The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip Hop & the Poetry of a New Generation Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a high school English teacher and The Spoken Word Revolution has completely changed the way my students respond to poetry. Whenever I used to say we were going to look at a poem my students would groan. Now they come into the classroom reminding me that Friday is poetry day and cheering the poems we listen to and discuss. The selection of poetry is wonderfully diverse but the audio CD is the best part. Listening to these poets is electrifying and has really sucked in my students. Suddenly they are going to poetry slams and submitting to the literary magazine. Suddenly poetry is fun. I cannot say enough good things about this collection.

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Don't Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin': The Authorized Story of Public Enemy Review

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(More customer reviews)Whilst I was down town in my local bookshop, killing an hour or two until the cinema opened, I happened to come across this book whilst browsing the music section. Truth to told I was a big PE fan, and until listening to 'Rebel without a pause, I wasn't really down with hip hop. I had no real intention of getting this, but the more I read, the more hyped I was to spend some quality time reading more. I duly copped it, and the best part of two days (it would have been quicker, but little matters like the wife & kids got in the way) devouring it. .I really enjoyed this book. My highlights were the sections that covered their early years, pre PE, how the collective ended up on 'Strong' Island, the paths that led them to hooking up. I especially enjoyed the sections that covered their four great albums: Yo! Bum rush the show, it takes a nation............, Fear of a black planet, and Apocalypse '91. Controversy was never far from Public Enemy then, and it was great to get a insight from the protagonists themselves in their own words, what with the infamous Griff with the Washington Post/Village Voice, to frictions with Def jam, and within the group.
The only flaw for me upon finishing this book is the very reason that it's also a good read. Due to the fact that Russell Myrie had authorized access to the group, he is able to let them tell the story from their own recollection, as opposed to devising arguments to fit the scenario from his own reasoning. But, I think this also hampers his own view point concerning the group. For example, he try to sell the argument that time has proved that 'Muse Sick-n- Hour Mess Age is not as bad an album as some 'critics' would have you believe. Whilst I partly agree with that statement, to me, that album was the moment the group's creative juice fell off. It was also the moment the language, i.e. the swearing, increased, and continued to do so, on future releases, compared to what had gone before. Also a s my last purchase of any PE material was said' Muse Sick', and the chapters that followed, relating to events from 1994 to the present day, weren't as exciting to me as there Golden age, previously mentioned
That aside I really enjoyed this biography, and would recommend it to any/all PE fans

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Russell Myrie’s Don’t Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin’ is the first authorized biography of Public Enemy, the foremost hip-hop group of all time. With unprecedented access to the group, Myrie has conducted extensive interviews with Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Terminator X, Professor Griff, and the Shocklee Brothers, along with many others who form a part of Public Enemy’s legacy. Beginning with the group’s inception on Long Island and working up to the present day, Myrie writes with in-depth detail about the making of each seminal album, including It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and their multimillion selling album, Fear of a Black Planet. Myrie delves into the controversy sparked by Professor Griff’s alleged anti- Semitic remarks, the complexities of PE’s relationship with the Nation of Islam, the group’s huge crossover appeal with white and alternative music audiences in the early nineties, and finally the strange circumstances of Flavor Flav’s re-emergence on reality TV with shows such as The Surreal Life and Flavor of Love. A rare behind-the-music look at the group that fought the power, terrorized the music industry, and was crucial to the development of the hip-hop music phenomenon.

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The Vibe History of Hip Hop Review

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(More customer reviews)In this day and age, we are now witnessing an explosion of hip-hop in mainstream popular culture. Acts like Limp Bizkit, Korn and Kid Rock have all incorporated hip-hop into their music. Lately, hip-hop has been defined as 'the music of the youth'. This definition is devoid of color, making hip hop accessible to people of all races and cultures. The tricky aspect of this new 'universal' definition of hip hop is the possibility of the artform 'going the way of Rock and Roll' in that although it was pioneered by African-Americans, it may be 'stolen' by White artists the way Elvis and Pat Boone 'stole' Rock & Roll. There is sad evidence to this theory - Although TLC is the biggest selling female group of all time, they have yet to make the cover of Rolling Stone, yet Eminem made the cover after one hit song. There are countless other examples of this double standard that would take too much room to mention here. The history of hip hop is happening right now, but there's no better way to start paying attention by doing a little research, and VIBE's History of Hip Hop is the best place to begin.
This book is a masterpiece. Some break down hip hop into four elements: Graffitti, The Turntable, The MC and Breakdancing. I believe that while these are the cornerstones on which hip hop culture was built, this definition is too simplistic - and the VIBE history of Hip Hop does a wonderful job of bringing to life yet another form of Black music that has taken not only the United States, but the world by storm.
Broken down into many, many sections including "The Real Old School", "Pop Rap", "Ladies First" and "Hip Hop in the Movies", you can see first hand the amount of research and work that went into this book. Then, the book also focuses on hip hop icons like Run DMC, LL Cool J, Public Enemy and Salt-N-Pepa. Over 17 journalists contributed to this book and they are all well respected, talented writers in their own right. This book was edited by Alan Light, the original editor-in-chief of Vibe and current editor-in-chief of Spin magazine. It was published in the era of Danyel Smith while she was editor-in-chief, and now she's at Time Inc. Most of the writers in this book are youthful and hip, yet serious and ambitious. Authoritative is the best word to describe this document to hip hop.
But wait - there are the many, many pictures that say so much to support the knowledge that is recorded on each of the glossy 418 pages in this book. Even the last few pages that tell you about each and every one of the contributors is an entertaining read. It's also inspiring for those of us who also wish to be journalists (like myself).
So yes - if you want to learn about hip hop, or need a source to cite your knowledge of hip hop...this book is for you - by the editors of the best urban-oriented magazine since Ebony, Jet and Essence...Vibe is the magazine of our culture and our future.
You'll be picking this one up time and time again...

