18 Best Rap & Hip Hop Books
Rap & Hip Hop is a popular category for many book lovers. Our team at Speechify has curated a list of the top Rap & Hip Hop audiobooks everyone must read.
See the top 18 Rap & Hip Hop audiobooks below.
-
Bad Fat Black Girl
- By: Sesali Bowen
- Narrator: Sesali Bowen
- Length: 6 hours 32 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: October 05, 2021
- Language: English
-
4.48(1041 ratings)
4.48(1041 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0011.99 USD“Sesali Bowen is poised to give Black feminism the rejuvenation it needs. Her trendsetting writing and commentary reaches across experiences and beyond respectability. I and so many Black girls still figuring out who they are in this world“Sesali Bowen is poised to give Black feminism the rejuvenation it needs. Her trendsetting writing and commentary reaches across experiences and beyond respectability. I and so many Black girls still figuring out who they are in this world will gain so much from whatever she has to say.”–Charlene A. Carruthers, activist and author of Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements
“Sesali perfectly vocalizes the inner dialogue, and daily mantras needed to be a Bad Bitch.”–Gabourey Sidibe, actor, director, and author of This is Just My Face: Try Not To Stare
“A powerful call for a more inclusive and ‘real’ feminism.”–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Bowen writes from an authentic space for Black women who are often left out of feminist conversations due to respectability politics, but who are just as deserving of the same voice and liberation.”–Booklist (starred review)
From funny and fearless entertainment journalist Sesali Bowen, Bad Fat Black Girl combines rule-breaking feminist theory, witty and insightful personal memoir, and cutting cultural analysis for an unforgettable, genre-defining debut.
Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Sesali Bowen learned early on how to hustle, stay on her toes, and champion other Black women and femmes as she navigated Blackness, queerness, fatness, friendship, poverty, sex work, and self-love.
Her love of trap music led her to the top of hip-hop journalism, profiling game-changing artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, and Janelle Monae. But despite all the beauty, complexity, and general badassery she saw, Bowen found none of that nuance represented in mainstream feminism. Thus, she coined Trap Feminism, a contemporary framework that interrogates where feminism meets today’s hip-hop.
Bad Fat Black Girl offers a new, inclusive feminism for the modern world. Weaving together searing personal essay and cultural commentary, Bowen interrogates sexism, fatphobia, and capitalism all within the context of race and hip-hop. In the process, she continues a Black feminist legacy of unmatched sheer determination and creative resilience.
Bad bitches: this one’s for you.
... Read more -
This Bright Future
- By: Bobby Hall
- Narrator: Bobby Hall
- Length: 10 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
-
4.43(1019 ratings)
4.43(1019 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.99 USDThe instant New York Times bestseller and “inspiring and vulnerable” (Trevor Noah) memoir from Bobby Hall, the multiplatinum recording artist known as Logic and the #1 bestselling author of Supermarket.This Bright Future is a raw andThe instant New York Times bestseller and “inspiring and vulnerable” (Trevor Noah) memoir from Bobby Hall, the multiplatinum recording artist known as Logic and the #1 bestselling author of Supermarket.
... Read more
This Bright Future is a raw and unfiltered journey into the life and mind of Bobby Hall, who emerged from the wreckage of a horrifically abusive childhood to become an era-defining artist of our tumultuous age.
A self-described orphan with parents, Bobby Hall began life as Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, the only child of an alcoholic, mentally ill mother on welfare and an absent, crack-addicted father. After enduring seventeen years of abuse and neglect, Bobby ran away from home and–with nothing more than a discarded laptop and a ninth-grade education–he found his voice in the world of hip-hop and a new home in a place he never expected: the untamed and uncharted wilderness of the social media age.
In the message boards and livestreams of this brave new world, Bobby became Logic, transforming a childhood of violence, anger, and trauma into music that spread a resilient message of peace, love, and positivity. His songs would touch the lives of millions, taking him to dizzying heights of success, where the wounds of his childhood and the perils of Internet fame would nearly be his undoing.
