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 Matters by 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.
