The Hip Hop Years: A History of Rap

There are plenty of books about hip hop. And most of them aren't very good. But this one really stands out as the best - telling the compelling story of how hip hop rose from the streets of the Bronx in the 1970s and grew up to conquer the world. It's informative, entertaining and captures just the right balance between humour and a hard-hitting sense of context. The book has the advantage of being the companion to an excellent Channel 4 TV series of the same name - widely regarded as the definitive history of the music. The book captures the same blend of great story-telling and authoritative analysis. It's authors have gone to the trouble of investigating the often-ignored true origins of hip-hop and build a vivid picture. It's a story full of sparkling anecdote from those who were there - such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy's Chuck D and Run DMC's Daryl McDaniel. Sometimes the interview material is so extensive it seems like a "who's who of hip hop". Ice Cube, Ice-T, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice (whose story is strangely tragic and hilarious!), De La Soul, Mos Def, Missy Elliott, Wu Tan Clan, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem ... It's a staggering roster. Okay, it may not include everyone - but it goes pretty close! The book spends alot more time on the early origins of hip-hop than on the modern era. But that's a small criticism. We all know what hip-hop has become. The pleasure of this book is being able to discover the true roots of the music and where it came from.

There are several rap/hip-hop history books out there, but very few that just give you the straight facts free from press-kit biographies or fan-magazine drivel. This is one of the few really good ones, covering the whole spectrum from the early 1970s block party DJs to the late 1990s mega-industry. Well-informed and informative.