Voices in Hip Hop: A Booklist
Hip hop has been around for many years and there is a lot of history behind it. For many of us, we grewn up with this music, but some might be brand new to it. This booklist, of legendary voices from the hip hop world, is a must for any hip hop head—old or new—or any fan of music in general. All of these are available in e-book format and most are also available as audiobooks which I recommended to get the full experience as told from those that were there.
Beastie Boys Book by Mike D
This one was a satisfying read and listen. The book chronicles the career of one of the most iconic and groundbreaking groups during hip hop’s golden era of the 1980s. There was an abundance of new and behind-the-scenes information given here even a big fan of the Beastie Boys possibly wouldn’t know. The book also plays out like a tribute to the late, great Adam Yauch. I highly recommended this one in the audiobook format for the wide array of narrators such as Snoop Dogg, Ben Stiller, Nas, Elvis Costello, Will Farrell and many more as the tell the stories of the Boys' impact on hip hop.
Decoded by Jay-Z
Jay-Z is personally one of my favorite rappers of all time and if you’re like me, then you owe it to yourself to give this one a read. He breaks down some of his legendary rhymes and explains the meaning behind them, how he borrowed certain rhymes and made them his own and how this affected the hip hop community and culture. For those who are not fans of Jay-Z or maybe the genre in general, still give it a read as he shows how a song can be constructed with proper wordplay and rhyming scheme.
Sweat the Technique by Rakim
Speaking of great lyricism, Rakim’s rhyme scheme has always been the blueprint for many rappers that preceded him and those that shared the stage with him during that era. His voice is very monotone, yet infectious and you can still hear the passion in his songs. He talks about his early upbringing on Long Island, his street life in Queens and his break into the industry. This is another book I would highly recommend as an audiobook, due to him explaining in vivid detail the structure of the rhyme structure and the storytelling elements of making a hip hop classic.
My Voice: A Memoir by Angie Martinez
Angie Martinez was (and still is) the voice of hip hop radio for the last 25 years. She played a pivotal role in many of hip hop’s greatest controversies and moments by doing interviews with the legends and getting the cold hard facts as they happened. With her unique voice, she has become a staple in hip hop. In this book she tells those stories and more and gets the facts straight on many behind-the-scene moments including her first interview with 2Pac, the issues Wu Tang had with her, and Jay-Z’s first reaction after an incident with Nas. Once again, the audiobook is highly recommended for this one, especially hearing it from” The Voice of New York” herself.
Raw: My Journey Into the Wu-Tang by U-God
U-God is a super underrated member of my favorite rap group of all time, Wu Tang Clan. Here he tells the story of his childhood on the rough streets of the Staten Island projects, how he met future members such as Method Man by working at a Statue of Liberty store and his mother getting robbed by a young boxer from Brooklyn who would later become the greatest boxer of all time. His rise to fame came with a hefty price in this story of hardships, heartbreaks and motivation. Hearing it in the audiobook makes it much better as you can hear the pain in voice from his struggles.
The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song from Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed by Shea Serrano
This is not a biography, but I’ll throw in this bonus book for any hip hop aficionados out there. This book describes the best hits of every year from 1979 to 2015. Serrano breaks down the song in detail including roadmaps to how it was created, its impact on the sales charts and culture as well. Expect to see those I mentioned above in this book as well as many more including DMX, Eminem and Run DMC.