Time is a precious commodity. It's hard enough to find an hour to do laundry, so having the extra time to read a book is straight laughable. But it's worth it.
Book recommendations often veer towards mundane self-help books or the latest fiction novel. This is not that list. These books will broaden your music history knowledge and keep you inspired. Whether you need something to pass time on the commute to work, are about to head out on a vacation, or have been promising that you're going to read a book for nine months now, these books are perfect for any music lover.
What follows is a short recap of each book, followed by online reviews from real people, so you don't have to just take our word for it that these books are worth reading. Enjoy.
The Autobiography of Gucci Mane
Places and Spaces I've Been
Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove
All You Need To Know About The Music Business
The Death of Rhythm & Blues
The Rap Yearbook
How Music Works
The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun
This Is Grime
Kill Your Friends: A Novel
Break Beats In The Bronx: Rediscovering Hip Hop's Early Years
How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop
A New America
The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop
Silence: Lectures & Writings
Decoded
Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists
Miles: The Autobiography
Author: Ann Powers
Author: Jessica Hopper
Author: Dan Charnas
Year Released: 2010
Earlier in 2017, Nielsen Music mid-year reports revealed that hip-hop has become the most popular genre of music in America, surpassing rock for the first time in history. Over the course of the past two decades, hip-hop has grown to become a dominant driving force behind the progression of American popular culture. Given the massive scope of the genre’s influence, it’s easy to forget that artists and executives once struggled to create space for hip-hop. The Big Payback, renowned hip-hop journalist and former record label executive Dan Charnas’ first book, documents its fascinating success story.
“Watching hip-hop go fully mainstream in the 2000s was surreal, considering the music business’ resistance to the genre in the 1980s and early 1990s,” Charnas explains over email. “I wanted to tell the story of that improbable victory, which happened only because of an unprecedented union between intrepid artists and dogged entrepreneurs. In the end, hip-hop did more to create equity and access for black artists than any previous musical movement.”
In order to tell the story of hip-hop’s development with as much attention to detail as possible, Charnas interviewed more than 300 music industry veterans who shaped the movement’s progression. His own involvement in hip-hop’s rise as right-hand-man to Rick Rubin gives him a unique perspective; he was present for many of the formative board meetings he describes throughout the book. The result is a comprehensive, incredibly well-researched account of hip-hop’s 40-year history told in vivid, cinematic detail. The Big Payback is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about hip-hop’s ever-changing infrastructure."
Author: Jenna Miles
Author: Philip Glass
Year Released:
Author: Wiley
Year Released:
Author: David Byrne
Author: Grace Jones
Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
Author: Jeff Chang
Author: TuPac Shakur
Year Released:
Author: Jordan Ferguson
Year Released: