The New Beats

This is an excellent book - read it! It provides a really comprehensive history of rap, along with sociological perspectives, predictions for future trends and striking photography. It's laid out a lot like an academic text so it's very easy to track down specific sections or references using the artist's name etc. It's a must-have!

THIS BOOK IS FULL OF OLD SCHOOL AND NEW SCHOOL HIP HOP HISTORY.

I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in the history of the culture and music surrounding rap music! A very thorough job. My only complaint was that its discussion of different genres of rap reflected a disposition towards Gangster rap on the part of the author. The gangster rap chapter was much longer than any of the others. More mellow and jazzy rappers, such as Tribe Called Quest, were barely mentioned. Still, it's chapters on the history and roots of rap dating back to precolonial Africa were very informative and helpful. A good book!