HIP-HOP
East Coast, West Coast and Southern rap, trap, drill, and more.
Origins: Early 1970s.
BOOKS
- The Rap Attack: African Jive to New York Hip Hop by David Toop, 1984.
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Bring the Noise: A Guide to Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture by Havelock Nelson and Michael A. Gonzales, 1991.
- It’s Not About A Salary: Rap, Race and Resistance in Los Angeles by Brian Cross, 1993.
- Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America by Tricia Rose, 1994.
- Spectacular Vernaculars: Hip-Hop and the Politics of Postmodernism by Russell A. Potter
- Hip Hop America by Nelson George, 1998.
- Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists by Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Jeff Mao, Gabe Alvarez, Brent Rollins, 1999.
- The Rose That Grew from Concrete by Tupac Shakur, 1999.
- Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur by Michael Eric Dyson, 2001. ︎
- Rap Music and Street Consciousness by Cheryl L. Keyes, 2002. ︎
- Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop by Imani Perry, 2004. ︎
- That’s The Joint! The Hip-Hop Studies Reader, ed. Mark Anthony Neal and Murray Foreman, 2004. ︎
- And It Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years ed. by Raquel Cepeda, 2004.
- Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang, 2005. ︎
- Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies by Brian Coleman, 2007. ︎
- Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop ed. by Jeff Chang, with Greg Tate, Rennie Harris, Mark Anthony Neal, Brian Cross, Vijay Prashad, Joan Morgan and more. ︎
- Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap by Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, 2007.
- The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop—and Why It Matters by Tricia Rose, 2008.
- The Tao of Wu by RZA, 2009.
- Hip Hop's Inheritance: From the Harlem Renaissance to the Hip Hop Feminist Movement by Reiland Rabaka, 2011.
- My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy by Albert Johnson, Laura Checkoway, 2011.
- Groove Music: The Art and Culture of the Hip-Hop DJ by Mark Katz, 2012.
- The Hip Hop Movement: From R&B and the Civil Rights Movement to Rap and the Hip Hop Generation by Reiland Rabaka, 2013.
- Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-Hop by Lance Scott Walker, 2013.
- Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Ahmir Questlove Thompson, 2013.
- J Dilla's Donuts (33⅓ #93) by Jordan Ferguson, 2014. ︎
- The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop, ed. Quraysh Ali Lansana, Nate Marshall, Kevin Coval, 2015.
-
Hip Hop Family Tree (Graphic novel series) by Ed Piskor, August 2015 - July 2016.
- Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap by Ben Westhoff, 2016.
- Muslim Cool: Race, Religion, and Hip Hop in the United States by Su'ad Abdul Khabeer, 2016.
- Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap by Gerrick Kennedy, December 2017.
- She Begat This: 20 Years of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Joan Morgan, 2018.
- Best Damn Hip Hop Writing: The Book of Dart by Dart Adams, ed. Amir Ali Said, 2019.
- God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop by Kathy Iandoli, 2019.
- Goin’ Off: The Story of the Juice Crew & Cold Chillin’ Records by Ben Merlis, 2019.
- Women Rapping Revolution Hip Hop and Community Building in Detroit by Kellie D. Hay and Rebekah Farrugia, 2020.
- The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America by Marcus J. Moore, 2020.
- Emerald Street: A History of Hip Hop in Seattle by Daudi Abe, 2020.
- The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop by Clover Hope, 2021.
- Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur by Sheldon Pearce, 2021.
- Promise That You Will Sing About Me: The Power and Poetry of Kendrick Lamar, by Miles Marshall Lewis, 2021.
- Who Got the Camera?: A History of Rap and Reality by Eric Harvey, 2021.
FILMS & SERIES
FILMS & SERIES
- Wild Style, dir. Charlie Ahearn, 1982. 1h 22m.
- Style Wars, dir. Tony Silver, 1983. 1h 55m. ︎
- Breakin’ n Enterin’, dir. Topper Carew, 1983. 1h 24m.
- Big Fun In The Big Town, dir. Bram Van Splunteren, 1986. 40m.
- Bad Meaning Good, prod. Tim Westwood, BBC, 1987.
-
Wreckin Shop: Live From Brooklyn, PBS, dir. Diane Martel, 1992.
