Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists is more popular than racism! Hip hop is huge, and it's time someone wrote it all down. And got it all right. With over 25 aggregate years of interviews, and virtually every hip hop single, remix and album ever recorded at their disposal, the highly respected Ego Trip staff are the ones to do it. The Book of Rap Lists runs the gamut of hip hop information. This is an exhaustive, indispensable and completely irreverent bible of true hip hip knowledge.

From the school yards of the South Bronx to the tops of the "Billboard" charts, rap has emerged as one of the most influential cultural forces of our time. This pioneering anthology brings together more than 300 lyrics written over 30 years, from the "old school" to the present day.

Did you know that rap began in the United States in the 1970s? The way a rapper talks with the beat is called flow. Discover these and other fascinating facts in Rap, an I Love Music book.

The Houston, Texas, neighborhoods of Fifth Ward, Third Ward and South Park have grown to be hallowed ground for modern rap culture, populated with celebrities, entrepreneurs, support networks and a micro-economy of their own. Photographer Peter Beste (photographer of True Norwegian Black Metal) and writer Lance Scott Walker spent nine years documenting the most influential style in twenty-first-century hip hop and the vibrant inner city culture from which it stems. Houston Rap, edited by Johan Kugelberg, profiles noted artists such as Bun B of UGK, Z-Ro, Big Mike, K-Rino, Willie D of the Geto Boys, Lil’ Troy and Paul Wall, alongside reflections on the lives of departed legends such as DJ Screw, Pimp C and Big Hawk. The book also features community leaders, rappers, producers, businessmen and family members, all providing an astonishing and important insight into a great American cultural narrative. In addition to featuring Beste’s previously unseen images of the contemporary Houston rap scene, Houston Rapincludes a detailed timeline charting the growth of rap music in Houston from its origins to the present.

"From mansions to trap houses, office buildings to strip clubs, Atlanta is defined by its rap music. But this flashy and fast-paced world is rarely seen below surface-level as a collection not of superheroes and villains, cartoons and caricatures, but of flawed and inspired individuals all trying to get a piece of what everyone else seems to have. In artistic, commercial, and human terms, Atlanta rap represents the most consequential musical ecosystem of this century so far. Rap Capital tells the dramatic stories of the people who make it tick, and the city that made them that way."--

"A complete guide to the art and craft of the MC, anyone who's serious about becoming a rapper should read this first."--Hip Hop Connection magazine "A clever breakdown of the art form of hip-hop rhymes ... It's about time someone actually recognized this powerful music for its artistic integrity." -Speech, Arrested Development Examining the dynamics of hip-hop from every region and in every form-mainstream and underground, current and classic-this compelling how-to discusses everything from content and flow to rhythm and delivery. Compiled from the most extensive research on rapping to date, this first-of-its-kind guide delivers countless candid and exclusive insights from more than 100 of the most critically acclaimed artists in hip-hop-including Clipse, Cypress Hill, Nelly, Public Enemy, Remy Ma, Schoolly D, A Tribe Called Quest, and will.i.am-revealing the stories behind their art and preserving the genre's history through the words of the legends themselves. Beginners and pros alike will benefit from the wealth of rapping lore and insight in this remarkable collection."--