A landmark achievement in an already remarkable career, This Bright Future “is just like the author–fearless, funny, and full of heart” (Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One) and looks back on Bobby’s extraordinary life with lacerating humor and fearless honesty. Heart-wrenching yet ultimately uplifting, this book completes the incredible true story and transformation of a human being who, against all odds, refused to be broken. -
The Big Payback
- By: Dan Charnas
- Narrator: Dan Charnas
- Length: 26 hours 44 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: October 07, 2011
- Language: English
-
4.34(849 ratings)
4.34(849 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0034.99 USDAn original journalist for The Source, Dan Charnas built a celebrated career in the rap industry. In The Big Payback, he chronicles the rise of the hip-hop culture and shows how it became so powerful in a matter of decades. Charnas also profilesAn original journalist for The Source, Dan Charnas built a celebrated career in the rap industry. In The Big Payback, he chronicles the rise of the hip-hop culture and shows how it became so powerful in a matter of decades. Charnas also profiles many of the movers and shakers in this burgeoning cultural movement, offering unprecedented access to an industry that continues to shake the globe. “Nuanced treatment of the impresarios behind signature sounds and recording empires, and brisk, dramatic vignettes, give this history of a leaderless revolution impressive momentum.”-Publishers Weekly, starred review
... Read more -
I Am Restored
- By: Lecrae Moore
- Length: 4 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Publish date: October 13, 2020
- Language: English
-
4.23(1216 ratings)
4.23(1216 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0018.99 USDIncludes a bonus track featuring Lecrae’s song “Still”! When the challenges you’ve faced threaten to destroy your life, how do you find your way back to the truths you thought you believed? I Am Restored¬†tells the untoldIncludes a bonus track featuring Lecrae’s song “Still”!
When the challenges you’ve faced threaten to destroy your life, how do you find your way back to the truths you thought you believed?
I Am Restored¬†tells the untold story of how Lecrae’s past nearly ruined his future–until he learned that the wounds we carry can have the potential to be unlikely guides to healing and freedom for ourselves and others.¬†
Throughout I Am Restored, Lecrae documents the shattering yet hopeful story of how he faced the scars of his past–sexual abuse, physical trauma, addiction, and depression–and emerged more fully human than ever before. With remarkable transparency and vulnerability, Lecrae reveals that at the height of his professional success, his life was spinning out of control, driven by a past that he had never confronted and a religious perspective that was incapable of meeting the challenge.
I Am Restored takes an unflinching look at the personal and public spaces that are too often at the societal core of our pain and heartache–culture, politics, family, church, and more–and teaches us that forgiveness can be the birthplace of the life that God has created for us.
Throughout this powerful, deeply personal account, Lecrae shares the life lessons he’s learned about:
- Confronting the pain and trauma that has shaped your story
- Breaking the cycle of sin and shame and embracing joy and authenticity
- Finding hope and healing in the midst of chaos
- The simple practices that can change your mental, emotional, and spiritual health
- Leading a life that’s bursting with creativity and true freedom
I Am Restored¬†is a hopeful, inspiring charge to start your journey to lasting healing today. No matter what your past has held, God is near you, he hears you, and he’s not done writing your story.
... Read more -
Split Decision
- By: Ice-T
- Length: 8 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
-
4.22(407 ratings)
4.22(407 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDAward-winning actor, rapper, and producer Ice-T unveils a compelling memoir of his early life robbing jewelry stores until he found fame and fortune–while a handful of bad choices sent his former crime partner down an incredibly differentAward-winning actor, rapper, and producer Ice-T unveils a compelling memoir of his early life robbing jewelry stores until he found fame and fortune–while a handful of bad choices sent his former crime partner down an incredibly different path.
... Read more
Ice-T rose to fame in the late 1980s, earning acclaim for his music before going on to enthrall television audiences as Odafin “Fin” Tutuola in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But it could have gone much differently.
In this “poignant and powerful” (Library Journal, starred review) memoir, Ice-T and Spike, his former crime partner–collaborating with New York Times bestselling author Douglas Century–relate the shocking stories of their shared pasts, and how just a handful of decisions led to their incredibly different lives. Both grew up in violent, gang-controlled Los Angeles neighborhoods and worked together to orchestrate a series of jewelry heists.
But while Ice-T was discovered rapping in a club and got his first record deal, Spike was caught for a jewelry robbery and did three years in prison. As his music career began to take off, Ice made the decision to abandon the criminal life; Spike continued to plan increasingly ingenious and risky jewel heists. And in 1992, after one of Spike’s robberies ended tragically, he was sentenced to thirty-five years to life. While he sat behind bars, he watched his former partner rise to fame in music, movies, and television.
“Propulsive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), timely, and thoughtful, two men with two very different lives reveal how their paths might have very well been reversed if they made different choices. All it took was a split decision.
