Normski

Man with the Golden Shutter

2

BBOYS BUSKING Covent Garden, London, 1983

2

BBOYS BUSKING Covent Garden, London, 1983

4

(Clockwise from top left) BRIM (GRAFFITI ARTIST), FAB 5 FREDDY, DIGITAL UNDERGROUND, LL COOL J, GODFATHER (BOO-YAA T.R.I.B.E.), FLAVA FLAV (PUBLIC ENEMY)

5

Contents

10

Foreword [Marcus Barnes]

16

My First Camera [Normski]

20 50

Old School

Crews

108

Artists

142

Laying Down the Rules [Andy Cowan]

172

Live N Direct

206

The Man is a Fucking Legend [Tracy Kawalik]

218

Culture

4

(Clockwise from top left) BRIM (GRAFFITI ARTIST), FAB 5 FREDDY, DIGITAL UNDERGROUND, LL COOL J, GODFATHER (BOO-YAA T.R.I.B.E.), FLAVA FLAV (PUBLIC ENEMY)

5

Contents

10

Foreword [Marcus Barnes]

16

My First Camera [Normski]

20 50

Old School

Crews

108

Artists

142

Laying Down the Rules [Andy Cowan]

172

Live N Direct

206

The Man is a Fucking Legend [Tracy Kawalik]

218

Culture

13

LL COOL J ON THE DECKS, WITH FLAVA FLAV AND DJ BOBCAT Radio London, Def Jam Tour, 1987

13

LL COOL J ON THE DECKS, WITH FLAVA FLAV AND DJ BOBCAT Radio London, Def Jam Tour, 1987

16

17

NORMSKI Universal Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, 1988

Even at the start, the camera was a way for me to

see what was really in front of me, to frame portions of my surroundings. I could view the world around me in a more detailed manner.

My First Camera Normski

I was quite shy as a child. I spent a lot of time between people, a lot of time on my own. So, I think my imagination was probably unfiltered, even while it was being filled with different messages from different people. The relationships and conversations that I could have with the world via my camera helped me learn about what I was sharing in this world and about who or what I would become. I got that from practising techniques and learning the art of photography. Walking around my local area, aged 10, 11 or 12, taking quite a few random, minimal photographs, it was all eye opening and very exciting.

However, looking back now, I wonder whether I was lost, and that having the camera gave me a way of focussing, a means of condensing the ‘massiveness’ around me into smaller bites, so that I could digest it bit by bit.

There was a point at which it became obvious to me that taking photographs also included taking images of people. As a hobby, it really went up a couple of notches with that realisation. I became like a maverick, an adventurer travelling around my local spaces, gradually getting further and further away from the safety of home but always trying to feel at home. I was going from one side to the other, from pillar to post. Many, many years later I’ve realised that I was trying to find my own identity through other people’s journeys. A lot of the images I took were reflections of the multifaceted sides of my own, young adult self. So, perhaps it was never really about me taking pictures.

16

17

NORMSKI Universal Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, 1988

Even at the start, the camera was a way for me to

see what was really in front of me, to frame portions of my surroundings. I could view the world around me in a more detailed manner.

My First Camera Normski

I was quite shy as a child. I spent a lot of time between people, a lot of time on my own. So, I think my imagination was probably unfiltered, even while it was being filled with different messages from different people. The relationships and conversations that I could have with the world via my camera helped me learn about what I was sharing in this world and about who or what I would become. I got that from practising techniques and learning the art of photography. Walking around my local area, aged 10, 11 or 12, taking quite a few random, minimal photographs, it was all eye opening and very exciting.

However, looking back now, I wonder whether I was lost, and that having the camera gave me a way of focussing, a means of condensing the ‘massiveness’ around me into smaller bites, so that I could digest it bit by bit.

