Brooklyn
• 2017-2018 Musée d'art contemporain de Marseille (France) "Hip-Hop : un Age d'Or 1970-1995"

Ceremonies

• 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Brooklyn, New York. Several Images by Ithaka Darin Pappas appeared as a backdrop for the N.W.A. segment and in official program book

Magazines, newspapers & websites

• 1989 The Source - Cover May Issue - Ithaka's "The Miracle Mile Shot" appeared on cover, article "California Rap Hits Nationwide!"
• 2013 Los Angeles Times - 25th anniversary of 'Straight Outta Compton' by N.W.A (Photos by: Ithaka)
• 2014 CNN - "Ice Cube premieres 'Straight Outta Compton' movie trailer" by Lisa Respers France (Photo by: Ithaka)
• 2014 Los Angeles Times - story by Oliver Gattell (Photo by: Ithaka)
• 2015 Los Angeles Magazine (Photo by: Ithaka)
• 2015 WTVR (Channel 6 News) N.W.A on Roll Hall of Fame nominee list (Photo by: Ithaka)
• 2015 Consequence Of Sound (Photo by: Ithaka)
• 2015 Hip Hop Golden Age (Photo by: Ithaka)
• 2015 The Hundreds (Photos by: Ithaka) by Manos Nomikos [Sept.]
• 2015 Blitz Magazine (Portugal-Oct. Issue) Photos by: Ithaka
• 2016 Rolling Stone - (January 2016) "Class Of 2016" by Andy Greene / Photo: Ithaka
• 2016 Q (magazine) - "Golden Age Hip Hop" written by Matt Mason (January 2016) Photo: Ithaka
• 2016 General Admission - Cover: Eazy E Skateboarding in Venice, 1989 (Photos by: Ithaka)
• 2017 Mass Appeal - Contact High Project (Photos by: Ithaka)

Books

• 2016 Official Program Book for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Brooklyn, New York
• 2017 Beyond South Central (1988-1991) Hip hop photography book

Advertisements and promotional material

• 1989 Billboard Magazine Full-page ad congratulating N.W.A. on 1,000,000 records sold

Interviews of the photographer about the pictures

• 2015 Blitz Magazine(Portugal-Oct. Issue) "Fotografo Oficial" interview by Mario Rui Vieira about Ithaka's early work with NWA
• 2015 The Hundreds (International Site) "Meet The Greek-American Artist Who Shot N.W.A's Earliest Promo Photos" by Manos Nomikos [Sept.]
• 2016 Rimas E Batidas (Portugal) "As históricas fotos dos N.W.A., o homem que as tirou" by Nelson Ferreira
• 2016 General Admission Magazine - Cover shot of Eazy E and interview with the photographer, by Damien Fahrenfort
• 2017 Mass Appeal Magazine "Contact High Project" article by Vikki Tobak regarding Eazy E skateboarding photographs

External links

• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4382650/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
• http://nwafotosbyithakadarinpappas.blogspot.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/NWAandEAZYEphotographedByIthakaDarinPappas/

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