Featuring an exclusive conversation with Ice-T, Spike, and Douglas Century! -
From Staircase to Stage
- By: Raekwon
- Narrator: Landon Woodson
- Length: 11 hours 38 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
-
4.22(395 ratings)
4.22(395 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0023.99 USDFeaturing an exclusive interview with Raekwon the Chef and his son!Legendary wordsmith Raekwon the Chef opens up about his journey from the staircases of Park Hill in Staten Island to sold-out stadiums around the world with Wu-Tang Clan in thisFeaturing an exclusive interview with Raekwon the Chef and his son!
... Read more
Legendary wordsmith Raekwon the Chef opens up about his journey from the staircases of Park Hill in Staten Island to sold-out stadiums around the world with Wu-Tang Clan in this revealing memoir–perfect for fans of The Autobiography of Gucci Mane and Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter.
There are rappers who everyone loves and there are rappers who every rapper loves, and Corey Woods, a.k.a. Raekwon the Chef, is one of the few who is both. His versatile flow, natural storytelling, and evocative imagery have inspired legions of fans and a new generation of rappers. Raekwon is one of the founding members of Wu-Tang Clan, and his voice and cadence are synonymous with the sound that has made the group iconic since 1991.
Now, for the first time, Raekwon tells his whole story, from struggling through poverty in order to make ends meet to turning a hobby into a legacy. The Wu-Tang tale is dense, complex, and full of drama, and here nothing is off-limits: the group’s origins, secrets behind songs like “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Protect Ya Neck,” and what it took to be one of the first hip-hop groups to go from the underground to the mainstream. Raekwon also delves deep into the making of his meticulous solo albums–particularly the classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx–and talks about how spirituality and fatherhood continue to inspire his unstoppable creative process.
A celebration of perseverance and the power of music, From Staircase to Stage is a master storyteller’s lifelong journey to stay true to himself and his roots. -
The Autobiography of Gucci Mane
- By: Gucci Mane
- Narrator: Guy Lockard
- Length: 6 hours 29 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2017
- Language: English
-
4.1(7749 ratings)
4.1(7749 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDThe New York Times bestselling memoir from the legendary Gucci Mane spares no detail in this “cautionary tale that ends in triumph” (GQ). For the first time Gucci Mane tells his extraordinary story in his own words. It is “as wild,The New York Times bestselling memoir from the legendary Gucci Mane spares no detail in this “cautionary tale that ends in triumph” (GQ).
... Read more
For the first time Gucci Mane tells his extraordinary story in his own words. It is “as wild, unpredictable, and fascinating as the man himself” (Complex).
The platinum-selling recording artist began writing his remarkable autobiography in a federal maximum security prison. Released in 2016, he emerged radically transformed. He was sober, smiling, focused, and positive–a far cry from the Gucci Mane of years past.
A critically acclaimed classic, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane “provides incredible insight into one of the most influential rappers of the last decade, detailing a volatile and fascinating life…By the end, every reader will have a greater understanding of Gucci Mane, the man and the musician” (Pitchfork). -
War Child
- By: Emmanuel Jal
- Narrator: Ademola Adeyemo
- Length: 8 hours 59 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Publish date: February 03, 2009
- Language: English
-
4.09(1839 ratings)
4.09(1839 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDIn the mid-1980s, Emmanuel Jal was a seven year old Sudanese boy, living in a small village with his parents, aunts, uncles, and siblings. But as Sudan’s civil war moved closer–with the Islamic government seizing tribal lands for water,In the mid-1980s, Emmanuel Jal was a seven year old Sudanese boy, living in a small village with his parents, aunts, uncles, and siblings. But as Sudan’s civil war moved closer–with the Islamic government seizing tribal lands for water, oil, and other resources–Jal’s family moved again and again, seeking peace. Then, on one terrible day, Jal was separated from his mother, and later learned she had been killed; his father Simon rose to become a powerful commander in the Christian Sudanese Liberation Army, fighting for the freedom of Sudan. Soon, Jal was conscripted into that army, one of 10,000 child soldiers, and fought through two separate civil wars over nearly a decade.
But, remarkably, Jal survived, and his life began to change when he was adopted by a British aid worker. He began the journey that would lead him to change his name and to music: recording and releasing his own album, which produced the number one hip-hop single in Kenya, and from there went on to perform with Moby, Bono, Peter Gabriel, and other international music stars.
