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Hip hop jest historią
Niezwykła opowieść o narodzinach i ewolucji jednego z najpopularniejszych gatunków muzyki opowiedziana przez Questlove’a – kultową postać świata hip hopu, współzałożyciela zespołu The Roots, szcześciokrotnego zdobywcę nagrody Grammy.
Hip hop jest historią to fascynująca opowieść, która przedstawia historię rapu, ukazując jego wpływ na kulturę i społeczeństwo na przestrzeni dekad. Questlove, producent muzyczny i wszechstronny twórca – opisuje narodziny gatunku w biednych dzielnicach Nowego Jorku lat 70., przełomowe momenty oraz ikoniczne postacie. Analizuje twórcze i kulturowe siły, które przyczyniły się do narodzin hip hopu oraz wpłynęły na jego kształt. To także głęboko osobisty obraz rewolucji kulturalnej i bardzo szeroka, rozległa teoria ewolucji niezwykłego ruchu artystycznego naszych czasów. Lektura obowiązkowa dla każdego, kto chce zrozumieć, jak muzyka może zmieniać świat i kształtować tożsamość pokoleń.
Hip hop jest historią to fascynująca opowieść, która przedstawia historię rapu, ukazując jego wpływ na kulturę i społeczeństwo na przestrzeni dekad. Questlove, producent muzyczny i wszechstronny twórca – opisuje narodziny gatunku w biednych dzielnicach Nowego Jorku lat 70., przełomowe momenty oraz ikoniczne postacie. Analizuje twórcze i kulturowe siły, które przyczyniły się do narodzin hip hopu oraz wpłynęły na jego kształt. To także głęboko osobisty obraz rewolucji kulturalnej i bardzo szeroka, rozległa teoria ewolucji niezwykłego ruchu artystycznego naszych czasów. Lektura obowiązkowa dla każdego, kto chce zrozumieć, jak muzyka może zmieniać świat i kształtować tożsamość pokoleń.
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2024
412 people are currently reading
14397 people want to read
About the author
Questlove
20 books122 followersAhmir K. Thompson (b. 1971), known professionally as Questlove, is an American musician, drummer, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought) for the hip hop band the Roots. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews
November 5, 2024
“Questlove traces the creative and cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting both the forgotten but influential gems and the undeniable chart-topping hits-and weaves it all together with the stories no one else knows. It is at once an intimate, sharply observed story and a sweeping theory of the evolution of the great artistic movement of our time. Questlove approaches it with both the encyclopedic fluency of an obsessive fan and the unique expertise of an innovative participant.”
Hip-Hop Is History is a detailed reflection of the first 50 years of this genre of music. I enjoyed the later chapters more, which isn’t surprising — They’re focused on more recent years, the eras of music I’m most familiar with and have enjoyed listening to.
I listened to this audiobook and Questlove did a good job narrating, with sound effects and a little music throughout.
Hip-Hop Is History is a detailed reflection of the first 50 years of this genre of music. I enjoyed the later chapters more, which isn’t surprising — They’re focused on more recent years, the eras of music I’m most familiar with and have enjoyed listening to.
I listened to this audiobook and Questlove did a good job narrating, with sound effects and a little music throughout.
June 25, 2024
Questlove is a far better musician than writer. This is more a rambling stream of consciousness than a book. His knowledge is certainly encyclopedic (if severely lacking in female artists, especially in his most listened to index) but the digressions and on and on paragraphs all start to blend together making this hard to get through. The indexes and his ending (he writes a chapter from the future!) are the most interesting things about this book. I had been wanting to read his previous book "Music is History", but think I will skip it now.
July 12, 2024
So interesting! Highly recommend the audio as Questlove reads it himself.