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A Time Before Crack Review

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(More customer reviews)If you were born between 1965 and 1975, this book will take you back to many forgotten memories. It is all at once an ode to fashion, an ode to attitude, and an ode to hip hop culture in its original form.
Pictured here are the days when the budding hip hop culture was special. Hip hop fashion and style had yet to escape the boundaries of the hood, and here we see ourselves in all our "fresh" glory.
The Puma sneakers with fat laces. The black goose "bomber" jackets. The sheep dog coats. The safari Kangol caps. And of course the Cazals...in every color. Its all here. This is a trip down memory lane that will surely make you smile.
Jamel Shabazz was at the right place at the right time with his camera to capture the essence of hip hop culture in its infancy. This is as much a nostalgic book as a historical document to a time long gone. It was a time when being cool didn't necessarily mean being "thug", it was just...cool.
Shabazz is an absolute master at capturing the raw grittiness of urban life while still showing the fun side. "A Time before Crack" is a necessary testiment to cultural evolution and is a must have for anyone that came of age in the hood in the late seventies and early eighties.

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"Deeply unpretentious and undistracted by the trendy new aesthetics or technologies, Mr. Shabazz is the best kind of photojournalist: one driven simply by curiosity about other human beings." (Ken Johnson, The New York Times)Once upon a time before crack, inner city communities were blighted by poverty and unemployment—but not by the drug wars that tore families apart, destroying lives with needless violence and mindless addiction. Once upon a time before crack, pride and style were as inseparable as a beatbox and mixtape, or as a pair of shoes and matching purse. Once upon a time before crack, Jamel Shabazz was on the scene, working the streets of New York City, capturing the faces and places of an era that have long since disappeared. Best known as hip hop's finest fashion photographer for his blockbuster best-selling monograph, Back in the Days (powerHouse Books, 2001), Shabazz revisited his archive and unearthed an extraordinary collection of never-before-published documentary photographs collected for his third powerHouse Books release, A Time Before Crack. A visual diary of the streets of New York City from the mid-seventies to the mid-eighties, Shabazz's distinctive photographs reveal the families, the poses, and the players who made this age extraordinary.

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Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the most accesible books around for anyone even remotely interested in poetry. If you've never been to an open mic or a slam, give this one a whirl...it'll make you want to go (and maybe even slip a poem in your pocket before you lock the door). If you've been to an open mic and wondered what else was out there that was like what you just saw, this book captures a great many of those elements for you.
Not just a book of poems, throughout the work are placed a great many essays written by long-time, well-known National slam poets (Taylor Mali, Danny Solis, etc.) about nearly every aspect of reading and performing one's work...a long-overdue codification of information for performing poets at ANY level.
Some of the poems contained within are national favorites, a few legend, but they ALL contain a lesson about performance poetry: that it starts on the page.
A MUST have for any poet who is (or is considering) performing their poetry before audiences in any capacity. A necessary bit of packing for any poet with national aspirations of slamming, touring or just reading.

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From their humble beginnings in dimly lit bars to the 1999 international convergence with poets from 48 cities, poetry slams - the "Olympics of poetry" - have become a cultural phenomenon. This vital anthology documents ten years of these unprecedented literary events. The book includes tips on how to win, details on how to plan a national tour, and 100 of the best slam-winning poems by contributors from throughout the U.S., including poetry slam founder Marc Smith , Lisa Martinovic, Justin Chin, and Patricia Smith. Bob Holman (producer, "The United States of Poetry") tells how to host a local poetry slam.

