The Definitive List of Hip-Hop Books

1.
The Rose That Grew from Concrete
The Rose That Grew from Concrete 4.41 avg rating — 12,996 ratings
2.
Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva!
Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva! 4.10 avg rating — 403 ratings
3.
Decoded
Decoded
by: Jay-Z
3.86 avg rating — 8,614 ratings
4.
Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop
Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop 3.80 avg rating — 633 ratings
5.
For The Love: The Art of the Hip-Hop Video
For The Love: The Art of the Hip-Hop Video it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 6 ratings
6.
Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap
Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap 4.35 avg rating — 1,909 ratings
7.
It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post-Hip-Hop Generation
It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post-Hip-Hop Generation 4.05 avg rating — 375 ratings
8.
The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed
The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed 4.38 avg rating — 4,632 ratings
9.
Jay-Z: Made in America
Jay-Z: Made in America 3.70 avg rating — 1,880 ratings
10.
The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop
The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop 4.28 avg rating — 604 ratings
11.
Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler
Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler 3.77 avg rating — 292 ratings
12.
Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office
Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office 3.64 avg rating — 1,585 ratings
13.
Other People's Property: A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America
Other People's Property: A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America 3.55 avg rating — 71 ratings
14.
Got the Flow: The Hip-Hop Diary of a Young Rapper
Got the Flow: The Hip-Hop Diary of a Young Rapper 3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
15.
That's the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader
That's the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader 4.15 avg rating — 170 ratings
16.
The Anthology of Rap
The Anthology of Rap 4.19 avg rating — 262 ratings
16.
Tupac Shakur : Holler If You Hear Me
Tupac Shakur : Holler If You Hear Me 4.05 avg rating — 1,541 ratings
16.
Flyboy in the Buttermilk: Essays on Contemporary America
Flyboy in the Buttermilk: Essays on Contemporary America
by: Greg Tate
4.30 avg rating — 193 ratings
19.
Where You're At: Notes from the Frontline of a Hip-Hop Planet
Where You're At: Notes from the Frontline of a Hip-Hop Planet 3.66 avg rating — 133 ratings
20.
Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop
Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop 3.84 avg rating — 136 ratings
21.
The Life: The Lore and Folk Poetry of the Black Hustler
The Life: The Lore and Folk Poetry of the Black Hustler 4.37 avg rating — 57 ratings
22.
Donuts
Donuts 4.17 avg rating — 845 ratings
23.
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation 4.14 avg rating — 5,536 ratings
24.
Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists
Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists 4.41 avg rating — 785 ratings
25.
The 50th Law: Overcoming Adversity Through Fearlessness
The 50th Law: Overcoming Adversity Through Fearlessness
by: 50 Cent
4.17 avg rating — 13,673 ratings
26.
From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens
From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens
by: 50 Cent
3.95 avg rating — 1,361 ratings
27.
The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop--and Why It Matters
The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop--and Why It Matters 4.05 avg rating — 605 ratings
28.
Hip Hop America
Hip Hop America 3.84 avg rating — 678 ratings
29.
The Hip Hop Movement: From R&B and the Civil Rights Movement to Rap and the Hip Hop Generation
The Hip Hop Movement: From R&B and the Civil Rights Movement to Rap and the Hip Hop Generation 4.38 avg rating — 8 ratings
29.
Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America
Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America 4.10 avg rating — 831 ratings
31.
Hip Hop Culture
Hip Hop Culture 3.60 avg rating — 15 ratings
32.
Religion and Hip Hop
Religion and Hip Hop 4.22 avg rating — 9 ratings
33.
Hip Hop Africa: New African Music in a Globalizing World
Hip Hop Africa: New African Music in a Globalizing World 4.11 avg rating — 9 ratings
34.
Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm
Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm 3.77 avg rating — 401 ratings
34.
The Wu-Tang Manual
The Wu-Tang Manual
by: The RZA
4.06 avg rating — 1,454 ratings
34.
Trying to Get Over: African American Directors after Blaxploitation, 1977-1986
Trying to Get Over: African American Directors after Blaxploitation, 1977-1986 4.12 avg rating — 8 ratings
34.
Man's Search for Meaning
Man's Search for Meaning 4.37 avg rating — 832,534 ratings
34.
Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap
Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap 4.16 avg rating — 293 ratings
34.
The History of Hip Hop
The History of Hip Hop 3.43 avg rating — 30 ratings
34.
The Autobiography of Gucci Mane
The Autobiography of Gucci Mane 4.09 avg rating — 11,388 ratings
34.
The History of Hip Hop: Volume Two
The History of Hip Hop: Volume Two 3.43 avg rating — 30 ratings
34.
Chamber Music: Wu-Tang and America (in 36 Pieces)
Chamber Music: Wu-Tang and America (in 36 Pieces) 4.01 avg rating — 390 ratings
34.
Spirit of an Outlaw: The Untold Story of Tupac Amaru Shakur and Yaki "Kadafi" Fula
Spirit of an Outlaw: The Untold Story of Tupac Amaru Shakur and Yaki "Kadafi" Fula 4.71 avg rating — 28 ratings
34.
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hip-Hop History
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hip-Hop History 3.84 avg rating — 158 ratings
34.
Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva!
Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva! 4.10 avg rating — 403 ratings
34.
Hip Hop Family Tree, Vol. 1: 1970s-1981
Hip Hop Family Tree, Vol. 1: 1970s-1981
by: Ed Piskor
4.16 avg rating — 2,125 ratings
34.
The Baddest Bitch in the Room: A Memoir
The Baddest Bitch in the Room: A Memoir 3.99 avg rating — 920 ratings
34.
Ibn Battuta in Black Africa
Ibn Battuta in Black Africa 3.58 avg rating — 226 ratings
49.
The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy
The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy 3.88 avg rating — 513 ratings
49.
Flyboy 2: The Greg Tate Reader
Flyboy 2: The Greg Tate Reader
by: Greg Tate
4.28 avg rating — 71 ratings
49.
Diary of a Madman
Diary of a Madman 3.97 avg rating — 543 ratings
49.
The History of Hip Hop: Volume One
The History of Hip Hop: Volume One 3.43 avg rating — 30 ratings
49.
My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy
My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy 4.17 avg rating — 1,327 ratings
49.
Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies
Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies 4.26 avg rating — 641 ratings
49.
From Jubilee to Hip Hop: Readings in African American Music
From Jubilee to Hip Hop: Readings in African American Music 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings
49.
The Travels of Ibn Battutah
The Travels of Ibn Battutah 3.91 avg rating — 2,695 ratings
57.
Bomb the Suburbs: Graffiti, Race, Freight-Hopping and the Search for Hip Hop's Moral Center
Bomb the Suburbs: Graffiti, Race, Freight-Hopping and the Search for Hip Hop's Moral Center 3.89 avg rating — 1,200 ratings
57.
6 'N The Morning: West Coast Hip-Hop Music 1987-1992 & the Transformation of Mainstream Culture
6 'N The Morning: West Coast Hip-Hop Music 1987-1992 & the Transformation of Mainstream Culture
by: Daudi Abe
4.06 avg rating — 16 ratings
57.
Westsiders
Westsiders 3.87 avg rating — 100 ratings
57.
The Hip Hop & Obama Reader
The Hip Hop & Obama Reader 4.25 avg rating — 12 ratings
57.
Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius
Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius
by: Rakim
4.07 avg rating — 1,188 ratings
62.
Hip-Hop and Philosophy: Rhyme 2 Reason (Popular Culture and Philosophy, 16)
Hip-Hop and Philosophy: Rhyme 2 Reason (Popular Culture and Philosophy, 16) 3.70 avg rating — 64 ratings
62.
Everything But the Burden: What White People Are Taking from Black Culture
Everything But the Burden: What White People Are Taking from Black Culture
by: Greg Tate
3.92 avg rating — 164 ratings
62.
The Concise Guide to Hip-Hop Music: A Fresh Look at the Art of Hip-Hop, from Old-School Beats to Freestyle Rap
The Concise Guide to Hip-Hop Music: A Fresh Look at the Art of Hip-Hop, from Old-School Beats to Freestyle Rap 3.83 avg rating — 86 ratings
62.
Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm
Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm 4.55 avg rating — 4,358 ratings
66.
Darkest America: Black Minstrelsy from Slavery to Hip-Hop
Darkest America: Black Minstrelsy from Slavery to Hip-Hop 3.74 avg rating — 121 ratings
67.
