The History of Hip Hop: Volume 2

By the early '80s, hip hop had a choice: stay a Bronx secret or take over the world. It chose the world. Volume 2 covers the decade hip hop got its record deals, its radio spins, its movie moments — and its first classics. Kurtis Blow kicked the door down. Run-DMC tore the wall down, literally, with Aerosmith. "The Message" put the streets on wax. Yo! MTV Raps beamed the culture into every living room in America.

INSIDE THIS VOLUME:

• The breakthrough: how Kurtis Blow, Run-DMC, and LL Cool J turned park jams into platinum

• The message gets real: Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, and N.W.A make hip hop the voice of the streets

• The crossover: the Beastie Boys, "Walk This Way," and Yo! MTV Raps put rap on every TV in America

• The full picture: breakdancing, graffiti, fashion, and film turn a sound into an entire culture

If Vol. 1 was the blueprint, this is the gold rush. One decade. One golden era. Zero skips.

Featured in The Source's National Reading Month roundup of top hip-hop history books.

THE COMPLETE SERIES:

Vol. 1 — Origins

Vol. 2 — The 80s Golden Era: you're here

Vol. 3 — Rhythms of Resistance: 90s Hip-Hop

Vol. 4 — Beats of the New Millennium

Vol. 5 — 2011–2020

Vol. 6 — Trap

Vol. 7 — Worldwide

Vol. 8 — The Quiz Book: prove you know all 50 years

The culture went gold. This is how.

Topics: hip hop, rap, music history, African American culture, urban culture, music biography, music education, cultural studies, hip hop culture, rap artists, music industry, Black history, music evolution, urban music, musical genres, hip hop origins, rap legends, music analysis, cultural movements, music reference, music appreciation, contemporary music history, musical influence, social commentary, music and society, entertainment history, performing arts

Readers of: Jeff Chang, Dan Charnas, Nelson George, Tricia Rose, Jay-Z, Questlove, Shea Serrano, Bakari Kitwana, S. Craig Watkins, Mark Anthony Neal, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Hanif Abdurraqib, Touré, Danyel Smith, Erica K. Blount, Michael Eric Dyson, Nikki D. Giovanni, Joan Morgan, Adam Bradley, Rakim, Chuck D, KRS-One, Kendrick Lamar, Ice-T, Russell Simmons, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Danyel Smith, Kathy Iandoli, Marcus Reeves, Brian Coleman, Vikki Tobak