What Is Hip-hop

(Hardback)

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Description

A playful, guided tour of one of the most revolutionary pop culture movements of the twentieth century: hip-hop. Beginning with block parties in the Bronx, What Is Hip-Hop brings the reader up to the present day, with rhyming verses and engaging 3-D clay illustrations. It's a fun, friendly, and informative read for B-boys and B-girls of all ages. In the follow-up to their acclaimed and beloved hit What Is Punk author Eric Morse and artist Anny Yi reunite to celebrate the music that changed their lives and the voices that achieved iconic status along the way.

Reviews

A must-read.
--Blackout Hip Hop

A joyous and sublimely illustrated hip-hop history lesson.
--The Village Green (Maplewood, New Jersey)

It's the art, clay-model dioramas, that really takes the narrative to an intriguing and original place; more than merely effective sculpted portraits, the illustrations position and light the artists in involving and evocative scenes.
--Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

They're all here! Every hip hop star from DJ Kool Herc to Nicki Minaj, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Told in rhyming poetry, Eric Morse reminds everyone of the history of this remarkable art form, and all of the offshoots, including break-dancing, graffiti, clothing, and DJs...The artwork is spectacular. Done in clay by Anny Yi, each hip hop star is so cleverly created that they are immediately recognizable.
--The Cyberlibrarian (blog)

This book is incredible for so many reasons. It celebrates hip-hop in a way that shows respect for the art and culture. It not only pays tribute to some of the pioneers of the art form, but it does so in a way that is quite entertaining to both young and old.
--Chase March's Silent Cacocophy (blog)

Author Bio

Eric Morse is a writer and father of four living outside of New York City. He was the founder and editor of Trampoline House online magazine, and a music industry marketing executive. When he's not listening to old hip-hop records, he's listening to new hip-hop MP3s. Eric is also the author of What Is Punk

Anny Yi is an artist from Los Angeles, California. She makes clay-art dioramas and stop-motion films inspired by fashion and music. Anny Yi is the illustrator of What Is Punk and What Is Hip-Hop

Nelson George (producer of this book) is an author, filmmaker, and life-long resident of Brooklyn, New York. His novels include The Accidental Hunter, The Plot Against Hip Hop, The Lost Treasures of R&B, and the forthcoming To Funk and Die in LA (all part of the D Hunter series). Among his many nonfiction works are The Death of Rhythm & Blues, Hip Hop America, and The Hippest Trip in America: Soul Train and the Evolution of Culture & Style. As a filmmaker he's directed the documentaries A Ballerina's Tale, starring Misty Copeland, Brooklyn Boheme for Revolt, The Announcement for ESPN, and Finding the Funk for VH1, and serves as supervising producer for Baz Luhrmann's Netflix series The Get Down.