- Rhyme & Reason, dir. Peter Spirer, 1997. 1h 34m. ︎
- Freestyle: Art of Rhyme, dir. Kevin Fitzgerald, 2000. 1h 30m.
- Scratch, dir. Doug Pray, 2001. 1h 32m.
- Biggie & Tupac, dir. Nick Bloomfield, 2002. 1h 48m.
- And You Don’t Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop, dir. Richard Lowe and Dana Heinz Perry, 2004. Five-part VH1 series.
- Wot Do U Call It, dir. Adam Smith, 2003. 10m.
- Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, dir. Michel Gondry, 2005. 1h 51m. ︎
- Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, dir. Bryon Hurt, 2006. 1h 1m. ︎
- The Carter, dir. Adam Bhala Lough, 2009, 1h 15m.
- My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip-Hop, dir. Ava DuVernay, 2010. 1h. ︎
- The Weird World of Blowfly, dir. Jonathan Furmanski, 2010. 1h 29m.
- Rubble Kings, dir. Shan Nicholson, 2010. 1h 11m.
- Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, dir. Michael Rapaport, 2011. 1h 35m.
- Uprising: Hip-Hop & The L.A. Riots, dir. Mark Ford, 2012. 1h 6m.
- Time is Illmatic, dir. One9, 2014. 1h 14m. ︎
- ATL: The Untold Story of Atlanta’s Rise in the Rap Game, dir. Brad Bernstein and Rick Ciwoski, 2014. 1h 30m.
- The Police vs. Grime: A Noisey Film, 2014. 20m.
- Skepta: Top Boy: A Noisey Film, 2015. 31m.
- Fresh Dressed, dir. Sacha Jenkins, 2015. 1h 30m.
- Stretch & Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, dir. Bobbito Garcia, 2015. 1h 38m.
- 808 - The Heart of the Beat That Changed Music, dir. Alexander Dunn, 2015. 1h 47m.
- The Get Down, dir. Baz Luhrmann, 2016. 1 season.
- All Eyez on Me, dir. Benny Boom, 2017. 2h 20m.
- Death Row Chronicles, 2018. BET 6 episode series.
- Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, dir. Sacha Jenkins, 2019. 1 season.
- Wu-Tang: An American Saga by RZA and Alex Tse, Hulu. 2019 - Present.
- “Ice Cold: The Untold Story of Hip Hop Jewelry” prod. by Migos, YouTube Originals, July 2021.
PODCASTS & RADIO
- The History of Hip-Hop: A Series by NPR, 1990s-early 2000s.
- DJ Kool Herc and the Birth of the Breakbeat, 20 minutes.
- Rapper Melle Mel: Delivering 'The Message', 5 minutes.
- DJ and Hip-Hop Pioneer Grandmaster Flash, 19 minutes.
- Hip-Hop Entrepreneur Russell Simmons, 15 minutes.
- Rapper Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC, 15 minutes.
- LL Cool J: Still Knockin' Us Out, 8 minutes.
- Public Enemy Pioneer Chuck D, 8 minutes.
- Hip-Hop Renaissance Man: Ice Cube, 20 minutes.
- 'Original Gangster': Rapper and Actor Ice-T, 20 minutes.
- The Hippies of Hip-Hop: De La Soul, 15 minutes.
- Fresh Prince and Beyond: Will Smith, 12 minutes.
- Queen Latifah: The Fresh Air Interview, 17 minutes.
- Ahmir Thompson, AKA Questlove, 17 minutes.
- Wu-Tang Clan's The RZA, 15 minutes.
- "Rappers Delight" (on the Sugarhill Gang & Sylvia Robinson), NPR 100, December 2000. 8 minutes.
- “How Hip-hop Works” by Stuff You Should Know, July 2013, 57 minutes.
- “Lights Out: Was the 1977 NYC-wide blackout a catalyst for the hip-hop movement? by 99% Invisible, October 2014. 19 mins.
- “Bottom of the Map—Southern Hip-Hop: Explored. Explained. Exalted" by Christina Lee and Dr. Regina N. Bradley, WABE, May 2019 - Present.
- “Louder Than a Riot” by Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael, NPR, September 2020 - Present.
- “Hip-Hop Meets Tech: How The Chopstars Collective Keeps Houston's Chopped and Screwed Movement Alive” by Njera Perkins, Afro Tech, December 2020.
