Our contributing photo editor, Estevan Oriol, gave us the head’s up on this new photography show opening at Known Gallery tonight, Feburary 4. Michael Miller’s West Coast Hip-Hop: A History In Pictures will feature 43 photos, majority of which have never been shown to the public. The show will be open exclusively this weekend only.

The Los Angeles-based photographer has been working in the industry for the past 25 years, building an expansive portfolio that includes over 300 major record covers, the most iconic supermodels of the ‘90s and some of the biggest names in rap and jazz.

“I started shooting in 1988, in Paris,” says Miller. “I was actually painting houses and I just happened to meet Peter Lindbergh, the world-renowned fashion photographer. He gave me my first professional camera. I helped him out on a few shoots.” Miller had his first big job with Cacharel, a huge French fashion brand. He shot Linda Evangelista, Karen Mulder, and Elaine Erwin, some of the era’s biggest supermodels.

But getting access to supermodels would prove simple compared to the likes of Tupac Shakur, Cypress Hill and Ice Cube.

​”We’d have a game plan. So when I got down to doing the work, even though I’d take Tupac to East L.A. to Pasadena and back to downtown, it worked out great. You’ve got Tupac with the tombstones and the guns,” says Miller as he shows a particularly iconic portrait of Shakur against a graffiti wall. “I haven’t really been showing people this book — 90% of these images have been in my archives and storage. Never been used.”

The print show and book signing at Known promises to bring out quite a few of the personalities in the book and plenty of their old and new fans. Even for those who grew up seeing Miller’s images of N.W.A, Dub C, Warren G and Sir Mix A lot, it will be an introduction to the photographer himself as he’s been behind the scenes until now. “Mike hasn’t been bragging about having this huge body of work, so people don’t really know, explains Stewart, now publisher at his own Over the Edge books. ” This was my dream book.”

​For Miller, revisiting his archive has reconnected him with old friends and memories and has produced a volume of unprecedented West Coast music culture. “I got a gig painting houses in Paris and it ended up turning into a photography career,” he says. “I went to UCLA film school. Like everyone in Hollywood, I wanted to direct. The rest is history. “

West Coast Hip Hop: A History in Pictures opens Saturday, February 4 at Known Gallery, 441 N Fairfax, LA 90036, 8-11pm, through Sunday February 5. 310-860-6263 Ordering the book guarantees entry. rsvp@knowngallery.com