How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC
How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC 3.99 avg rating — 776 ratings
67.
The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip-hop and the Globalisation of Black Popular Culture
The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip-hop and the Globalisation of Black Popular Culture 3.85 avg rating — 26 ratings
69.
Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic
Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic 3.83 avg rating — 319 ratings
69.
Bring The Noise: 20 Years of writing about Hip Rock and Hip-Hop
Bring The Noise: 20 Years of writing about Hip Rock and Hip-Hop 3.68 avg rating — 287 ratings
71.
The Cultural Impact of Kanye West
The Cultural Impact of Kanye West 4.11 avg rating — 82 ratings
71.
Country Fried Soul: Adventures in Dirty South Hip Hop
Country Fried Soul: Adventures in Dirty South Hip Hop 3.77 avg rating — 13 ratings
73.
Soul Thieves: The Appropriation and Misrepresentation of African American Popular Culture
Soul Thieves: The Appropriation and Misrepresentation of African American Popular Culture 4.10 avg rating — 10 ratings
74.
Check the Technique Volume 2: More Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies
Check the Technique Volume 2: More Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies 4.45 avg rating — 93 ratings
75.
And It Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years
And It Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years 4.03 avg rating — 110 ratings
76.
Adventures in the Counterculture: From Hip Hop to High Times
Adventures in the Counterculture: From Hip Hop to High Times really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
76.
Hip Hop as Performance and Ritual
Hip Hop as Performance and Ritual it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
78.
Hip hop : the illustrated history of break dancing, rap music, and graffiti
Hip hop : the illustrated history of break dancing, rap music, and graffiti 4.59 avg rating — 17 ratings
78.
Nuthin' but a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap
Nuthin' but a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap 3.74 avg rating — 39 ratings
80.
Rap Music and Street Consciousness
Rap Music and Street Consciousness 3.66 avg rating — 32 ratings
81.
Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement
Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement 3.70 avg rating — 198 ratings
82.
Hip Hop Reader, The, A Longman Topics Reader
Hip Hop Reader, The, A Longman Topics Reader 3.40 avg rating — 20 ratings
83.
Hip Hop in American Cinema
Hip Hop in American Cinema 3.10 avg rating — 10 ratings
84.
Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wankstas, Wiggers, Wannabes, and the New Reality of Race in America
Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wankstas, Wiggers, Wannabes, and the New Reality of Race in America 3.39 avg rating — 191 ratings
85.
Sonic Boom
Sonic Boom 3.54 avg rating — 48 ratings
86.
Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove
Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove 4.12 avg rating — 7,196 ratings
87.
Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop
Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop 3.84 avg rating — 293 ratings
88.
Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music
Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music
by: Greg Kot
3.75 avg rating — 750 ratings
89.
I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution 3.89 avg rating — 4,794 ratings
90.
The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution
The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution 3.75 avg rating — 284 ratings
91.
The Pirate's Dilemma: How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism
The Pirate's Dilemma: How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism 3.71 avg rating — 662 ratings
92.
Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who Are Bringing Down the Internet
Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who Are Bringing Down the Internet 3.69 avg rating — 1,108 ratings
93.
Close to the Edge: In Search of the Global Hip Hop Generation
Close to the Edge: In Search of the Global Hip Hop Generation 3.47 avg rating — 43 ratings
94.
Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy
Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy 3.84 avg rating — 1,527 ratings
95.
Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age
Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age 3.83 avg rating — 1,132 ratings
96.
Fight the Power: Rap, Race, and Reality
Fight the Power: Rap, Race, and Reality
by: Yusuf Jah
3.79 avg rating — 360 ratings
97.
All the Rave: The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning's Napster
All the Rave: The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning's Napster 3.71 avg rating — 255 ratings
98.
Yes Yes Y'all: The Experience Music Project Oral History Of Hip-hop's First Decade
Yes Yes Y'all: The Experience Music Project Oral History Of Hip-hop's First Decade 4.22 avg rating — 229 ratings
99.
The Vibe History of Hip Hop
The Vibe History of Hip Hop 3.99 avg rating — 168 ratings
100.
Peer-to-Peer : Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies
Peer-to-Peer : Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies
by: Andy Oram
3.26 avg rating — 38 ratings
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