“The Greatest Day”
A Multimedia 25th Retrospective
The Iconic XXL Cover That Started It All
On September 29, 1998, Gordon Parks captured history by photographing almost 200 rap artists for the cover of XXL magazine—the largest gathering of musicians in a single image in history—recreating Art Kane’s 1958 jazz shoot for Esquire magazine known as “A Great Day in Harlem.” It was a powerful moment watching the sun trying to shut down the photoshoot as Gordon was waiting to press the shutter-release button to capture history. This photograph would eventually be known as “A Great Day in Hip-Hop.”
Spencer was instrumental in organizing and managing the 25th anniversary retrospective of this iconic photo. This multimedia project included an award-winning podcast series, an event at Fotografiska New York, and a one-off magazine with never-before-seen photos and exclusive interviews with rappers, journalists, editors, and photographers who were there when it happened in 1998.
“The Greatest Day”: An Audible Original Podcast
“The Greatest Day: The Epic Story Behind Hip-Hop's Most Iconic Photograph” is a limited, five-part Audible original podcast series that features firsthand accounts from many of those involved in this wildly ambitious/borderline impossible idea, including former XXL staff members and a range of artists, journalists, photographers, and cultural luminaries.
The podcast was named one of Audible’s Best of the Year 2023 and received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Podcast – Limited Series/Short Form.
Spencer was instrumental in helping Executive Producer Jonathan Rheingold in organizing and scheduling interviews with the many luminaries involved with the podcast.
“Hip-Hop’s Greatest Day” Limited One-Off Magazine
To coincide with the Fotografiska event, a limited one-off magazine was published. Featuring never-before-seen behind-the-scenes pictures taken on the day of the iconic photo shoot, as well as stories about the day by some of the luminaries who were there.
Published by iD8 Studios, this high-quality magazine features an 80-page interior, a heavy stock cover, hand numbered, and limited to 125 copies.
Spencer was instrumental in the creation and publication of this magazine. He archived and uploaded the photos, transcribed old articles and interviews from XXL and RESPECT. magazines, managed the content management systems behind it, and manually fulfilled all orders of the magazine.
Wrap-Around Cover of “Hip-Hop’s Greatest Day”
Fotografiska’s “A Great Night in Hip-Hop: A Tribute to Hip-Hop’s Greatest Day and Most Iconic Photo”
Highlight Reel of Fotografiska’s “A Great Night in Hip-Hop: A Tribute to Hip-Hop’s Greatest Day and Most Iconic Photo”
On May 9, 2023, iD8 Entertainment, in collaboration with RESPECT. Magazine, organized a photographic retrospective event at Fotografiska New York called “A Great Night in Hip-Hop: A Tribute to Hip-Hop’s Greatest Day and Most Iconic Photo.”
The event, which featured former XXL staff members and a range of journalists, photographers, and cultural luminaries, discussed the behind-the-scenes tales and stories behind both “A Great Day in Harlem” and “The Greatest Day in Hip-Hop.” There were never-before-seen images from the original photo shoot by Art Kane, as well as photos captured by numerous photographers that were on 126th Street on September 29, 1998.
Spencer managed the Fotografiska event, which included magazine distribution, organizing the room setup and audio, load-ins and tear-downs, and more.
The Greatest Day Press
CBS News feature about “The Greatest Day”
The True Story of XXL's Iconic “A Great Day in Hip-Hop” Photo (Esquire)
CBS Evening News feature about “The Greatest Day”