A Tribe Called Quest Beastie Boys De La Soul Eric B. & Rakim The Fugees KRS-One Pete Rock & CL Smooth Public Enemy The Roots Run-DMC Wu-Tang Clan and twenty-five more hip-hop immortals

Its a sad fact: hip-hop album liners have always been reduced to a list of producer and sample credits, a publicity photo or two, and some hastily composed shout-outs. Thats a damn shame, because few outside the game know about the true creative forces behind influential masterpieces like PEs It Takes a Nation of Millions. . ., De Las 3 Feet High and Rising, and Wu-Tangs Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). A longtime scribe for the hip-hop nation, Brian Coleman fills this void, and delivers a thrilling, knockout oral history of the albums that define this dynamic and iconoclastic art form.

The format: One chapter, one artist, one album, blow-by-blow and track-by-track, delivered straight from the original sources. Performers, producers, DJs, and b-boysincluding Big Daddy Kane, Muggs and B-Real, Biz Markie, RZA, Ice-T, and Wyclefstep to the mic to talk about the influences, environment, equipment, samples, beats, beefs, and surprises that went into making each classic record. Studio craft and street smarts, sonic inspiration and skate ramps, triumph, tragedy, and take-out foodall played their part in creating these essential albums of the hip-hop canon.

Insightful, raucous, and addictive, transports you back to hip-hops golden age with the greatest artists of the 80s and 90s. This is the book that belongs on the stacks next to your wax.

Brian Colemans writing is a lot like the albums he covers: direct, uproarious, and more than six-fifths genius.

Jeff Chang, author of

All producers and hip-hop fans must read this book. It really shows how these albums were made and touches the music fiend in everyone.

DJ Evil Dee of Black Moon and Da Beatminerz

A rarity in mainstream publishing: a truly essential rap history.

Ronin Ro, author of