Shocking, inspiring, and finally hopeful, War Child is a memoir by a unique young man, who is determined to tell his story and in so doing bring peace to his homeland.
... Read more -
IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD
- By: Russ
- Length: 1 hours 25 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: November 12, 2019
- Language: English
-
4.09(2493 ratings)
4.09(2493 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.004.99 USDPerformed by Russ with his music featured throughout. Instant National Bestseller! Wall Street Journal bestseller; USA Today bestseller; Publishers Weekly bestseller; international bestseller. An inspirational book by self-made musical superstar,Performed by Russ with his music featured throughout.
Instant National Bestseller! Wall Street Journal bestseller; USA Today bestseller; Publishers Weekly bestseller; international bestseller.
An inspirational book by self-made musical superstar, Russ, reminding you that it starts with YOU, to believe in yourself, and to get out of your own way.
Twenty-seven-year-old rapper, songwriter, and producer Russ walks his own path, at his own pace. By doing so, he proved that he didn’t need a major label to surpass over a billion streams on Spotify/Apple Music, get on Forbes’ 2019 “30 Under 30,” make the Forbes‘ “30 Under 30 Cash Kings” at number 20 for most earned, sell out arenas across the U.S. and around the globe, and become one of the most popular and engaged rappers right now. His method was simple: love and believe in yourself absolutely and work hard no matter what. In this memoir, Russ inspires readers to walk to their individual rhythms and beat their biggest obstacles: themselves.
With chapters named after his most powerful and popular songs, IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD will reflect on the lessons he’s learned from his career, family, and relationships. He’ll push readers to bet on themselves, take those leaps of faith, and recognize struggles as opportunities. IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD will give readers an inside-look at the man and the motivation behind the music. A lover of books like The Alchemist and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Russ delivers a short, potent, inspirational, raw, and honest book that gives readers a way to find self-belief and unlock their potential. Fans already rely on Russ as an inspiration of confidence; now, he is taking it to the next level with this book, which will contain lyrics from his music and visuals that reflect his inimitable style.
... Read more -
Sweat the Technique
- By: Rakim
- Length: 6 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: September 24, 2019
- Language: English
-
4.06(769 ratings)
4.06(769 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0021.99 USDThe musician and Hip Hop legend–hailed as “the greatest MC of all time” and compared to Thelonious Monk–reimagines the writing handbook in this memoir and guide that incorporates the soulful genius, confidence, and creativityThe musician and Hip Hop legend–hailed as “the greatest MC of all time” and compared to Thelonious Monk–reimagines the writing handbook in this memoir and guide that incorporates the soulful genius, confidence, and creativity of a master artist.
When he exploded on the music scene, musical genius Rakim was hailed for his brilliant artistic style, adding layers, complexity, depth, musicality, and soul to rap. More than anyone, Rakim has changed the way MCs rhyme. Calm on the mic, his words combine in a frenzy of sound, using complicated patterns based on multisyllabic rhymes and internal rhythms. Rakim can tell a story about a down-on-his-luck man looking for a job and turn it into an epic tale and an unforgettable rhyme. He is not just a great songwriter–he’s a great modern writer.
Part memoir, part writing guide, Sweat the Technique offers insight into how Rakim thinks about words, music, writing, and rhyming as it teaches writers of all levels how to hone their craft. It is also a rare glimpse into Rakim’s private life, full of entertaining personal stories from his youth on Long Island growing up in a home and community filled with musicians to the clubs of New York and the studios of Los Angeles during his rise to the top of popular music. Rakim celebrates the influences that shaped his development, including the jazz music of John Coltrane and the spirituality of the streets, and shares anecdotes spotlighting personalities such as L. L. Cool J. and Dr. Dre, among others.
Filled with valuable lessons for every writer, Sweat the Technique reveals the heart and mind of an artist and his love for great storytelling, and always, the words.
... Read more -
Hurricanes
- By: Rick Ross
- Narrator: Guy Lockard
- Length: 5 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Harlequin Audio
- Publish date: September 03, 2019
- Language: English
-
4.03(1476 ratings)
4.03(1476 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0020.99 USD“A gripping journey.”–People The highly anticipated memoir from hip-hop icon Rick Ross chronicles his coming of age amid Miami’s crack epidemic, his star-studded controversies and his unstoppable rise to fame. Rick Ross is an“A gripping journey.”–People
The highly anticipated memoir from hip-hop icon Rick Ross chronicles his coming of age amid Miami’s crack epidemic, his star-studded controversies and his unstoppable rise to fame.
