American Hip-Hop: Rappers, DJs, and Hard Beats

by Nathan Sacks

Overview

A rapper spits rhymes into a microphone.

A DJ scratches a record back and forth against a turntable needle.

Fans' feet stomp along to a stiff beat.

These are the sounds of hip-hop.



Hip-hop music busted out of New York City in the 1970s. Many young African Americans found their voices after stepping up to the mic. In the decades afterward, rappers and DJs took over the airwaves and transformed American music. In the twenty-first century, hip-hop is a global sensation.



Learn what inspired hip-hop's earliest rappers to start rhyming over beats, as well as the stories behind hip-hop legends such as Run-D.M.C., 2Pac, Lauryn Hill, and Jay-Z. Follow the creativity and the rivalries that have fueled everything from party raps to songs about social struggles. And find out how you can add your own sounds to the mix!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761345008
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2012
Series:	American Music Milestones Series
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	IG1020L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 17 Years

About the Author

Nathan Sacks is a writer and journeyman scholar born and raised in Ames, IA. He graduated from Cornell College in 2009 with departmental honors in English and received his MA in English Literature from NYU in 2012. His areas of interest include literature, music, culture, politics and film. You can read his writings about music (along with contributions from fellow Lerner music author Aaron Mendelson) at the Rockaliser blog (http://rockaliser.blogspot.com). He also enjoys playing guitar, comic books and matching wits with his rebellious cat Uzi. His first book American Hip-Hop: Rappers, DJs and Hard Beats, is a contribution to Lerner's American Music Milestones series. He hopes to write many more books in the future, and dreams of one day adding novels, screenplays and albums to his repertoire of creative accomplishments.

Table of Contents

1 Busting Out of the Bronx 4

2 Old School to New School 14

3 The Golden Age of Hip-Hop 24

4 Bigger Business, Bigger Beefs 34

5 The MP₃ Revolution 46

Glossary 56

Timeline 57

Mini Bios 58

Hip-Hop Must-Haves 59

Major Awards 60

Source Notes 61

Selected Bibliography 61

Further Reading, Websites, and Films 62

Index 63

Editorial Reviews

"From bluegrass to blue-eyed soul and bubblegum pop to hip-hop, readers discover the exciting evolution of music in America. Origins, influences, controversies, and artists are presented in a writing style that is engaging and accessible. Revealing quotes by artists are highlighted. Musical terms such as 'melisma,' 'grunge,' and 'punk' are worked in seamlessly and defined in the texts as well as in the glossaries. 'Must Download' playlists (which include songs that span styles and decades) appear throughout each title, encouraging readers to listen to the best music in each genre. Every title is packed with color and black-and-white photographs, snazzy fonts, and vivid sidebars. The indexes are not thorough (e.g., Pearl Jam has its own page, but the band is not in the index), but the books are short and well organized enough that this, most likely, is not a problem. This informative set will be useful for reports and of high interest to reluctant readers." —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple

From the Publisher