Synopsis

For over thirty years, Brooklyn-born photographer Jamel Shabazz has documented New York street life, most famously in his legendary images of the early hip-hop scene, collected in his book "Back in the Days." Shabazz has traveled the world taking pictures, cementing his reputation as one of the great contemporary photographers. Director Charlie Ahearn became enamored with the photographs in 2002, and set out to tell the story of Jamel Shabazz the artist, from his army service, work as a corrections officer and creator of a historic body of work, incomparable in it's scope of New York life.

For over thirty years, Brooklyn-born photographer Jamel Shabazz has documented New York street life, most famously in his legendary images of the early hip-hop scene, collected in his book "Back in the Days." Shabazz has traveled the world taking pictures, cementing his reputation as one of the great contemporary photographers. Director Charlie Ahearn became enamored with the photographs in 2002, and set out to tell the story of Jamel Shabazz the artist, from his army service, work as a corrections officer and creator of a historic body of work, incomparable in it's scope of New York life.