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Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture Review

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(More customer reviews)Whilst it is an ambitous and commendable idea to make a Hip Hop encyclopedia, new readers of the subject matter would be advised to find other books until this work has a second edition.
The problem is that it has much more information on Vanilla Ice than James Brown, nothing on Jazzy Jay, nothing on Rass Kass,and has nothing on Hip Hop outside the USA.
That said, it does go into detail on many well known and some obscure Hip Hop artists and subjects, which is useful for research purposes.
It bills itself as the first Hip Hop encyclopedia but is not substantially different from the Guiness guides, the Rap "Whoz Who", The All Music Guide to Hip Hop or Michael Small's "Break It Down", all of which have alphabetic entries on various artists like this book.
I can only hope that any future editions are more extensive in their entries.

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Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (33 1/3) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ideal for readers who are suckers for palm-sized books (like me), the 33 1/3 series is written for music addicts, by music addicts. The latest volume in this great series - 71st total, 5th amongst titles covering hip hop LPs - takes an all-encompassing look at Public Enemy's second (and best) album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Author Christopher R. Weingarten (Rolling Stone, Village Voice, Idolator, Spin ...) weaves a web of history-rich anecdotes and music trivia as convoluted as the sample-heavy sonics of the album itself. With flair, Weingarten wraps up all of the "noise" into a thoroughly researched, enthrallingly informative read.
Hip hop in the mid-to-late `80s wasn't the commercialized custerfluck it is today. Rap artists were battling for supremacy in an era when a DJ or music critic's opinion was the gospel, the end-all be-all to critical acclaim or absolute ostracization. Even after dropping their debut album on the biggest rap label on the planet, Public Enemy still wasn't turning heads like they'd expected. Critics panned them and DJs - most notably Mr. Magic, which Weingarten touches on - refused to play their records. It was at that point at which PE front man Chuck D, upon hearing Eric B. & Rakim's "I Know You Got Soul", knew he had to double up for the group's sophomore effort - or "turn it up", if you will.
Weingarten portrays the group's creative efforts and direction, fused by Chuck D's hard as nails steadfastness and the Shocklee brothers' unique sonic structuring, accompanied of course by Flavor Flav's spunk and the militant imagery of the S1Ws and Professor Griff. In describing the Bomb Squad's chaotic soundscapes - a stark contrast to Marley Marl's fine-pointed production - Weingarten cleverly compares these varied approaches to the dissimilarities between Stax and Motown (as well as Def Jam co-founders Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons). With a keen appreciation for the samples that made this album what it was, the author delves deep into the life and music of The Godfather - the late, great James Brown. Weingarten also covers oft-overlooked narratives of Bootsy Collins as a JB, Bobby Byrd as the original hype man, and Clyde Stubblefield, responsible for arguably the most sampled break of all time - "Funky Drummer".
Providing a great history lesson that branches out into the realms of funk and soul as much as it does to rap, Weingarten offers a commendable balance of both research and unique insight. For instance, he compares the bizarre occurrence of organ transplant recipients adopting the traits of their donors(!) to the art of sampling and the resurrection of old sounds - reanimating the past, taking on a new life. Similarly intriguing, the author dissects Chuck D's infamous line "bass, how low can you go" and its lyrical significance, being re-flipped nine tracks later on Nation's "Night of the Living Baseheads": Turning "bass" to "base", and giving "how low can you go" a whole new meaning.
Much like the untold number of samples fit tightly into It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Weingarten's contribution to the 33 1/3 series amasses a great wealth of musical history into an item you can fit in your pocket. Articulately and efficiently capturing the frenzied history (and pre-history) of Public Enemy's second LP into a mini-anthology of sorts, Christopher R. Weingarten has given us a reason once more to believe the hype about one of rap's greatest and most influential albums.
>> Originally posted on Hip Hop Is Read

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Christopher R. Weingarten provides a thrilling account of how the Bomb Squad produced such a singular-sounding record: engineering, sampling, scratching, constructing, deconstructing, reconstructing even occasionally stomping on vinyl that sounded too clean. Using production techniques that have never been duplicated, the Bomb Squad plundered and reconfigured their own compositions to make frenetic splatter collages; they played samples by hand together in a room like a rock band to create a not quite right tension; they hand-picked their samples from only the ugliest squawks and sirens.Weingarten treats the samples used on Nation Of Millions as molecules of a greater whole, slivers of music that retain their own secret histories and folk traditions. Can the essence of a hip-hop record be found in the motives, emotions and energies of the artists it samples? Is it likely that something an artist intended 20 years ago would re-emerge anew? This is a compelling and thoroughly researched investigation that tells the story of one of hip-hop's landmark albums.

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Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists Review

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(More customer reviews)this book is a wonderful blend of information and irreverant humor. you can find everything about rap under the sun--from the first hip hop record ever recorded to what rappers are related to what songs slick rick wishes he had written. there are also list from lauryn hill, slick rick, big boi (of oukast) and dj premier, just to name a few. if you think you know everything there is to know about rap, you don't. but you will after reading this book!

