“Most of my heroes didn’t appear on no stamp?” Chuck D

A stamp is a distinctive mark or impression made upon something. The ‘Golden Era‘ print honours the kings and queens of hip-hop who propelled the genre from humble beginnings in the block parties in New York to the global phenomenon we see today. So if you thought ‘most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps’ a few words of advice ‘Don’t believe the hype’.

Hip hop’s “golden age” (or “golden era”) is a name given to a period in mainstream hip hop – usually cited as being a period varying in time frames during the 1980s and 1990s said to be characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence. There were strong themes of Afrocentricity and political militancy, while the music was experimental and the sampling eclectic. The artists most often associated with the phrase are Run DMC, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Jungle Brothers. Releases by these acts co-existed in this period with, and were as commercially viable as, those of early gangsta rap artists such as N.W.A, the sex raps of 2 Live Crew, and party-oriented music by acts such as Kid ‘n Play and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.

The Art Print

The latest design has finally arrived and this is one that will have you nodding your head in approval just like the subjects of this piece have done over the last few decades.

Wittily juxtaposing Chuck D’s proclamation that ‘most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamp’ with literal images of rap heroes on a set of stamps, it shows our comprehensive respect for classic artists as a mosaic, inviting a guess who game. Some are easy – Tupac, Dre – and some require a little more knowledge – Biz Markie and Big Pun for instance. All of the guys are the real deal and will mark you as the flyest cat on the block, yo.

‘Celebration of the Golden Era’ Art Print is available HERE

The T-Shirt


‘Celebration of the Golden Era’ T-shirt is available in three colours HERE