Hip Hop Hits

Books about hip hop and by hip hop artists.
Updated September 19, 2022
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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....
Beastie Boys Book
Michael Diamond
Audiobook
#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....
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
The Big Payback takes us from the first $15 made by a "rapping DJ" in 1970s New York to the recent multi-million-dollar sales of the Phat Farm and Roc-a-Wear clothing companies in 2004 and 2007. On this four-decade-long journey from the studios where the first rap records were made to the...
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...
My Infamous Life
Johnson, Albert Prodigy
Digital file
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...

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