- “No Skips” With Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins and Shea Serrano, The Ringer, May 2021 - Present.
- “Time Machine: The Score (Side A)” by Hanif Abdurraqib, The 11th, September 2021. 43m.
- “Time Machine: The Score (Side B)” by Hanif Abdurraqib, The 11th, September 2021. 43m.
ARTICLES
- “Buckaroos of the Bugaloo” by Barry Michael Cooper, Village Voice, January 1981. ︎
- First rap journalism in Voice history!
- “Hiphop Nation: It's Like This Y'all” by Greg Tate, Village Voice, January 1988.
- “Hiphop Nation: What It Is” by John Leland & Steve Stein, Village Voice, January 1988.
- "Dreaming America: Hip Hop Culture", by dream hampton, Spin Magazine, November 1993. ︎
- “Interview: Afrika Bambaataa” by Frank Boughton, DJHistory, conducted 1998. ︎
- “OutKast: The Road to Stankonia” by Craig Seymour, February 2002.
- “Remembering TLC’s Left Eye (1971 – 2002)” by Craig Seymour, April 2002.
- On Eminem: “White Freedom” by Greg Tate, Village Voice, November 2004.
- “The Slowed-Down Tempos of Screw and its Influence on Contemporary Bands” by Jace Clayton, Frieze, November 2010. ︎
- “The People Inside My Head, Too: Madness, Black Womanhood, and the Radical Performance of Lauryn Hill,” by La Marr Jurelle Bruce, African American Review Vol. 45, No. 3, Fall 2012.
- “Drizzy Sings the Blues” by Jason King, NPR, September 2013. ︎
- “Wu-Tang, Atomically” by Amos Barshad, Grantland, March 2014.︎
- “Larry Smith: Unsung Legend of Hip-Hop Gets His Props” by Chris Williams, Ebony, November 2014.
- “Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ Is Critic-Proof, And That’s A Good Thing” by Rawiya Kameir, The FADER, March 2015.
- “Notes on the Hip-Hop Messiah” by Jay Caspian Kang, NYTimes Magazine, March 2015. ︎
- “What Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Kanye West Say About the Black Experience in America” by Judnick Mayard, Complex, March 2015. ︎
- “Who Got the Camera? N.W.A's Embrace of "Reality," 1988-1992” by Eric Harvey, Pitchfork, August 2015.
- “Follow the Leaders: The Story of How Hip-Hop Grows Old” by Thomas Golianopoulos, Grantland, July 2015. ︎
- “Da Art of Storytellin' (A Prequel)” by Kiese Laymon, Oxford American, November 2015.
- “The Roller Rink Origins of NWA” by Sam Sweet, NYTimes, August 2015.
- ”Nightclubbing: The Pac Jam, Home of Miami Bass” by Jesse Serwer, RBMA, October 2015.
- “The Boycott Before: Rap and Resentment at the 1989 Grammys” by Joe Coscarelli, NYTimes, February 2016.
- “Inside Atlanta's Booming Hip-Hop Dance Scene” by David Turner, MTV, March 2016.
- “Surviving The Last Days Of San Francisco Rap” by Ben Dandrige-Lemco, The FADER, June 2016.
- “Danny Brown's 'Atrocity Exhibition' and the Freedom to Be Depressed” by Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, October 2016. ︎
- “'Winter in America' Co-Producer Brian Jackson Reflects On Gil Scott-Heron, “The Bottle” & Creating A Classic" by Chris Williams, Okayplayer, 2017.
- “Heartthrob Never: On The Beauty Of Biggie Smalls” by Hanif Abdurraqib, MTV, March 2017. ︎
- “Nightclubbing: Uncle Jamm's Army” by RBMA, October 2017.
- “A Toast to Grandmaster Flash: Hip-hop Pioneer, Turntable Wizard and Superhero DJ” by Stereo Williams, Daily Beast, January 2018.
- “Slick Leo, the Godfather of DJ Culture in New Orleans” by Amos Barshad, RBMA, April 2018.
- “Have White People Stolen Rap Concerts, Too?” by Taylor Crumpton, PAPER, July 2018.
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"Notes on Trap" by Jesse McCarthy, n+1, Issue 32: Bad Faith, Fall 2018.
