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The Come Up
- An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop
- Narrated by: Dion Graham, Diontae Black, Torian Brackett, Langston Darby, James Fouhey, Kevin R. Free, Dominic Hoffman, JD Jackson, Terrence Kidd, January LaVoy, Adam Lazarre-White, Leon Nixon, Reynaldo Piniella, Malik Rashad
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
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Publisher's summary
The essential oral history of hip-hop, from its origins on the playgrounds of the Bronx to its reign as the most powerful force in pop culture—from the award-winning journalist behind All the Pieces Matter, the New York Times bestselling oral history of The Wire
“The Come Up is Abrams at his sharpest, at his most observant, at his most insightful.”—Shea Serrano, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hip-Hop (And Other Things)
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Spin
The music that would come to be known as hip-hop was born at a party in the Bronx in the summer of 1973. Now, fifty years later, it’s the most popular music genre in America. Just as jazz did in the first half of the twentieth century, hip-hop and its groundbreaking DJs and artists—nearly all of them people of color from some of America’s most overlooked communities—pushed the boundaries of music to new frontiers, while transfixing the country’s youth and reshaping fashion, art, and even language.
And yet, the stories of many hip-hop pioneers and their individual contributions in the pre-Internet days of mixtapes and word of mouth are rarely heard—and some are at risk of being lost forever. Now, in The Come Up, the New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Abrams offers the most comprehensive account so far of hip-hop’s rise, a multi-decade chronicle told in the voices of the people who made it happen.
In more than three hundred interviews conducted over three years, Abrams has captured the stories of the DJs, executives, producers, and artists who both witnessed and themselves forged the history of hip-hop. Masterfully combining these voices into a seamless symphonic narrative, Abrams traces how the genre grew out of the resourcefulness of a neglected population in the South Bronx, and from there how it flowed into New York City’s other boroughs, and beyond—from electrifying live gatherings, then on to radio and vinyl, below to the Mason-Dixon Line, west to Los Angeles through gangster rap and G-funk, and then across generations.
Abrams has on record Grandmaster Caz detailing hip-hop’s infancy, Edward “Duke Bootee” Fletcher describing the origins of “The Message,” DMC narrating his role in introducing hip-hop to the mainstream, Ice Cube recounting N.W.A’s breakthrough and breakup, Kool Moe Dee recalling his Grammys boycott, and countless more key players. Throughout, Abrams conveys with singular vividness the drive, the stakes, and the relentless creativity that ignited one of the greatest revolutions in modern music.
The Come Up is an exhilarating behind-the-scenes account of how hip-hop came to rule the world—and an essential contribution to music history.
Critic reviews
“A masterpiece in book form. After conducting over 300 interviews over the course of three years, [Jonathan] Abrams has accomplished the incredible feat of detailing the rise of hip-hop straight from the creators of the genre themselves.”—Spin
“Abrams’s beautifully edited book concentrates on hip-hop’s rise, perfectly capturing the excitement of its gathering momentum and regional spread, taking the time to dig deeper than the big names.”—The Guardian
“It’s an extraordinary tale, the story of how a grassroots culture created itself from the streets and became an international force. To his credit, Abrams doesn’t just talk to the architects. He also gets input from the stonemasons, the contractors and the other heavy lifters. It’s the oral history hip-hop deserves as its beat goes on.”—Los Angeles Times
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Since its final episode aired in 2008, HBO's acclaimed crime drama The Wire has only become more popular and influential. The issues it tackled, from the failures of the drug war and criminal justice system to systemic bias in law enforcement and other social institutions, have become more urgent and central to the national conversation. But while there has been a great deal of critical analysis of the show and its themes, until now there has never been a definitive, behind-the-scenes take on how it came to be made.
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There's a reason you hire professional talent
- By Shawnald on 02-13-18
By: Jonathan Abrams
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Chuck D. Presents This Day in Rap and Hip-Hop History
- By: Chuck D., Shepard Fairey - foreword
- Narrated by: Chuck D., D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik, Shepard Fairey - foreword
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on Chuck's long-running show on Rapstation.com, this massive compendium details the most iconic moments and influential songs in the genre's recorded history, from Kurtis Blow's "Christmas Rappin'" to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to Kendrick Lamar's groundbreaking verse on "Control". Also included are key events in hip hop history, from Grandmaster Flash's first scratch through Tupac's holographic appearance at Coachella.
