The Talented Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation by Jeff Chang
Snapshots of hip-hop from its authentic beginnings among those who made a movement out of the little they had, to hip-hop’s co-option by commercialism. Ends prophetically, calling for figures like Kendrick Lamar and J Cole years before they blew up.
Where You’re At: Notes From the Frontline of a Hip Hop Planet by Patrick Neate
Exceptional writer Neate sees how hip-hop has assimilated into cultures around the world. The first book on hip-hop I read that captures the feeling of being inside the scene.
The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop, and Why It Mattersby Tricia Rose
Legendary British rapper Ty (thanks bro!) put me onto this book about how hip-hop relates to the media, race relations amongst many other things. Complex and controversial, it looks for positive ways forward.