Rick Ross is an indomitable presence in the music industry, but few people know his full story. Now, for the first time, Ross offers a vivid, dramatic and unexpectedly candid account of his early childhood, his tumultuous adolescence and his dramatic ascendancy in the world of hip-hop.
Born William Leonard Roberts II, Ross grew up “across the bridge,” in a Miami at odds with the glitzy beaches, nightclubs and yachts of South Beach. In the aftermath of the 1980 race riots and the Mariel boatlift, Ross came of age at the height of the city’s crack epidemic, when home invasions and execution-style killings were commonplace. Still, in the midst of the chaos and danger that surrounded him, Ross flourished, first as a standout high school football player and then as a dope boy in Carol City’s notorious Matchbox housing projects. All the while he honed his musical talent, overcoming setback after setback until a song called “Hustlin'” changed his life forever.
From the making of “Hustlin'” to his first major label deal with Def Jam, to the controversy surrounding his past as a correctional officer and the numerous health scares, arrests and feuds he had to transcend along the way, Hurricanes is a revealing portrait of one of the biggest stars in the rap game, and an intimate look at the birth of an artist.
... Read more -
Changes
- By: Sheldon Pearce
- Narrator: Ashton Grooms
- Length: 7 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
-
4.01(370 ratings)
4.01(370 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDA New Yorker writer’s intimate, revealing account of Tupac Shakur’s life and legacy, timed to the fiftieth anniversary of his birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death.In the summer of 2020, Tupac Shakur’s singleA New Yorker writer’s intimate, revealing account of Tupac Shakur’s life and legacy, timed to the fiftieth anniversary of his birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death.
... Read more
In the summer of 2020, Tupac Shakur’s single “Changes” became an anthem for the worldwide protests against the murder of George Floyd. The song became so popular, in fact, it was vaulted back onto the iTunes charts more than twenty years after its release–making it clear that Tupac’s music and the way it addresses systemic racism, police brutality, mass incarceration, income inequality, and a failing education system is just as important now as it was back then.
In Changes, published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Tupac’s birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, Sheldon Pearce offers one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive accounts yet of the artist’s life and legacy. Pearce, an editor and writer at The New Yorker, interviews dozens who knew Tupac throughout various phases of his life. While there are plenty of bold-faced names, the book focuses on the individuals who are lesser known and offer fresh stories and rare insight. Among these are the actor who costarred with him in a Harlem production of A Raisin in the Sun when he was twelve years old, the high school drama teacher who recognized and nurtured his talent, the music industry veteran who helped him develop a nonprofit devoted to helping young artists, the Death Row Records executive who has never before spoken on the record, and dozens of others. Meticulously woven together by Pearce, their voices combine to portray Tupac in all his complexity and contradiction.
This remarkable book illustrates not only how he changed during his brief twenty-five years on this planet, but how he forever changed the world. -
Doctors of Rhythm
- By: Jake Brown
- Narrator: Jake Brown
- Length: 19 hours 56 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2017
- Language: English
-
4(1 ratings)
4(1 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.95 USDHIP HOP was born in the 1980s, exploded into the music mainstream in the 1990s, and by the Millennium, had become the biggest-selling genre in the record business. DOCTORS OF RHYTHM: Hip Hop’s Greatest Producers Speak! begins with rap’sHIP HOP was born in the 1980s, exploded into the music mainstream in the 1990s, and by the Millennium, had become the biggest-selling genre in the record business. DOCTORS OF RHYTHM: Hip Hop’s Greatest Producers Speak! begins with rap’s biggest early hits that helped prove Rap was here to stay were classics like Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing,” Doug E. Fresh’s “The Show,” Young M.C.’s “Bust a Move,” Kool Moe Dee’s “Go See the Doctor” and “How Ya Like Me Now?!”, Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Posse on Broadway,” Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” “Eric B. is President,” “Microphone Fiend,” “I Know You Got Soul,” “Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em,” “What’s On Your Mind,” and “Don’t Sweat the Technique,” Ice T’s “6 N the Mornin’,” “Colors,” and “Lethal Weapon,” and Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.”