︎
- “The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, a DIY Hip-Hop Incubator” by Philip Mlynar, RBMA, November 2018.
- “Touchstones: An Appreciation of Missy Elliott's 1997 Album, “Supa Dupa Fly”” by Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, November 2018. ︎
- “Is Rap Finally Ready to Embrace Its Women?” by Briana Younger, The New Yorker, December 2018. ︎
- “Sylvia Robinson’s Legacy as ‘The Mother of Hip Hop’” by Stephanie Phillips, She Shreds, February 2019.
- “The Making of Run-DMC's Classic Debut, According to Darryl “DMC” McDaniels” by Chris Williams, Okayplayer, February 2019.
- “Is Hip Hop Ready To Let Black Women Tell Its Stories?” by Charne Graham, NYLON, June 2019.
- “It's Like That: The Makings of a Hip-Hop Writer” by Michael A. Gonzales, Longreads, June 2019.
- “The Afterlife of Aretha Franklin's “Rock Steady:” A Case Study in DJ Scholarship” by DJ Lynnée Denise, Journal of Black Studies and Research, July 2019.
- “'How Rapper Stormzy Is Championing Black British Culture” by Reni Eddo-Lodge, TIME, October 2019.
- “The Rise and Fall of Hip-Hop's First Godmother: Sugar Hill Records' Sylvia Robinson” by Dan Charnas, Billboard, October 2019.
- "We’re Losing Another Rap Generation Right Before Our Eyes" by Craig Jenkins, Vulture, December 2019.
- “Was This the Decade Hip-Hop Finally Moved Past Its Homophobia?” by Tirhakah Love, LEVEL, December 2019.
- “The Real Story Behind the Party That Birthed Hip-Hop” by DJ Kool Herc & Cindy Campbell, Rock the Bells, 2020.
- “What Happened the Day After DJ Kool Herc's First Hip-Hop Party?” by Alec Banks, Rock the Bells, 2020.
- “Heard But Not Seen: Hip-hop and Black music as the soundtrack to White spaces.” by Tre Johnson, Slate, January 2020. ︎
- “Why It’s a Big Deal for New York’s Brightest Young Rappers to Play a Hometown Show” by Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, February 2020.
- “Dallas Got Next: Why the Next Hip-Hop Mecca Never Got Its Due” by Taylor Crumpton, LEVEL, February 2020.
- “30 Years Ago, 'Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em' Changed Everything” by LEVEL Editors, LEVEL, February 2020.
- “How Megan Thee Stallion Turned ‘Hot’ Into a State of Mind” by Jenna Wortham, NYTimes, March 2020.
- “Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright' and Protest Music Right Now” by Craig Jenkins, Vulture, June 2020.
- “When Will There Be a LGBTQ Renaissance in Rap?” by J’na Jefferson, The Root, June 2020.
- “After Pop Smoke's death, can UK drill producers maintain their US success?” by Amos Barshad, The Guardian, July 2020.
- “The Women Who Still Don't Matter to Hip-Hop” by Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, July 2020.
- "Home of Hip-Hop: A History Walk with DJ Kool Herc & Cindy Campbell” by City Parks Foundation, August 2020.
- “Body Capital: How Twerking Shapes The Sound Of Southern Rap” by Zandria F. Robinson, NPR Music, August 2020.
- “What Do Black Women Need From Hip-Hop in 2020?” by David Dennis, Jr., LEVEL, September 2020.
- “The Co-Opting of Rap Criticism Is About More Than Just Music” by Kristin Corry, VICE, October 2020.
- “Inside the NYPD's War Against Drill Rap” By Andre Gee, VICE, October 2020.
- “Busta Rhymes on ELE2, Kendrick Lamar, and His Rap Legacy” by Craig Jenkins, Vulture, October 2020.
- “Hip-Hop Meets Tech: How The Chopstars Collective Keeps Houston's Chopped and Screwed Movement Alive” by Njera Perkins, Afro Tech, December 2020.
- The 1996 Rap Yearbook, a series by The Ringer. February 2021 - Present.
- “The Triumph and Tragedy of Tupac’s ‘All Eyez on Me’” by Justin Sayles.
- “In ‘The Score,’ the Fugees Made Refugees the Heroes of an Epic Tale” by Musa Okwonga.