There was a point at which it became obvious to me that taking photographs also included taking images of people. As a hobby, it really went up a couple of notches with that realisation. I became like a maverick, an adventurer travelling around my local spaces, gradually getting further and further away from the safety of home but always trying to feel at home. I was going from one side to the other, from pillar to post. Many, many years later I’ve realised that I was trying to find my own identity through other people’s journeys. A lot of the images I took were reflections of the multifaceted sides of my own, young adult self. So, perhaps it was never really about me taking pictures.

48

GOLDIE Metalheadz, Blue Note, London, 1996

I don’t write much about photography and I’ve never really been a fan of pictures taken over the years, in terms of going to a photographer in my heyday and getting courted as you do…

by Bailey, Rankin, Knight, etc. I’ve done ’em all, pretty much, but this 'moving portrait', as I like to call it, sums up everything to me.

It was shot the night I received my first gold disc, in 1996!!! And Trenton, my old friend and manager at the time, brought it down to the Blue Note. It’s a great photo, but the difference between this photo and any other is that it captures my soul, the moment in motion. EVERYTHING: the orphan boy from Wolverhampton who they said would never stand a chance, the cat that got the cream… and the joy of my heart ... as a young man, finally breaking through.

–Goldie

49

48

GOLDIE Metalheadz, Blue Note, London, 1996

I don’t write much about photography and I’ve never really been a fan of pictures taken over the years, in terms of going to a photographer in my heyday and getting courted as you do…

by Bailey, Rankin, Knight, etc. I’ve done ’em all, pretty much, but this 'moving portrait', as I like to call it, sums up everything to me.

It was shot the night I received my first gold disc, in 1996!!! And Trenton, my old friend and manager at the time, brought it down to the Blue Note. It’s a great photo, but the difference between this photo and any other is that it captures my soul, the moment in motion. EVERYTHING: the orphan boy from Wolverhampton who they said would never stand a chance, the cat that got the cream… and the joy of my heart ... as a young man, finally breaking through.

–Goldie

49

55

SALT-N-PEPA London, 1988

Salt-N-Pepa I was sent to photograph Salt-N-Pepa for a cover. I really love these shots, taken in a hotel stairwell. I only had a small contact sheet and just a couple of minutes with the girls, but I somehow persuaded them to do something a bit different. I said to them, ‘How ’bout we get a shot in reverse, of you doing your makeup in the mirror?’

55

SALT-N-PEPA London, 1988

Salt-N-Pepa I was sent to photograph Salt-N-Pepa for a cover. I really love these shots, taken in a hotel stairwell. I only had a small contact sheet and just a couple of minutes with the girls, but I somehow persuaded them to do something a bit different. I said to them, ‘How ’bout we get a shot in reverse, of you doing your makeup in the mirror?’

77

RUN DMC Dance Energy TV studio, London, 1991

77

RUN DMC Dance Energy TV studio, London, 1991

186

CHUCK D AND FLAVA FLAV, PUBLIC ENEMY Def Jam Tour, Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1987

186

CHUCK D AND FLAVA FLAV, PUBLIC ENEMY Def Jam Tour, Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1987

193

DEF JAM TOUR Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1987

193

DEF JAM TOUR Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1987

212

JAM MASTER JAY & GRANDMASTER DEE London, 1986

213

BILLY BIZNIZZ Word Of Mouth Party, New Music Seminar, New York City, 1980s

JAH SHAKA The Dome, North London, 1990s

212

JAM MASTER JAY & GRANDMASTER DEE London, 1986

213

BILLY BIZNIZZ Word Of Mouth Party, New Music Seminar, New York City, 1980s

JAH SHAKA The Dome, North London, 1990s

272

I dedicate this book to my Mum and Dad and to my son, Marcus.

Special thanks also to the Museum of Youth Culture.

© 2023 Norman Anderson World copyright reserved

ISBN 978 178884 234 1

The right of Norman Anderson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Editor: Andrew Whittaker Design: Mariona Vilarós Production: Corban Wilkin

Printed in Belgium for ACC Art Books Ltd., Woodbridge, Suffolk, England www.accartbooks.com