In this landmark book, Questlove traces the creative, cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting the forgotten influential gems and the chart-topping hits - and weaves it all together with the stories no one else knows.
For a young Black kid growing up in a musical family in 1970s Philadelphia, hip-hop 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 make his own songs. That kid was Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson.
Hip-Hop is History is at once an intimate, sharply observed story and a sweeping theory of the evolution of the greatest artistic movement of our time. Questlove approaches it with both the encyclopaedic fluency of an obsessive fan and the unique expertise of an innovative participant.
Hip-hop is history, and also his history.
'[Questlove is] a major artist and a major fan. With co-author Ben Greenman, [he] covers fifty years of hip-hop with insight, passion and the geeky love of a true believer . . . Not to be missed' *Parade*
'A memorable, masterful history of the first 50 years of an indelible American art form . . . Questlove's observations spanning the entirety of hip-hop's history are consistently illuminating . . . [His] instincts as a superfan and artist take this history beyond the hype to something very special' *Kirkus Reviews*
'Hip Hop is not History, it's Our story. Brilliant book' *Craig Charles*