- “How Busta Rhymes Harnessed the Dungeon Dragon on His Classic Debut” by Max Bell.
- “The Improbable Empire: Master P’s ‘Ice Cream Man’ and the Birth of a Southern Rap Dynasty” by Paul Thompson.
- “The Eternal Hymn of ‘Tha Crossroads’” by Justin Sayles.
- “Dr. Octagon and the Surgical Perverseness of Kool Keith” by Rob Harvilla.
- “Go Sell It on the Mountain: Jay-Z and the Myth of ‘Reasonable Doubt’” by Lex Pryor.
- “Rap & Death: Anywhere, Anytime, Anyplace, Bullets Are Flying at Rappers” by Yoh Philips, Passion of the Weiss, April 2021.
- “Hip Hop: No Country for Middle Aged MCs” by Nelson George, The Nelson George Mixtape, March 2021.
- “DMX, Shock G, & the Plight of the Middle-Aged Rapper” by Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, April 2021.
- “The Irreplaceable Black Rob, Bad Boy’s First Street Story” by Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, April 2021.
- “Isaiah Rashad, After the Fire” by Jeff Weiss, The FADER, May 2021.
- “Bizzy Banks Is at the Forefront of Brooklyn Drill’s Next Wave” by Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, May 2021.
- “The Female Rappers Taking Up New Space in the Dominican Republic” by Marjua Estevez, Condé Nast Traveler, May 2021.
- “DMX’s Final Interview Should Be a Wake-Up Call” by Nitish Pahwa, Slate, May 2021.
- “How Gucci Mane Rebuilt His Life — And Started Building the 'Walmart' of Record Labels” by Neena Rouhani, Billboard, May 2021.
- "How Drill Music Took Over Chicago—and Was Almost Forced Out" by Andre Gee, Complex, June 2021.
- “Little Simz has nothing left to prove “ by Gemma Samways, Loud and Quiet, June 2021.
- “Untangling MF DOOM’s Lifelong Struggle With the U.S. Immigration System” by Noah Yoo, Pitchfork, June 2021.
- “The History of City Girls' 'Twerkulator' and Twerking” by Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan, Vulture, July 2021.
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“Stop Blaming Rappers for a Problem America Created” by Andre Gee, Complex, July 2021.
- “No More Heroes are building the future of Chicago rap” by Jack Riedy, Chicago Reader, July 2021.
- “How 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill' Taught Me To Love Blackness” by Namwali Serpell, NPR Music, July 2021.
- “Looking for the Message in Nas’s ‘It Was Written’” by Paul Thompson, The Ringer, July 2021.
- “Mic Shane helped boost Chicago hip-hop onto a global stage” by Leor Galil, Chicago Reader, July 2021.
- “The Tao of Snoop Dogg” by David Gelles, The New York Times, July 2021.
- “The Girls and Gays Are Dominating Hip Hop, But Where Is the Respect?” by Ashley Reese, Jezebel, July 2021.
- “Vinyl Saved My Life: A Tribute to Biz Markie” by Pharoahe Monch, SPIN, July 2021.
- “The Last Underground Rapper” on Ka, by Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, August 2021.
- “Why Aren’t Women Getting More Guest Features on Rap Albums?” by Jessica McKinney, Complex, August 2021.
- “The 20 Essential Texas Rap Tracks – Texas Monthly” by Kiana Fitzgerald, Paula Mejia, Sama’an Ashrawi & More, Texas Monthly, August 2021.
- “How Chucky Thompson helped create the sound of '90s hip-hop” by Julian Kimble, The LA Times, August 2021.
- “How UGK’s ‘Ridin’ Dirty’ Went From Afterthought to a Crown Jewel of Southern Rap” by Max Bell, The Ringer, August 2021.
- “DaBaby & Hip-Hop’s Love-Hate Relationship With Homoeroticism” by Tirhakah Love, The Daily Beast, August 2021.
- “How Noname Is Reimagining Fame (and Everything Else)” by Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, August 2021.
- “How Kari Faux Is Changing the Rap Game” by Tirhakah Love, The Daily Beast, September 2021.
- “The message: why should hip-hop have to teach us anything?” by Kelefa Sanneh, The Guardian (Excerpted from Major Labels), October 2021.