Four decades later XXL editor in chief Sheena Lester commissioned A Great Day in Hip-Hop, which was shot by legendary photographer Gordon parks, and featured 177 artists including Busta Rhymes, Public Enemy, Rakim, Fat Joe, The Wu-Tang Clan, Reverend Run, Slick Rick, Da Brat, and more. The photo became the largest gathering of musicians in a single image in history.
Hip-Hop's Greatest Day features shots by co-founder, and then XXL publisher Jonathan Rheingold, editor Ben Osborne, and Parks protégé, Johanna Fore. Rheingold said in a statement, "[I made it a] mission to identify folks who were snapping photos on 126th street that day and developed the largest archive of behind-the-scenes photos documenting that great day.”
Noting that Gordon Parks may not have been a Hip-Hop fan, he added, "he understood the importance of this opportunity. And Sheena Lester, who was the editor-in-chief at the time, really convinced him that there was really no other photographer that one could possibly think of that would be more suitable to capture such an amazing moment than him, and he took it on.” Rheingold also has a five part audio series planned to celebrate the iconic day. Hip-Hop's Greatest Day is on view at City Hall Park, New York through June 24, and can be viewed by joining a public tour.