Traveling every generation of Hip Hop, including the ’90s where the genre blew up into a mainstream commercial competitor on the success of radio smashes including the Fugees’ “Ready or Not” and “Killing Me Softly,” Mix-A-Lot’s signature #1 “Baby Got Back,” the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” “Intergalactic Planetary,” and “So Whatchya Want?” Tupac’s #1s “How Do You Want It?” “Smile” and “Hit ‘Em Up,” the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Party and Bullshit,” “Gimmie the Loot,” “Goin’ Back to Cali,” and “I Love the Dough,” Pras and O.D.B.’s “Ghetto Supastar,” Scarface’s “Never Seen a Man Cry” and “Now I Feel Ya,” Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time,” U.G.K.’s “Ridin’ Dirty,” The Geto Boys’ “Still” from the Office Space film soundtrack, and Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” among countless more; fans of any era can stream along online while reading about the very songs they’re listening to!
Millennials are taken inside the studio with their favorite ’00s Hip Hop stars for the stories behind the making of Eminem’s “Not Afraid,” “Lose Yourself,” “Without Me,” “The Monster,” “Cleaning Out My Closet,” Lil Wayne’s “Go D.J.,” “A Mili,” and “6 Ft, 7 Ft”, Drake’s “Forever,” “0 to 100,” “Controlla,” “Best I Ever Had,” “Over,” “Headlines,” “Energy,” “Summer Sixteen,” and “Miss Me,” Rihanna’s “Work,” Kanye West’s “Stronger” and “Real Friends,” Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” and “Did It On Em,” Young Jeezy’s “Standing Ovation” and “Put On for my City,” “T.I.’s “What’s Up, What’s Haapnin’,” and “Big Shit Poppin’ (Do It),” Gucci Mane’s “Lemonade,” Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” Ludacris’s “What’s Your Fantasy,” Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie” and “Pusha Love Girl,” and Jay Z’s “Holy Grail” among many more!
Along with discussing the stories behind the in-the-studio creation of their greatest hits, these producers–featuring Wyclef Jean, Boi-1da, Pete Rock, Mike Dean, Mannie Fresh, Easy Mo Bee, Eric B., Mario C., Jeff Bass, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Afrika Islam, Drumma Boy, J-ROC, Teddy Riley, N.O. Joe, Jon Conner, Frequency, Aaron Harmon, Bangladesh, and Jeff Bass–each interviewed in their own individual chapters also recount their personal stories, including how they discovered production, got their foot in the door, highlight collaborations in the studio with specific artists, and advice for younger generations of aspiring producers who grew up on their hits as they hone their own craft.
... Read more -
Cross the Tracks
- By: Boosie Badazz
- Narrator: Jaime Lincoln Smith
- Length: 4 hours 48 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
-
3.95(31 ratings)
3.95(31 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDFrom one of rap’s most evocative writers comes a stirring memoir and “masterpiece of a book” (Snoop Dogg) about how Boosie Badazz, one of the industry’s most controversial figures, was able to overcome insurmountable odds toFrom one of rap’s most evocative writers comes a stirring memoir and “masterpiece of a book” (Snoop Dogg) about how Boosie Badazz, one of the industry’s most controversial figures, was able to overcome insurmountable odds to make his music dreams a reality.
... Read more
A Baton Rouge native who began rapping at age fourteen, Boosie Badazz was already a cult hero in Louisiana when, in 2009, he was sentenced to two years in prison. The next year, he was indicted on even more serious charges, eventually landing him on Death Row. Prosecutors played Boosie’s music in the courtroom to paint him as a thug with no chance of redemption. However, against overwhelming odds and the backdrop of a social media campaign to #FreeBoosie, he was freed in March of 2014 with a rare second chance to make his music dreams come true.
With illuminating prose, this “truly great read” (DJ Vlad, CEO of VladTV) explores the relationship between Boosie’s life on the streets with his ceaseless tear through the rap industry. From near-death experiences to a ruthless bout with kidney cancer to a life-threatening diabetes diagnosis, Boosie has overcome remarkable challenges to make a name for himself as one of rap’s most influential voices. A redemptive story with an urgent voice, Cross the Tracks is the survival tale of a man who wasn’t sure he would live to see another day…but who rose from the ashes to change the rap industry forever. -
The Tanning of America
- By: Steve Stoute
- Narrator: Kerry Washington
- Length: 11 hours 59 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
-
3.89(386 ratings)
3.89(386 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDThe business marketing genius at the forefront of today’s entertainment marketing revolution helps corporate America get hip to today’s new consumer–the tan generation. When Fortune 500 companies need to reenergize or reinvent aThe business marketing genius at the forefront of today’s entertainment marketing revolution helps corporate America get hip to today’s new consumer–the tan generation.
