Hip Hop Hits

Books about hip hop and by hip hop artists.
Updated September 19, 2022
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Mo' meta blues : the world according to Questlove
?uestlove (Musician)
Paper Book
"You have to bear in mind that [Questlove] is one of the smartest motherf*****s on the planet. His musical knowledge, for all practical purposes, is limitless." --Robert Christgau A punch-drunk memoir in which Everyone's Favorite Questlove tells his own story while tackling some of...
The hip hop wars : what we talk about when we talk about hip hop--and why it matters
Rose, Tricia.
Paper Book
Hip-hop is in crisis. For the past dozen years, the most commercially successful hip-hop has become increasingly saturated with caricatures of black gangstas, thugs, pimps, and 'hos. The controversy surrounding hip-hop is worth attending to and examining with a critical eye because, as scholar and...
Go ahead in the rain : notes to A Tribe Called Quest
Willis-Abdurraqib, Hanif
Paper Book
A New York Times Best Seller 2019 National Book Award Longlist, Nonfiction 2019 Kirkus Book Prize Finalist, Nonfiction A February IndieNext Pick Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2019 by Buzzfeed, Nylon,...
Decoded
Jay-Z
Paper Book
Decoded is a book like no other: a collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in history, and one of the most provocative and successful artists of our time. Praise for Decoded "Compelling . ....
Chuck D presents this day in rap and hip-hop history
Chuck D
Paper Book
A one-of-a kind survey of rap and hip hop history from 1973 to today by Chuck D, arguably the most influential rapper in the world. In the more than 40 years since the days of DJ Kool Herc and "Rapper's Delight," hip hop and rap have become a billion-dollar worldwide phenomenon....
Can't stop won't stop : a hip-hop history
Chang, Jeff
Paper Book
The American Book Award winner, now completely adapted for a young adult audience! From award-winning author Jeff Chang, Can't Stop Won't Stop is the story of hip-hop, a generation-defining movement and the music that transformed American politics and culture forever....
Beastie Boys book
Mike D
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself--by band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more. The...
3 kings : Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay Z, and hip-hop's multibillion-dollar rise
Greenburg, Zack O'Malley
Paper Book
Tracing the careers of hip-hop's three most dynamic stars, this deeply reported history brilliantly examines the entrepreneurial genius of the first musician tycoons: Diddy, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z. Being successful musicians was simply never enough for the three kings of hip-hop....
The big payback : the history of the business of hip-hop
Charnas, Dan.
Paper Book
"There has never been a better book about hip-hop...a record-biz portrait that jumps off the page."--A.V. Club The perfect read for music lovers and business aficionados alike, The Big Payback reveals the secret histories of the early long-shot successes of Sugar Hill...
Chamber music : Wu-Tang and America (in 36 pieces)
Ashon, Will
Paper Book
Each of these chambers contains wonders of history, destiny, and mythology. Chamber Music is hip hop as race and class politics, as music and as poetry on the move. Through Ashon's vibrant textured prose we watch in awe as these young men seize on whatever the culture has to offer, sampling...
Contact high : a visual history of hip-hop
Tobak, Vikki
Paper Book
ONE OF AMAZON'S BEST ART & PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS 0F 2018 AN NPR AND PITCHFORK BEST MUSIC BOOK OF 2018 PICK ONE OF TIME'S 25 BEST PHOTOBOOKS OF 2018 NEW YORK TIMES, ASSOCIATED PRESS,WALLSTREET JOURNAL, ROLLING STONE,AND...
How to rap : the art and science of the hip-hop MC
Edwards, Paul
Paper Book
Clipse, Cypress Hill, Nelly, Public Enemy, Remy Ma, Schoolly D, A Tribe Called Quest, will.i.am--these are just some of the acclaimed artists offering tips and advice in this compelling how-to. Delivering countless candid and exclusive first-person insights from interviews with more...
My infamous life : the autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy
Prodigy (Musician)
Paper Book
From one of the greatest rappers of all time, the memoir of a life cut short, a revealing look at the dark side of hip hop's Golden Era... In this often violent but always introspective memoir, Mobb Deep's Prodigy tells his much anticipated story of struggle, survival, and hope...
Original gangstas : the untold story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the birth of West Coast rap
Westhoff, Ben
Paper Book
"Raw, authoritative, and unflinching ... An elaborately detailed, darkly surprising, definitive history of the LA gangsta rap era." -- Kirkus, starred review A monumental, revealing narrative history about the legendary group of artists at the forefront of West Coast...
The rap year book : the most important rap song from every year since 1979, discussed, debated, and deconstructed
Serrano, Shea
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller - Washington Post Bestseller - Pitchfork Book Club selectionThe Rap Year Book takes readers on a journey that begins in 1979, widely regarded as the moment rap became recognized as part of the cultural and musical landscape, and comes right up to the present. Shea Serrano...
When chickenheads come home to roost : my life as a hip-hop feminist
Morgan, Joan
Paper Book
"Morgan has given an entire generation of Black feminists space and language to center their pleasures alongside their politics." --Janet Mock, New York Times bestselling author of Redefining Realness "All that and then some, Chickenheads informs and...
Yes yes y'all : the Experience Music Project oral history of hip-hop's first decade
Fricke, Jim.
Paper Book
Hip hop matters : politics, pop culture, and the struggle for the soul of a movement
Watkins, S. Craig
Paper Book
The author explores the evolution of hip hop and the backlash against it, from Detroit Mayer Kwame Killpatrick, the nation's first hip hop mayor, to the reception of the music on college campuses, where debates over its misogyny thrive.

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.