June 26, 2024
breakbeats are evidence of how we were once broken, and i want nothing more than to bring about a healing.questlove (née ?uestlove) — phily-born drummer, dj, producer, filmmaker, author, publisher, polymath, curator, music encyclopedia, founding member of the legendary roots crew, and ambassadorial hip-hop figure — is not only an elder statesman of rap (do you want more?!!!??! turns 30 next year!), but also a sage, self-reflective chronicler of the art form's past and present. his latest outing, hip-hop is history, "celebrate[s] the hip-hop genre in all its diversity and vision, not to mention all its flummery and flaws."
quest's new book is a chronological account (in chapters covering five-year segments) of the most notable emcees, djs, producers, records, tracks, moments, innovations, beefs, and ongoing legacy of hip-hop's first half-century. published following the genre's 50th anniversary in 2023, hip-hop is history celebrates, elucidates, and excavates. it de-mythologizes, it honors, it reconsiders. it venerates and it scrutinizes. most of all, it finds questlove offering a tour of hip-hop in a personal (and personable) style, with his own fervor, bias, perspective, and tastes amply displayed and argued.
hip-hop is history (written with ben greenman, as with quest's memoir, mo' meta blues [greenman is also the author of dig if you will the picture: funk, sex, god and genius in the music of prince, with foreword by questlove]) is for the casual and hardcore fan alike. whereas jeff chang's seminal can't stop, won't stop offers a comprehensive account set within its proper sociopolitical context, hip-hop is history traces the same massive arc, but does so in a more intimate, personal way. questlove holding court on nearly any subject is worth undivided attention, but when he serves as rap docent, there's not a better guide in all the game.
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August 21, 2024
As someone who knows nothing about hip-hop, this was a great intro!
June 29, 2024
In honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Hip Hop is History takes us on a journey through milestone artists, producers, albums, songs, style developments, and events over time that have made the genre what it is today. Interwoven with this are stories from the life of Questlove, lover of hip-hop and history-maker in his own right, that give us unique insight into his perspectives on music and how the industry works. Along the way, this book looks at important issues like black pain, toxic ego, and the dangers of an industry that is often steeped in violence and drug use. Finally, it closes with musings about what the next 50 years of hip-hop might look like. While this book is special for its encyclopedic knowledge of hip-hop, as well its passion for the genre’s music and people, this piece’s strength and clarity are undermined by major issues with the quality of the writing itself, especially in the first half.
I’ll begin with some things that worked well for me. First, this book drips with both Questlove’s knowledge and passion. It is carefully researched and provides a wealth of information about MCs, DJs, and producers; albums and individual songs; and trends in the development of the genre, among other things. And that knowledge is lent impact by how much Questlove’s love for the genre and the people who have and continue to make it comes through. A stand-out moment is when we learn about how much the music of Public Enemy impacted him when he was young, another is in the introduction, when we learn about how invested he was in creating a 50-year-anniversary Grammy performance that did the history of the genre justice.
The moments of memoir are also engaging and easy to get invested in. In particular, my favorite moments in the entire book are those in which we get to watch Questlove’s opinions about hip-hop (as well as his overall perspectives on life) evolve when he encounters new music and people. For example, it was fascinating reading his description of coming to terms with the popularity of the Wu-Tang Clan’s seemingly low-brow music and deciding that he didn’t need to be elitist about how producers use music samples.
I am impressed by the ways that the book manages to put the experience of listening to songs and musical styles into words, too. Writing about music is not an easy thing to pull off, and the book does so with a casual poetry that I enjoy. One of my favorite moments is when the writers compare the Bomb Squad’s album No One Can Do It Better to Dr. Dre’s album The Chronic in the following way: “The Bomb Squad had layered sample upon sample, like a display rack at a carpet store. Dr. Dre just put down carpet and let you walk on it.”
The flaws in the book are too detrimental to the overall reading experience to ignore, though. First of all, I think this book is trying to do too much in too little space. It’s a lot to ask writers to cover 50 years of history, while also providing critical commentary on that history and adding elements of memoir in about 300 pages (fewer really, since there are blank pages between chapters). The result, in my opinion, is that the book is sometimes underdeveloped. In the first half, we would have been better served if there had been discussions about events in the broader culture and how they impacted the development of hip-hop, if for no other reason than to provide us grounding in history we are more familiar with. In the second half, I was happy to see that some events outside of the industry (the election of Obama, for example) were introduced, but they were often dropped quickly without the writers saying much about their consequences for hip-hop. There was also a really limited amount of critical discussion of some important issues in rap music like homophobia and misogyny, the second of which is especially notable since the writers also said little about women artists themselves. Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Kim, Azealia Banks, and Doja Cat were the only women artists who were granted more than a couple sentences. (I’m going to give the writers the benefit-of-the-doubt and blame that on a lack of space instead of misogyny on their part, though.)
