When Ralph McDaniels started Video Music Box in 1983, he became hip-hop’s premier archivist and documentarian, amassing a collection of music videos, interviews, and raw footage that captured the genre in ways no one else had the foresight to at the time. More than 40 years later, the lifelong New Yorker is still at it, cataloging precious hip-hop history and continuing to digitize his massive analog collection to preserve for future generations.
In light of his being honored by the Paid In Full Foundation this weekend in Las Vegas, I spoke to McDaniels about his singular journey through the early days of hip-hop, the art of video, D’Angelo, Nas, the importance of archivism, and more.