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Ego trip's Book of Rap Lists is more popular than racism! Blacks and whites all agree...

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Live Wire Review

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(More customer reviews)Live Wire is the fourth published book of poetry by Golden Style, written especially to raise awareness in a world where lies and distortions of the truth aren't merely spread person to person, but also publically broadcast on news media. Drawn from hard-learned lessons and the grim realities of current events, Live Wire appeals to voice, body and spirit, using simple rhyming schemes that lend themselves naturally to being read aloud. "Dried Ink": When the ink is still moist, / You have the option of a second choice. / Remember the days not long ago, / When you did things for the show. / You didn't comprehend, so your intellect, / Was put on pause, thus you couldn't grow. / Then you wrote words without thinking. / Now when people see you they see dirt, / You wrote words that left pain and hurt. / Now that the tears have been cried, / Just remember the ink has been dried.

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Live Wire is broken into five parts and is a well-seasoned book of poems skillfully blended with three important elements: life, humor and spirit. Some of the popular poems in this book are "Tax Break," "Bastard Seed," "Pimp Magic," "Time 4 Change," "Cocaine," and "Roach Part 2."

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Jam Master Jay : The Heart of Hip-Hop Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first got this book it was for my English class. We had to read the book every other day and then do a project on it. At first, I just grabed the book because I like hip hop and I knew who Run DMC was. The first day I was thinking, "Man I have to read for 15 mins!" So, i started reading and I could'nt put this book down. This book talks about his childhood to his death. There's so many intresting things in this book and it's not hard to read. If you want my advice, then pick up this book and never let it down.

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HE TOOK THE SOUND OF THE STREETS TO THE TOP OF THE CHARTS.... JAM MASTER JAY Before anyone heard of New Jack, Gangsta, East or West Coast, Jam Master Jay had already gained worldwide acclaim in the early days of rap. As one third of Run DMC, Jay worked the turntables into a funky, catchy sound that combined hard-rock riffs with slamming street rhythms, and ushered in a new era of popular music. Respected both as an artist and as a devoted family man, Jam Master Jay lived the American dream -- until one fateful night in October 2002, when a murderer's bullet stopped the music forever. Here is the true story of an urban cultural icon whose popularity crossed racial lines and introduced the world to a new sound that would soon grow into a creative movement unmatched in the history of American music. Featuring interviews with Jay's surviving Run DMC bandmates and friends at Def Jam Records and those who knew him when he was simply Jason Mizell from the neighborhood -- while also exploring the tragic act of violence that took his life -- this is a compelling chronicle of one man's journey from the hard knocks of life to the heights of fame and fortune, and the musical legacy he leaves behind.

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Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD's First "Hip-Hop Cop" Review

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(More customer reviews)Parker is a true character, and he and Diehl really make this book into a conversation between him and me (or you, when you read it). I appreciate the attention lavished on the old-school (Jay bookends the story) and the explanation of the continental divide that started in the 90s.
Parker really cares about the material -- both sides: the industry and the NYPD. Shocking (but in a good way) to hear such praise lavished on Bernie Karik.
Meantime, the pacing, the stories, the characters all make this a (sorry to use the cliche) page-turner. Can't wait until it's on the big or little screen (CSI: Adidas).
Two reasons I don't give it five stars: sad copy editing and underwhelming photos. Page-turners suffer when every page has at least one and often two no-excuse, let-me-read-that-again grammatical errors. And Parker, considering the interesting cops and music artists he's run with, ought to have a better array of photographs to complement the narrative. They'll fix this up for the second edition and get that fifth star.

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The Men Behind Def Jam: The Radical Rise of Russell Simmons And Rick Rubin (Omnibus Press) Review

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(More customer reviews)Alex Ogg did a superb job in his book on Russel Simmons and Rick Rubin, founders of the record label, "Def Jam". Ogg gave the men who launched the careers of Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, and other stars of hip hop their props. While I found it was an insightful read, I discovered that homorous touches and memorable moments abound throughout the book. Since I am an fan of the Beastie Boys, I enjoyed the early part of the book which dealt with the rap/rock phenomenon in the 1980's, although I was a bit dissapointed that Ogg didn't delve more deeply into how Rubin got to be friends and roomates with Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock of Beastie-Boy fame.) Nevertheless, Alex Ogg, a gifted writer, knows how to put together a good Def Jam history book, and without a doubt loves hip-hop very much.

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having introduced the world to LL Cool J, the BeastieBoys, Public Enemy, DMX, and Jay-Z, the label formed byhustler-incarnate Russell Simmons and A & R maverick Rick Rubin hasnow successfully marketed what was a ghetto phenomenon into the mostpervasive youth culture of the late 20th century. This book documentsthe growth of Def Jam from humble origins to its current status as thepre-eminent black music label of the 80's and 90's.

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