The History of Hip Hop: Volume 3

The '80s made hip hop a star. The '90s made it the biggest culture on the planet — and its most dangerous. Volume 3 covers the decade of classics and conflicts: The Chronic and Illmatic. Enter the Wu-Tang. Death Row vs. Bad Boy. Coast against coast, until the culture lost two of its greatest voices. But the '90s were bigger than the beef — jazz-soaked Native Tongues creativity, Queen Latifah's royal voice, Boyz n the Hood on the big screen, hip hop and R&B fusing into the sound of a generation.

INSIDE THIS VOLUME:

• The classics: Illmatic, The Chronic, Ready to Die, Enter the Wu-Tang — the albums that defined a decade

• The rivalry: Death Row vs. Bad Boy, East vs. West — how the feud built legends and cost the culture dearly

• The other '90s: A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and the Native Tongues prove consciousness could move units too

• The takeover: Yo! MTV Raps, Boyz n the Hood, and the mogul era turn rap into a billion-dollar business

Golden age talent. Platinum plaques. A rivalry nobody won. This is the '90s — uncut.

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

Vol. 3 — Rhythms of Resistance: you're here

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 decade hip hop took the crown.

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