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Poor fidelity intro, sloppy production
- By Amazon Customer on 04-12-19
By: Chuck D., and others
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Dilla Time
- The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm
- By: Dan Charnas, Jeff Peretz - contributor
- Narrated by: Dan Charnas
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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He wasn’t known to mainstream audiences, even though he worked with renowned acts like D’Angelo and Erykah Badu and influenced the music of superstars like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. He died at the age of 32, and in his lifetime he never had a pop hit. Yet since his death, J Dilla has become a demigod: revered by jazz musicians and rap icons from Robert Glasper to Kendrick Lamar; memorialized in symphonies and taught at universities.
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Only a few chapters in <3
- By Chris Johnson on 02-05-22
By: Dan Charnas, and others
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Movies (And Other Things)
- By: Shea Serrano
- Narrated by: Mario Toscano
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Movies (And Other Things) is a book about, quite frankly, movies (and other things). One of the chapters, for example, answers which race Kevin Costner was able to white savior the best, because did you know that he white saviors Mexicans in McFarland, USA, and white saviors Native Americans in Dances with Wolves, and white saviors Black people in Black or White, and white saviors the Cleveland Browns in Draft Day? Another of the chapters creates a special version of the Academy Awards specifically for rom-coms, the most underrated movie genre of all.
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...nah...
- By Herbert McStinkwrinkle on 09-20-20
By: Shea Serrano
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Hip-Hop Is History
- By: Questlove, Ben Greenman - contributor
- Narrated by: Questlove
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York City, the audiobook features narration and storytelling by Questlove, who expertly weaves together a rich sonic tapestry of hip-hop tales large and small, well-known and obscure. From hearing “Rapper’s Delight” for the first time in 1979 to directing and producing the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop for the 2023 GRAMMYs, Questlove guides listeners through a musical journey brought to life by Questlove himself.
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Amazing history lesson from one of the best to ever do it
- By Amy Davenport on 08-07-24
By: Questlove, and others
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Can't Stop Won't Stop
- A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
- By: Jeff Chang
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 19 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Forged in the fires of the Bronx and Kingston, Jamaica, hip-hop became the Esperanto of youth rebellion and a generation-defining movement. In a post-civil rights era defined by deindustrialization and globalization, hip-hop crystallized a multiracial, polycultural generation's worldview and transformed American politics and culture. But that epic story has never been told with this kind of breadth, insight, and style.
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Not About Hip Hop Music
- By A. Yerkes on 09-06-19
By: Jeff Chang
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All the Pieces Matter
- The Inside Story of The Wire®
- By: Jonathan Abrams
- Narrated by: Jonathan Abrams, January LaVoy, Prentice Onayemi, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Since its final episode aired in 2008, HBO's acclaimed crime drama The Wire has only become more popular and influential. The issues it tackled, from the failures of the drug war and criminal justice system to systemic bias in law enforcement and other social institutions, have become more urgent and central to the national conversation. But while there has been a great deal of critical analysis of the show and its themes, until now there has never been a definitive, behind-the-scenes take on how it came to be made.
-
-
There's a reason you hire professional talent
- By Shawnald on 02-13-18
By: Jonathan Abrams
-
Chuck D. Presents This Day in Rap and Hip-Hop History
- By: Chuck D., Shepard Fairey - foreword
- Narrated by: Chuck D., D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik, Shepard Fairey - foreword
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on Chuck's long-running show on Rapstation.com, this massive compendium details the most iconic moments and influential songs in the genre's recorded history, from Kurtis Blow's "Christmas Rappin'" to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to Kendrick Lamar's groundbreaking verse on "Control". Also included are key events in hip hop history, from Grandmaster Flash's first scratch through Tupac's holographic appearance at Coachella.
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Poor fidelity intro, sloppy production
- By Amazon Customer on 04-12-19
By: Chuck D., and others
-
Dilla Time
- The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm
- By: Dan Charnas, Jeff Peretz - contributor
- Narrated by: Dan Charnas
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He wasn’t known to mainstream audiences, even though he worked with renowned acts like D’Angelo and Erykah Badu and influenced the music of superstars like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. He died at the age of 32, and in his lifetime he never had a pop hit. Yet since his death, J Dilla has become a demigod: revered by jazz musicians and rap icons from Robert Glasper to Kendrick Lamar; memorialized in symphonies and taught at universities.
