LL Cool J Assault, Def Jam label introductory showcase, Benjamin Franklin H.S.: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of a crowd of teenage boys and girls at a performance by LL Cool J at Benjamin Franklin High School, the fourth in a series of four photographs. In the center left a girl in the foreground looks to the right of frame, smiling with her mouth open and her hands held apart as though mid-clap. To the right of her is another girl, wearing glasses and looking straight at the camera with her mouth open. Behind them is a crowd of other students. On the back of the photograph an inscription written by Bill Adler identifies the subject and photographer.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1984
• Photograph by: Harry Allen, American, born 1964
• Subject of: LL Cool J, American, born 1968
• Subject of: Def Jam Recordings, American, founded 1984
• Subject of: Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, American, founded 1943
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 7/8 × 13 15/16 in. (27.7 × 35.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 9/16 × 12 7/8 in. (21.8 × 32.7 cm)
• Place captured: East Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.132.44.4
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Harry Allen Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.