Examines the origins and evolution of rap music, its African roots, and continuing popularity.

A history of West Coast hip-hop and rap traces the efforts of then-unknown artists including Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur to work through challenges ranging from drugs and gangs to corruption and racism to create their generation's defining music movement.

Presents the history of hip-hop including how it evolved from folktales, spirituals, and poetry, to the showmanship of James Brown, to the culture of graffiti art and breakdancing that formed around the art form.

A comprehensive, chronological survey of rap and hip-hop from 1973 to the present is based on the author's long-running show on Rapstation.com and details the most iconic moments and relevant songs from the genre's recorded history.

This book wrestles with the biggest themes of JAY-Z's career, including hustling, and it recognizes the way that he's always weaved politics into his music, making important statements about race, criminal justice, black wealth and social injustice. As he enters his fifties, and to mark his thirty years as a recording artist, this is the perfect time to take a look at JAY-Z's career and his role in making this nation what it is today.