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Only a few chapters in <3
- By Chris Johnson on 02-05-22
By: Dan Charnas, and others
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Movies (And Other Things)
- By: Shea Serrano
- Narrated by: Mario Toscano
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Movies (And Other Things) is a book about, quite frankly, movies (and other things). One of the chapters, for example, answers which race Kevin Costner was able to white savior the best, because did you know that he white saviors Mexicans in McFarland, USA, and white saviors Native Americans in Dances with Wolves, and white saviors Black people in Black or White, and white saviors the Cleveland Browns in Draft Day? Another of the chapters creates a special version of the Academy Awards specifically for rom-coms, the most underrated movie genre of all.
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...nah...
- By Herbert McStinkwrinkle on 09-20-20
By: Shea Serrano
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Music Is History
- By: Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Questlove
- Narrated by: Questlove
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
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Best-selling author and Sundance award-winning director Questlove harnesses his encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and his deep curiosity about history to examine America over the past 50 years. Choosing one essential track from each year, Questlove unpacks each song’s significance, revealing the pivotal role that American music plays around issues of race, gender, politics, and identity.
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This would be better read than listened to
- By HomeChef on 11-05-21
By: Ahmir Khalib Thompson, and others
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Boys Among Men
- How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution
- By: Jonathan Abrams
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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When Kevin Garnett shocked the world by announcing that he would not be attending college - as young basketball prodigies were expected to do - but instead would enter the 1995 NBA draft directly from high school, he blazed a trail for a generation of teenage basketball players to head straight for the pros. That trend would continue until the NBA instituted an age limit in 2005, requiring all players to attend college or another developmental program for at least one year.
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Bad pronunciation
- By K. Spearman on 07-03-16
By: Jonathan Abrams
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Meet Me in the Bathroom
- Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011
- By: Lizzy Goodman
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston, Nicol Zanzarella
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In the second half of the 20th century New York was the source of new sounds, including the Greenwich Village folk scene, punk and new wave, and hip-hop. But as the end of the millennium neared, cutting-edge bands began emerging from Seattle, Austin, and London, pushing New York further from the epicenter. The behemoth music industry, too, found itself in free fall, under siege from technology. Then 9/11/2001 plunged the country into a state of uncertainty and war.
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Deeply disappointing.
- By ChicagoRob on 01-18-20
By: Lizzy Goodman
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The Big Payback
- The History of the Business of Hip-Hop
- By: Dan Charnas
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 27 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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An original journalist for The Source, Dan Charnas built a celebrated career in the rap industry. In The Big Payback, he chronicles the rise of the hip-hop culture and shows how it became so powerful in a matter of decades. Charnas also profiles many of the movers and shakers in this burgeoning cultural movement, offering unprecedented access to an industry that continues to shake the globe.
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So much love
- By Chief Break Everything on 04-13-12
By: Dan Charnas
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Original Gangstas
- The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap
- By: Ben Westhoff
- Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Amid rising gang violence, the crack epidemic, and police brutality, a group of unlikely voices cut through the chaos of late 1980s Los Angeles: N.W.A. Led by a drug dealer, a glammed-up producer, and a high school kid, N.W.A. gave voice to disenfranchised African Americans across the country. And they quickly redefined pop culture across the world. Their names remain as popular as ever: Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. Dre soon joined forces with Suge Knight to create the combustible Death Row Records.
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Very Informative and well told
- By guyzilla on 02-19-17
By: Ben Westhoff
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The History of Gangster Rap
- From Schoolly D to Kendrick Lamar, the Rise of a Great American Art Form
- By: Soren Baker, Xzibit - foreword
- Narrated by: James Shippy, Soren Baker
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The History of Gangster Rap is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating subgenres of any music category to date. Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music. From still-swirling conspiracy theories about the murders of Biggie and Tupac to the release of the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the era of gangster rap is one that fascinates music junkies and remains at the forefront of pop culture.
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Brilliant chronicle
- By R. C. DeJesus on 03-12-21
By: Soren Baker, and others
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Hip Hop and Philosophy
- By: Brandon Hogan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Brandon Hogan
- Length: 2 hrs and 20 mins
- Original Recording
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From its inception, hip-hop has challenged ideas about morality, religion, and truth. Genuinely, it’s a philosophical genre. Both philosophers and hip-hop artists think about God, death, and justice, among other things. But rarely do members of these two groups talk to one another about these issues. This is a shame, given that both hip-hop and philosophy have a rich history in deep thinking and have produced exemplary thinkers.
