The Rough Guide to Hip-hop 2

by Peter Shapiro

This volume presents a guide to every aspect of hip-hop music, tracing its story from its origins in the 1970s as New York's urban folk music all the way to hip-hop's current dominance as the world's best-selling genre. Extensive biographies cover hip-hop's entire spectrum, from the millionaire players to the underground freestylers, from gangster rappers to conscious rhymers, all alongside hundreds of illustrations by top hip-hop photographers. Pioneers like Run DMC and Public Enemy, as well as global superstars of today such as Eminem and Jay Z, are all covered in detail; and each entry concludes with recommendations of the best of their recordings on CD. All the best MCs, DJs, B-Boys and graffiti-writers are here, but there are also extensive sidebars that go beyond the music to the lifestyle, describing hip-hop's fashions, films, feuds and fads.