Synopses & Reviews
From the school yards of the South Bronx to the tops of the Billboard charts, rap has emerged as one of the most influential musical and cultural forces of our time. In The Anthology of Rap, editors Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois explore rap as a literary form, demonstrating that rap is also a wide-reaching and vital poetic tradition born of beats and rhymes.
This pioneering anthology brings together more than three hundred rap and hip-hop lyrics written over thirty years, from the andldquo;old schoolandrdquo; to the andldquo;golden ageandrdquo; to the present day. Rather than aim for encyclopedic coverage, Bradley and DuBois render through examples the richness and diversity of rapandrsquo;s poetic tradition. They feature both classic lyrics that helped define the genre, including Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Fiveandrsquo;s andldquo;The Messageandrdquo; and Eric B. and Rakimandrsquo;s andldquo;Microphone Fiend,andrdquo;and#160;as well as lesser-known gems like Blackaliciousandrsquo;s andldquo;Alphabet Aerobicsandrdquo; and Jean Graeandrsquo;s andldquo;Haterandrsquo;s Anthem.andrdquo;
Both a fanandrsquo;s guide and a resource for the uninitiated, The Anthology of Rap showcases the inventiveness and vitality of rapandrsquo;s lyrical art. The volume also features an overview of rap poetics and the forces that shaped each period in rapandrsquo;s historical development, as well as a foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and afterwords by Chuck D and Common. Enter the Anthology to experience the full range of rapandrsquo;s artistry and discover a rich poetic tradition hiding in plain sight.
Review
and#8220;An essential contribution to our living literary tradition. . . . This groundbreaking anthology masterfully assembles part of a new vanguard of American poetry.and#8221;and#8212;from the Foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Review
"Every great literature deserves a great anthology. Rap finally has its own."and#8212;from the Afterword by Chuck D
Review
"What you hold in your hands is more than a book. This is a culture. This is hip-hop. . . . This book offers a view of rap in full, from the root to the fruit."and#8212;from the Afterword by Common
Review
and#8220;From the Sing Song cadence of the slave preachers to the emotional bravery of Tupac Shakur to the clarity of Queen Latifahand#8230;for all the hearts and heads and voices who have still to be heard: We Now Have an Encyclopedia. Good for us. Much needed. Much needed.and#8221;and#8212;Nikki Giovanni
Review
"
The Anthology of Rap is an instant classic. It brings together the lyric poetry of some of the greatest artists of our time.andnbsp;Hip Hop is here to stay and rap lives foreverand#8212;on the stage and now on the page!"and#8212;Cornel West
Review
"These Rappers' lyrics love. Cut. Curse. Fight. Teach. Play. Pray. Testify. They bring us the pace of sound. The swiftness of sound. The discordant way of looking at the world of sound. The Blackness of sound. The new bebopic beat of sound. These are word sorcerers who love language and hablar sin bastand#243;n (speak without a crutch)."and#8212;Sonia Sanchez
Review
"This monumental encyclopedia of rhymes is great for hip-hop newbies or longtime fans, lyric lovers and poetry devotees. It's an invaluable reference on hip-hop history spanning from Afrika Bambaataa to Kanye West."and#8212;Tourand#233;
Review
and#8220;Some readers of poetry still wonder where the rhymes went. One answer is they left the ends of the lines and went inside the poem. But rhyme also strongly re-emerges in rap. Whatever the stakes or the messages contained in this monumental volume, the like-sounds that used to be the engine of English poetry drive and power these energetic lyrics.and#8221;and#8212;Billy Collins
Review
"As ambitious and intelligent as anyone might want, and more enjoyable than anyone might think. . . . If you want to hear how the latter part of the twentieth century sounded, you can't do better than this book."and#8212;Kevin Young, Bookforum
Review
"Listen along on YouTube and it's a self-taught class on the genre's history."and#8212;New York Magazine
Review
"An English major's hip-hop bible, an impossible fusion of street cred and book learning. . . . Reading [it] was the most fun I've had with a book in many months."and#8212;Sam Anderson,
New York MagazineReview
"The Anthology of Rap reaffirms the enduring force of the written wordand#8212;or at least the immaculately constructed freestyle."and#8212;LA Weekly
Review
"The eye-opening essay by [Henry Louis] Gates. . . provides deep historical context for rap; it alone makes the book worth owning."and#8212;Slate
Review
"A great, necessary addition to the book collection of any contemporary music aficionado."and#8212;Creative Loafing
Review
"Reading The Anthology of Rap, which covers everything from Afrika Bambaataa to Young Jeezy, it's hard not to appreciate rap's astounding love of words, of the way they fit together and play off each other, and of how meaning can be layered upon meaning to get at a deeper truth. Which sounds an awful lot like poetry."and#8212;Joshua Ostroff,andnbsp;The Globe and Mail
Review
"[The Anthology of Rap] makes the case for the immediate and enduring relevance of [rap's] poetic tradition."and#8212;Barnes and Noble Review
Review
"[The] editors of
The Anthology of Rap supply a much needed injection of energy and enthusiasm into our analysis of hip-hop's lyricism."and#8212;Quentin B. Huff,
PopMatters
Review
"This landmark work chronicles an earth-shattering movement with deep roots."and#8212;The New York Times Book Review
Review
"An awesome compilation: 920 pages of some of the baddest, phattest, flyist tracks ever dropped."and#8212;Mother Jones
Review
"[The] anthology offers the good, the bad, and the offensive--and plenty of food for intelligent discussion."and#8212;Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
"This thrilling (but controversial) textual monument to a thrilling (but controversial) oral tradition wrestles the genres greatest lyricists out of the airwaves and into cold print."--Sam Anderson, New York Magazine, "The Year in Books" -- Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
"A complete encyclopedia of the history, personalities, beats, rhythm and rhymes of the musical genre from the old school of Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five to hip-hop and Kanye West."and#8212;Los Angeles Times
Review
"The authors have built a poignant collection of rhythm and rhyme. . . . For hard-core hip-hop heads, this book confirms what we have always known: that some of the most innovative writing hails from the imagination of the rapper."--Idris Goodwin,
The Boston Globe -- Los Angeles Times
Review
"What could have been an insufferable rap-snob collectible ended up being one of the first truly encyclopedic, essential anthologies on the form. . . . It's an Ivy League master class in the language of hip-hop. Register today."and#8212;Foster Kamer,
The Village Voice (Best Books of 2010)
Review
"An exquisite display of the artistic talent seen with rap music."--
Boston Music Spotlight -- Foster Kamer - The Village Voice
Review
"Intelligent and authentic. . . written for both the hip-hop head and the uninitiated."--James Johnson,
Philadelphia Inquirer -- Boston Music Spotlight
Review
"The Anthology of Rap is among the best books of its kind ever published."and#8212;Dan Chiasson, The New York Review of Books
Synopsis
From the school yards of the South Bronx to the tops of the "Billboard" charts, rap has emerged as one of the most influential cultural forces of our time. This pioneering anthology brings together more than 300 lyrics written over 30 years, from the "old school" to the present day.
About the Author
Adam Bradley is associate professor of English at the University of Colorado and the author of Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip-Hop and Ralph Ellison in Progress. He is also co-editor of Ralph Ellisonand#8217;s unfinished second novel, Three Days Before the Shooting.and#160;Andrew DuBois is associate professor of English at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the author of Ashberyand#8217;s Forms of Attention. He is also co-editor of Close Reading: The Reader.