When Fortune 500 companies need to reenergize or reinvent a lagging brand, they call Steve Stoute. In addition to marrying cultural icons with blue-chip marketers, Stoute has helped identify and activate a new generation of consumers. He traces how the “tanning” phenomenon raised a generation of black, Hispanic, white, and Asian consumers who have the same “mental complexion”–one based on shared experiences and values rather than the increasingly irrelevant demographic boxes that have been used to a fault by corporate America. But there is a language gap that must be bridged to engage the most powerful market force in the history of commerce.
The Tanning of America provides the needed translation guide. Drawing from his company’s case studies, as well as from extensive interviews with leading figures in multiple fields, Stoute presents an insider’s view of how the transcendent power of popular culture is helping reinvigorate and revitalize the American dream.
... Read more -
The Butterfly Effect
- By: Marcus J. Moore
- Narrator: Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 9 hours 9 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
-
3.89(471 ratings)
3.89(471 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDThis “smart, confident, and necessary” (Shea Serrano, New York Times bestselling author) first cultural biography of rap superstar and “master of storytelling” (The New Yorker) Kendrick Lamar explores his meteoric rise toThis “smart, confident, and necessary” (Shea Serrano, New York Times bestselling author) first cultural biography of rap superstar and “master of storytelling” (The New Yorker) Kendrick Lamar explores his meteoric rise to fame and his profound impact on a racially fraught America–perfect for fans of Zack O’Malley Greenburg’s Empire State of Mind.
... Read more
Kendrick Lamar is at the top of his game.
The thirteen-time Grammy Award-winning rapper is just in his early thirties, but he’s already won the Pulitzer Prize for Music, produced and curated the soundtrack of the megahit film Black Panther, and has been named one of Time‘s 100 Influential People. But what’s even more striking about the Compton-born lyricist and performer is how he’s established himself as a formidable adversary of oppression and force for change. Through his confessional poetics, his politically charged anthems, and his radical performances, Lamar has become a beacon of light for countless people.
Written by veteran journalist and music critic Marcus J. Moore, this is much more than the first biography of Kendrick Lamar. “It’s an analytical deep dive into the life of that good kid whose m.A.A.d city raised him, and how it sparked a fire within Kendrick Lamar to change history” (Kathy Iandoli, author of Baby Girl) for the better. -
Raw
- By: Lamont “U-God” Hawkins
- Narrator: Lamont "U-God" Hawkins
- Length: 8 hours 58 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Publish date: March 06, 2018
- Language: English
-
3.69(801 ratings)
3.69(801 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0026.99 USDA PERFECT COMPANION READ TO THE SHOWTIME DOCUMENTARY, WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN The explosive, never-before-told story behind the historic rise of the Wu-Tang Clan, as told by one of its founding members, Lamont “U-God”A PERFECT COMPANION READ TO THE SHOWTIME DOCUMENTARY, WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN
The explosive, never-before-told story behind the historic rise of the Wu-Tang Clan, as told by one of its founding members, Lamont “U-God” Hawkins.
“It’s time to write down not only my legacy, but the story of nine dirt-bomb street thugs who took our everyday life–scrappin’ and hustlin’ and tryin’ to survive in the urban jungle of New York City–and turned that into something bigger than we could possibly imagine, something that took us out of the projects for good, which was the only thing we all wanted in the first place.” –Lamont “U-God” Hawkins
The Wu-Tang Clan are considered hip-hop royalty. Remarkably, none of the founding members have told their story–until now. Here, for the first time, the quiet one speaks. Lamont “U-God” Hawkins was born in Brownsville, New York, in 1970. Raised by a single mother and forced to reckon with the hostile conditions of project life, U-God learned from an early age how to survive. And surviving in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s was no easy task–especially as a young black boy living in some of the city’s most ignored and destitute districts. But, along the way, he met and befriended those who would eventually form the Clan’s core: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and Masta Killa. Brought up by the streets, and bonding over their love of hip-hop, they sought to pursue the impossible: music as their ticket out of the ghetto.
U-God’s unforgettable first-person account of his journey, from the streets of Brooklyn to some of the biggest stages around the world, is not only thoroughly affecting, unfiltered, and explosive but also captures, in vivid detail, the making of one of the greatest acts in American music history.