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Good stuff
- By DogNose1 on 08-29-23
By: Brandon Hogan, and others
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Vibrate Higher
- A Rap Story
- By: Talib Kweli
- Narrated by: Talib Kweli
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Before Talib Kweli became a world-renowned hip hop artist, he was a Brooklyn kid who liked to cut class, spit rhymes, and wander the streets of Greenwich Village with a motley crew of artists, rappers, and DJs who found hip hop more inspiring than their textbooks (much to the chagrin of the educator parents who had given their son an Afrocentric name in hope of securing for him a more traditional sense of pride and purpose).
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Dropping Gems
- By Steve B. on 02-26-21
By: Talib Kweli
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Sweat the Technique
- Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius
- By: Rakim
- Narrated by: Rakim
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The musician and hip-hop legend - hailed as “the greatest MC of all time” and compared to Thelonious Monk - reimagines the writing handbook in this memoir and guide that incorporates the soulful genius, confidence, and creativity of a master artist.
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Solid
- By Troy on 09-27-19
By: Rakim
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Rap Capital
- An Atlanta Story
- By: Joe Coscarelli
- Narrated by: Landon Woodson
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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From mansions to trap houses, office buildings to strip clubs, Atlanta is defined by its rap music. But this flashy and fast-paced world is rarely seen below surface level as a collection not of superheroes and villains, cartoons and caricatures, but of flawed and inspired individuals all trying to get a piece of what everyone else seems to have. In artistic, commercial, and human terms, Atlanta rap represents the most consequential musical ecosystem of this century. Rap Capital tells the dramatic stories of the people who make it tick and the city that made them that way.
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Must read for any fan of ATL HipHop
- By Anonymous User on 11-23-22
By: Joe Coscarelli
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Creative Quest
- By: Questlove
- Narrated by: Questlove, Fred Armisen, Tariq Trotter, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In Creative Quest, Questlove synthesizes all the creative philosophies, lessons, and stories he's heard from the many creators and collaborators in his life, and reflects on his own experience, to advise listeners and fans on how to consider creativity and where to find it. He addresses many topics - what it means to be creative, how to find a mentor and serve as an apprentice, the wisdom of maintaining a creative network, coping with critics and the foibles of success, and the specific pitfalls of contemporary culture.
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Questlove once again is my fairy godmother
- By Richard on 04-26-18
By: Questlove
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How Music Works
- By: David Byrne
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman, David Byrne
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Utilizing his incomparable career and inspired collaborations with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and many others, David Byrne taps deeply into his lifetime of knowledge to explore the panoptic elements of music, how it shapes the human experience, and reveals the impetus behind how we create, consume, distribute, and enjoy the songs, symphonies, and rhythms that provide the backbeat of life. Byrne’s magnum opus uncovers thrilling realizations about the redemptive liberation that music brings us all.
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Kind of all over the place
- By Amazon Customer on 02-17-23
By: David Byrne
What listeners say about The Come Up
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dee
- 08-13-24
quite possibly the greatest history of hip-hop
what an absolutely amazing book. from start to finish it is enthralling, it takes you from the roots of the genre all the way until today as it leaves a complex story that you cannot stop listening to. the voice actors do a wonderful job, and the narrator is supreme.
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- Tom Mott
- 05-12-24
Great listen!
Exactly what I hoped for. Wish it included a Spotify playlist of all the songs, but easy enough to track them down online as you go.
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- Blake Harllee
- 07-11-24
Incredible historical work on the evolution of Hip Hop
I’m not usually interested in musical history, but this was absolutely amazing! I’d highly recommend it, even if you’re not a huge Hip Hop fan.
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- Charlie Wonder
- 12-23-22
Hip-Hop Hooray!
Very well researched and written, the vocal performances were all great and it made me go back and listen to a bunch of music with a new perspective. Definitely a must listen for fans of the genre, it was the fastest 18 hours of my life!
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- marty reinhardt
- 03-07-23
Masterpiece
If you don’t anything about hip hop, read this. Jonathon Abrams has done the impossible - creating a history in the words of the actual performers. Bravo!
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- Sean
- 03-08-23
Informative and entertaining
An exceptional summary of hip-hop history in the words of many who lived it. For anyone who's followed hip hop or is curious about its history this is a good listen. Well done.
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- Mrs Dumblepants
- 10-28-23
Woefully inadequate
For a book this long that covers the start of many careers, there is only a passing reference to the Beastie Boys, Pharcyde, De La Soul and TCQ. No mention of J5 at all. You can’t talk about Rick Rubin or Russell Simmons without giving credit to the white boys who transitioned from trash punk to one of the best known rap groups around the world. I kept skipping ahead but all in vain. Extremely disappointed.
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