[AlphaTrion]

We've all heard that Knowledge is the Fifth Element of hip-hop and a lot of people are willing to agree but not enough do shit to act on it. So here's what I consider to be essential books to read if you plan on really repping what you say and getting some knowledge.

Not all books have descriptions, I'll be adding more later.


History


Can't Stop, Won't Stop by Jeff Chang - The definitive hip-hop history. In my opinion, Jeff Chang is hands-down, the best writer in hip-hop journalism. in Can't Stop, Won't Stop he cuts through a lot of the mythology surrounding hip-hop's origins and gives a fairly clear and unbiased look at hip-hop's rise to the mainstream. He doesn't simply look at the people involved but he actually discusses the social conditions that first created hip-hop and influenced it to the current day. The book begins in 1960's Bronx and Jamaica and looks at the social conditions which would influence the culture's creators. Then traces it through the 70's in New York, the 80's in the mainstream, 90's and the "gangsta" hip-hop movement, the Five Percenter/Afro-Centric movements and ends at the beginning of the New Millenium as hip-hop has become the most influential cultural movement in the world.

Yes, Yes Ya'll by Jim Fricke and Charlie Ahearn - An excellent companion piece to "Can't Stop, Won't Stop." While Chang's work is more of one man's look at what happened, "Yes, Yes Ya'll" is a collection of direct quotes from hip-hop's early pioneers. The quotes are organized chronologically and run from the early 70's at Kool Herc's parties to around the 80's. Lots of knowledge to help go a little deeper into to what Chang discusses and get to hear directly from the people that were there.

Photography

Hip Hop Files: Photographs 1979-1984 by Martha Cooper

A Time Before Crack by Jamel Shabazz, Claude Grunitsky, James Koe Rodriguez, and Charlie Ahearn

Back In The Days by Jamel Shabazz, Fab 5 Freddy, and Ernie Paniccioli

Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop by Johan Kugelberg

Cypher (Hardcover) Orb (Contributor), Jeff Chang (Introduction), Charles Peterson (Photographer) - Haven't bought my copy yet but looked through it briefly recently...A collection of photographs from various b-boy battles. Peterson did an excellent job of capturing the emotion of what goes on among b-boys...the crew relationships, the energy of the cyphers, the injuries, etc.

Hip-hop Activism

Bomb the Suburbs By William "Upski" Wimsatt - In this book Chicago Graff Writer "Upski" discusses numerous ideas like white people in hip-hop (Upski's white by the way), hitchhiking in america, Youth Activism, Chicago, and the most important to him is Suburban Sprawl. Basically how he feels that the Suburbs and the mentality surrounding it is killing America by creating a nation ruled by fear and division. As people move into the Suburbs, the Cities die a slow death and the people in those cities suffer. Reading this book gives you a deeper idea of what it means to be a part of Hip-hop beyond just "killing it" in a cypher, on tables, or on a wall. And it makes you angry at how things are.

No More Prisons by William "Upski" Wimsatt - The sequel to "Bomb the Suburbs." In this book he talks about the Prison state that exists in America, getting involved in your local community and using hip-hop for that, philanthropy, and more about suburban sprawl and Urban Planning. If "Bomb the Suburbs" made you angry, "No More Prisons" gives you some ideas about what to do about it. Both of Upski's books are relatively cheap and a lot of the profits from sales go to help the very things he talks about in the books. There's really no excuse not to own them. Buy 3 or 4 copies, hand them out, and hopefully help change the world.

Hip-hop Culture

Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-hop by Jeff Chang - A collection of articles, essays, and roundtable discussions about numerous aspects of hip-hop that aren't talked about often like Hip-hop journalism and theater, hip-hop's influence on graphic design, film, dance and photography, homosexuality in hip-hop, and hip-hop activism. Also includes an interview with Doze, an RSC member who is a master at pretty much every element, an interview with Alien Ness discussing battling, and a history of hip-hop dance by Popmaster Fabel (RSC). An excellent book interested in seeing how far reaching hip-hop has become.

Where'd You Get Those by Bobbito Garcia - If you don't think fashion has anything to do with B-boying or hip-hop, you've got a lot to learn. The whole idea of looking fly in hip-hop is directly due to the b-boys. In this book Bobbito discusses the early history of sneakers in the culture and talks about some of the most important shoes. Not necessarily required, but still good.

Graffiti

The Art of Getting Over By Stephen Powers AKA Espo

Subway Art by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant

Dance

We B*Girls by Martha Cooper, Nika Kramer, and Rokafella

DJ'ing

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton

[niehc]

Thanks for the list, i will try to check them all.

Edit: Do you know a link where you can download this?
In my opinion, this deserves a sticky. This post has the same worth as
the other stickys.

[LX-treme]

lol you're supposed to buy them, or there's always this thing called the library where you can go to.

[niehc]

Originally Posted by LX-treme lol you're supposed to buy them, or there's always this thing called the library where you can go to.

American books about hip-hop in a belgian library? And i can't buy things online i have no creditcard. And my parents don't like the idea of buying things online.

[AlphaTrion]

I will sticky it eventually. i'm gonna give it a few days first. I've found things get read more if they're not stickied immediately.

[k1ng]

haha, my freshman year in high school i wrote an essay on the issue of the american prison industry with No More Prisons as my primary bibliographic reference.

before writing the paper, i told my teacher the author was nationally syndicated in his newspaper columns and that he wrote for the Chicago Tribune; she approved. however, after i turned it in and received it back, i got a note saying how the language was unacceptable---and with it, an F.

i didn't use any bad language in my paper but i guess to the sterile environment, we can't trust anyone with a bad mouth. unfortunately, i lost the word file long ago...i'd like to read what i wrote at age 14 on the prison industry, haha.

astounding to me as i now recall, that book was probably my first exposure to real hip hop. obviously, i didn't believe or accept everything i read but it definitely widened my generational view of america and it was interesting.

if you're like the majority of kids these days, you probably don't read often or at all. this book will get you to read. just read with a discerning mind and know that this book is somewhat dated.

[chris051991]

Originally Posted by k1ng before writing the paper, i told my teacher the author was nationally syndicated in his newspaper columns and that he wrote for the Chicago Tribune; she approved. however, after i turned it in and received it back, i got a note saying how the language was unacceptable---and with it, an F. i didn't use any bad language in my paper but i guess to the sterile environment, we can't trust anyone with a bad mouth. unfortunately, i lost the word file long ago...i'd like to read what i wrote at age 14 on the prison industry, haha. .

Damn, did you get to redo it?

And I'll be looking for those books!

[VicValSwift]

Definitely gonna give these a read.. yeah I agree with k1ng that most kids these days have the attention span of a fuckin fly.. so they hardly ever read and act like it's the cool thing to do, but I digress.

I'm a fucking bookworm and I'll be looking for these in the near future, major props for posting this and stickying it.

[manatarms]

Iceberg Slim - Trick Baby
get that

[fae]

Alpha, you already got me on this reading list, and i updated you on my progress last night! :]~

[FlimFlam]

I got 3 of those books
and wow.

[FlowWolf]

What the hell? I have to read? I don't even do that in school.

[bboygregb]

im defanitly gunna get a couple of these im mostly looking forward to reading boomb the suburbs and cant stop wont stop

[FlimFlam]

Originally Posted by bboygregb im defanitly gunna get a couple of these im mostly looking forward to reading boomb the suburbs and cant stop wont stop

Just a warning, but Can't Stop Won't Stop is really thick.
I tried checking out The Art of Getting Over but they wouldn't let me ):

[Mr. Flapps]

im sorry i have no idea wut u r talking about