Hip-Hop Is History
The New York Times bestseller
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Hip-Hop Is History
Narrated by:
Questlove
Buy Now for £15.99
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Narrated by:
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Questlove
About this listen
Time
'Hip Hip is not History, it's Our story. Brilliant book'
Craig Charles
'Hip-Hop Is History melds a detailed chronological retelling of the genre's story with occasionally hair-raising memoir '
Guardian
'Sharp and lyrical analyses of hip-hop's evolution with fascinating, up-close recollections of the genre's turning point... an exuberant account of a dynamic musical genre and the cultural climate in which it evolved
Publishers Weekly
When hip-hop first emerged in the 1970s, it wasn't expected to become the cultural force it is today. But for a young Black kid growing up in a musical family in Philadelphia, it was everything. He stayed up late to hear the newest songs on the radio. He saved his money to buy vinyl as soon as it landed. He even started to try to make his own songs. That kid was Questlove, and decades later, he is a six-time Grammy Award-winning musician, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a New York Times bestselling author, a producer, an entrepreneur, a cofounder of one of hip-hop's defining acts (the Roots), and the genre's unofficial in-house historian.
In this landmark book, Hip-Hop Is History, Questlove skilfully traces the creative and cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting both the forgotten but influential gems and the undeniable chart-topping hits-and weaves it all together with the stories no one else knows. It is at once an intimate, sharply observed story of a cultural revolution and a sweeping, grand theory of the evolution of the great artistic movement of our time. And Questlove, of course, approaches it with not only the encyclopaedic fluency and passion of an obsessive fan but also the expertise and originality of an innovative participant.
Hip-hop is history, and also his history.
'A must-read for music lovers, cultural history buffs, and hip-hop fans... Questlove's illuminating and insightful survey is as personal as it is expert'
Booklist
'A memorable, masterful history of the first 50 years of an indelible American art form'
Kirkus Reviews
The musician and Oscar-winning director traces the first 50 years of hip-hop... Questlove pairs the history of hip-hop with a personal reflection on how the genre shaped his identity during his childhood in Philadelphia
The Week©2024 Ahmir Khalib Thompson
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Critic reviews
Questlove radiates passion, knowledge, wit and profundity as he reflects on this ever-evolving art form
A must-read for old-school hip-hop heads and burgeoning fans alike
Hip Hop is not History, it's Our story. Brilliant book
Nobody knows more about hip-hop, and perhaps popular music in general, than Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson . . . a wonderful ride, coloured by personal digressions and crisp observations (DORIAN LYNSKEY)
Sharp insights . . . entertaining
Questlove interweaves sharp and lyrical analyses of hip-hop's evolution with fascinating, up-close recollections of the genre's turning point . . . It's an exuberant account of a dynamic musical genre and the cultural climate in which it evolved
A memorable, masterful history of the first 50 years of an indelible American art form . . . Questlove's observations spanning the entirety of hip-hop's history are consistently illuminating . . . [His] instincts as a superfan and artist take this history beyond the hype to something very special
Engaging and deeply knowledgeable
This is a must-read for music lovers, cultural history buffs, and hip-hop fans . . . Questlove's illuminating and insightful survey is as personal as it is expert
The musician and Oscar-winning director traces the first 50 years of hip-hop . . . Questlove pairs the history of hip-hop with a personal reflection on how the genre shaped his identity during his childhood in Philadelphia
Hugely readable . . . an encyclopaedic and idiosyncratic personal history of rap music now that it is more than 50 years old . . . [Questlove is] great at catching the sonic thrill and originality of the music. Nearly every page will have you jumping onto YouTube just to listen to the tunes he's talking about
With Questlove, his world is wrapped up in that history. So you get the story mixed with his personal experience. It's also beautifully written
[Questlove] is an affable and expert tour guide through the annals of hip-hop, as adept at spinning yarns as he is at spinning records
A trip worth taking. Questlove's embedded narration of the infamous 1995 Source Awards . . . shows the author at his storytelling best
[Questlove is] a major artist and a major fan. With co-author Ben Greenman, [he] covers fifty years of hip-hop
with insight, passion and the geeky love of a true believer . . . Not to be missed
with insight, passion and the geeky love of a true believer . . . Not to be missed
Like a window looking deep into the workings of a pretty special hip-hop mind . . . Entertaining and authoritative . . . [Questlove] uses his knowledge and experience to his advantage in every way, bringing unique and fresh perspectives. His well-honed instincts are spot-on . . . Immensely entertaining
Excellent narrativr
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Absolutely loved it. Great Book Questlove!
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Quest sounds like a great fella, and his enthusiasm for hip hop shines through.
Really honest and interesting thoughts on the earlier artists he grew up listening to and also his contemporaries in tbe business.
Great detail and insight
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