Books & Videos for the Hip-Hop Heads

  There was a time when my Hip-Hop snobbery was at an all-time high (I used to be WORSE? Sure was!).  I remember getting into debates about the culture with many a person; and woe to the victim who would mess up and forget the history. With my nostrils flaring and much bass in my voice, I'd scream, "Awww, how you NOT gon' know the HISTORY?!?" Well, we all know that payback is a mutha, so it was only a matter of time before I met my match by running into people who were THERE. I mean, from the very beginning. I got a bunch of cavities from all the humble pie I found myself eating.

  One sister was a co-worker I'd known for about a year who mentioned one day in the break room that she grew up in the Bronx. She recalled going to parties in the park and never expected to see the music spread throughout the world. Another was a brother who I met in church. He turned out to be an MC in a well-respected trio out of Long Island in the early 90's. To hear the stories from someone deep in the industry blew my mind. Since then, I've found that many in my circle of friends could realistically teach a "Hip-Hop 051" course. And I'd be in the back of the class.....struggling.

  So now that I've learned that one can never know too much, I figured it would be cool to share a few things that may help others avoid the humble pie addiction. Please feel free to add to this list; I could use the hook-up.

Wikipedia-"Style Wars"

  Style Wars was my first exposure to Hip-Hop culture beyond the music. Later I was BLESSED to get the DVD, which features a "Where are they now" follow-up to many of the artists from the documentary. *Check for clips of a young Crazy-Legs AND of CAP (definitely the inspiration for SPIT in Beat Street).*  "Style Wars" on Amazon.com

  Wikipedia-"Subway Art" 

Subway Art was devoted soley to Graffiti and features some hall of fame artists; Dondi being one of my favorites. With tons of great "pieces", my high school librarian came close to choking me for repeatedly checking this out. This is a must-have for any graffiti connoisseur. "Subway Art" on Amazon.com

The first time I saw Wild Style, I had no idea who the Cold Crush Brothers, Busy Bee, or Lee Quinones were.  Beat Street was more of a film, whereas Wild Style was more of a DOCUMENTARY to me. The raw footage of MCing, breaking, graffiti, and DJing jumps out at you. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame voted the film in its top ten list of rock & roll films.  Wild Style on Amazon.com.

Wikipedia-Beat Street

C'MON...Beat Street HAS to be on my list if only for the battle between Rock Steady Crew and the New York City Breakers. I can excuse the acting;  my man Ramon needed more classes ( But I was only 14 years old (lol) ). Still I appreciated the exposure that Hip-Hop was getting at the time. And NO, Breakin' ain't never finding it's way on my list. "Beat Street" on Amazon.com

And last but DEFINITELY not least.....

If you don't look for anything else on this list, this is the one to have in the bookcase. The title says it all, and from beginning to end, it's a great read. Each aspect of Hip-Hop culture is examined extensively. From Kool Herc and Bambaataa, to Phase 2, Grandmaster Caz and Crazy Legs, this book combines all the aspects of the previous entries into one book. If you have the $$ it's worth every penny. "HipHop: The Illustrated History" on Amazon.com

I'm sure I've left off a few others, but these were the things that gave me the big head back in the day. Once again, feel free to add to this list. It would be great to see the collective knowledge in one place!

PS- Check THIS out!:www.at149st.com