Hip-Hop Is History
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Recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York City, the audiobook features narration and storytelling by Questlove, who expertly weaves together a rich sonic tapestry of hip-hop tales large and small, well-known and obscure. From hearing âRapperâs Delightâ for the first time in 1979 to directing and producing the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop for the 2023 GRAMMYs, Questlove guides listeners through a musical journey brought to life by Questlove himself.
This program is read by the author.
"From the nature of sampling, lyrics, and how music made the jump from vinyl grooves and mixtapes to streaming, Questloveâs curiosity, intelligence, and natural ability to compel listeners are on full display." âAudioFile (Earphones Award Winner)
"Throughout, Questlove's resonant and impassioned voice serves as our noble guide. "âBooklist
"The opening introduction, in which Questlove describes the stress of putting together a special hip-hop performance for the Grammys had me on the edge of my seat with tension and delight."âThe Guardian
This is a book only Questlove could have written: a perceptive and personal reflection on the first half-century of hip-hop.
When hip-hop first emerged in the 1970s, it wasnât 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 Awardâwinning musician, an Academy Awardâwinning filmmaker, a New York Times bestselling author, a producer, an entrepreneur, a cofounder of one of hip-hopâs defining acts (the Roots), and the genreâs unofficial in-house historian.
In this landmark book, Hip-Hop Is History, Questlove skillfully traces the creative and cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting both the forgotten but influential gems and the undeniable chart-topping hitsâand 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 encyclopedic 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 Macmillan Audio production from AUWA Books.
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Questlove is a six-time Grammy Awardâwinning musician, Academy Awardâwinning filmmaker, drummer, DJ, producer, director, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, cofounder of the Roots, and the musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where the Roots serves as the house band. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Moâ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, Music Is History, and his first childrenâs book series, The Rhythm of Time, as well as the James Beard Awardânominated somethingtofoodabout, Mixtape Potluck, and the Grammy-nominated audiobooks Creative Quest and Music Is History. Questlove made his directorial debut with the Academy Awardâ, Grammy Awardâ, and BAFTA Awardâwinning documentary film Summer of Soul, which broke the record for the highest-selling documentary to come out of the Sundance Film Festival. Questlove is a cofounder of Two One Five Entertainment. He is the publisher of AUWA Books, an imprint of MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Ben Greenman is a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor who has written both fiction and nonfiction. His novels and short-story collections include The Slippage and Superbad. He has been Questlove's collaborator on a series of books, including Moâ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, and Music Is History, and he has written memoirs with Sly Stone, George Clinton, and Brian Wilson. His writing has appeared in numerous publications.