*This program includes the song “Fire” (featuring Method Man & Jackpot Scotty Wotty) (DJ Green Lantern Remix) from U-God’s Bring Back God II mixtape, under non-exclusive license from Babygrande Records, Inc.*
... Read more -
Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah
- By: Kathy Iandoli
- Narrator: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 9 hours 9 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
-
3.68(296 ratings)
3.68(296 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDIn a definitive and “excellent homage to a star who left this planet too soon” (Questlove), the life, career, tragic death, and evolution of Aaliyah into a music legend are explored–now updated with new material featuring in-depthIn a definitive and “excellent homage to a star who left this planet too soon” (Questlove), the life, career, tragic death, and evolution of Aaliyah into a music legend are explored–now updated with new material featuring in-depth research and exclusive interviews.
... Read more
By twenty-two years old, Aaliyah had already accomplished a staggering amount: hit records, acclaimed acting roles, and fame that was just about to cross over into superstardom. Like her song, she was already “more than a woman” but her shocking death in a plane crash prevented her from fully growing into one.
Now, two decades later, the full story of Aaliyah’s life and cultural impact is finally and lovingly revealed. Baby Girl features never-before-told stories, including studio anecdotes, personal tales, and eyewitness accounts on the events leading up to her untimely passing. Her enduring influence on today’s artists–such as Rihanna, Drake, Normani, and many more–is also celebrated, providing Aaliyah’s discography a cultural critique that is long overdue.
“There’s no better way to pay your respect to R&B’s true angel than to lose yourself in the pages” (Kim Osorio, journalist and author of Straight from the Source) of this “dazzling biography” (Publishers Weekly) that is as unforgettable as its subject.
This book was written without the participation of Aaliyah’s family/estate.
Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.
Recent Blogs
-
July 06, 2023
Which books are available on Spotify?
-
July 06, 2023
Are audiobooks free on Spotify with membership?
-
June 25, 2023
Top Destinations for Free eBooks and Audiobooks Online
-
June 25, 2023
Best Alternative to Barnes & Noble Online
-
June 25, 2023
The Best Places to Buy eBooks: Beyond the Kindle Ecosystem
-
June 25, 2023
What are the best places to find free ebooks?
-
June 25, 2023
Best Independent Companies to Buy eBooks from
-
April 19, 2023
How many Game of Thrones books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
Where to buy cheap books: A comprehensive guide
-
April 19, 2023
How many Jack Reacher books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
How many FNAF books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
How many Warrior Cats books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
How many Wheel of Time books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
The best Vampire Survivors powerups in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read the Robert Galbraith books in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read the Artemis Fowl books in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read Craig Johnson’s books in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read Cassandra Clare’s books in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read Lee Child’s books in order
-
April 18, 2023
How to read the In Death book series in order
-
April 18, 2023
Best book quotes
-
April 18, 2023
A tale of two cities reviewed
-
April 18, 2023
All the President’s Men reviewed
-
April 18, 2023
Tintin reviewed
-
April 18, 2023
What are adult coloring books?
-
April 18, 2023
How to read the Percy Jackson books in order
-
April 11, 2023
How to find charities for the blind
-
April 11, 2023
What is the best Bible app
-
April 11, 2023
Where to find free audio Bible downloads
-
April 11, 2023
What is the best free Bible app
More in this series
- 29 Best Composers & Musicians, Music Books
- 17 Best Greece, History Books
- 29 Best Biblical Biography Books
- Books recommended by Devon Sawa
- 29 Best Religious, Religion Books
- 29 Best Comedy Books
- 14 Best Baseball & Softball Books
- 29 Best Reference Books
- 21 Best Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Books
- 29 Best Motivational & Inspirational Books
- 29 Best Social Psychology Books
- 26 Best Psychiatry Books
- 29 Best models.Chapter Books, Juvenile Fiction Books
- 29 Best Women, History Books
- 29 Best Social Activists Books
- 29 Best Elections Books
- 18 Best West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY) Books
- 29 Best Composers & Musicians Books
- 11 Best Russian & Former Soviet Union, Political Science Books
- 29 Best General, HUMOR Books
- 29 Best Celebrity & Popular Culture Books
- 29 Best Humorous Books
- 10 Best Genetics & Genomics Books
- 18 Best Etiquette, Travel Books
- 29 Best Dating Books
- 29 Best Literary Criticism Books
- 29 Best Civil Rights, Political Science Books
- 23 Best Naval Books
- 29 Best Personal Memoirs, Biography & Autobiography Books
- 11 Best Economic Policy, Business & Economics Books