The weaknesses in the book’s craft also create major issues in clarity. Transitions between ideas within paragraphs and between paragraphs are often so rough as to impede understanding. The best example I can think of happens during a section in the 1987-1992 paragraph. We are moved rapidly between information about The Bomb Squad, the Beastie Boys, Cherry Hill Mall (an actual shopping mall), and Prince’s soundtrack for Tim Burton’s Batman, which little connection made between them. I’m still not sure what I was supposed to get from that page and a half.
Sometimes points are also so underdeveloped as to leave major logic gaps. For example, I am still trying to figure out why Kurt Corbain’s suicide led to The Roots having to almost immediately go on a European tour, even though it came up twice in the book. (Did the record label send them out because, having lost a major source of income, they needed money NOW?)
Probably most frustrating, though, is the use of frequent and sometimes very long asides that interrupt the flow of the narrative, making it difficult to figure out what the important points are and how they connect to each other. At one point I counted an aside in parentheses that was 17 lines long; later I counted one that was 19 lines. Oddly enough, there is also a section of nested asides that the writers note by spelling out “open parentheses,” “open parentheses within parentheses,” and “open parentheses within parentheses within parentheses,” which I might have found funny if I hadn’t been so dang confused.
Overall, this book frustrated me because it had so much potential that just wasn’t realized.
CW: domestic violence, gun violence, murder, sexual assault, n-slur, suicide, misogyny, homophobia, racism
I’ll begin with some things that worked well for me. First, this book drips with both Questlove’s knowledge and passion. It is carefully researched and provides a wealth of information about MCs, DJs, and producers; albums and individual songs; and trends in the development of the genre, among other things. And that knowledge is lent impact by how much Questlove’s love for the genre and the people who have and continue to make it comes through. A stand-out moment is when we learn about how much the music of Public Enemy impacted him when he was young, another is in the introduction, when we learn about how invested he was in creating a 50-year-anniversary Grammy performance that did the history of the genre justice.
The moments of memoir are also engaging and easy to get invested in. In particular, my favorite moments in the entire book are those in which we get to watch Questlove’s opinions about hip-hop (as well as his overall perspectives on life) evolve when he encounters new music and people. For example, it was fascinating reading his description of coming to terms with the popularity of the Wu-Tang Clan’s seemingly low-brow music and deciding that he didn’t need to be elitist about how producers use music samples.
I am impressed by the ways that the book manages to put the experience of listening to songs and musical styles into words, too. Writing about music is not an easy thing to pull off, and the book does so with a casual poetry that I enjoy. One of my favorite moments is when the writers compare the Bomb Squad’s album No One Can Do It Better to Dr. Dre’s album The Chronic in the following way: “The Bomb Squad had layered sample upon sample, like a display rack at a carpet store. Dr. Dre just put down carpet and let you walk on it.”
The flaws in the book are too detrimental to the overall reading experience to ignore, though. First of all, I think this book is trying to do too much in too little space. It’s a lot to ask writers to cover 50 years of history, while also providing critical commentary on that history and adding elements of memoir in about 300 pages (fewer really, since there are blank pages between chapters). The result, in my opinion, is that the book is sometimes underdeveloped. In the first half, we would have been better served if there had been discussions about events in the broader culture and how they impacted the development of hip-hop, if for no other reason than to provide us grounding in history we are more familiar with. In the second half, I was happy to see that some events outside of the industry (the election of Obama, for example) were introduced, but they were often dropped quickly without the writers saying much about their consequences for hip-hop. There was also a really limited amount of critical discussion of some important issues in rap music like homophobia and misogyny, the second of which is especially notable since the writers also said little about women artists themselves. Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Kim, Azealia Banks, and Doja Cat were the only women artists who were granted more than a couple sentences. (I’m going to give the writers the benefit-of-the-doubt and blame that on a lack of space instead of misogyny on their part, though.)
The weaknesses in the book’s craft also create major issues in clarity. Transitions between ideas within paragraphs and between paragraphs are often so rough as to impede understanding. The best example I can think of happens during a section in the 1987-1992 paragraph. We are moved rapidly between information about The Bomb Squad, the Beastie Boys, Cherry Hill Mall (an actual shopping mall), and Prince’s soundtrack for Tim Burton’s Batman, which little connection made between them. I’m still not sure what I was supposed to get from that page and a half.
Sometimes points are also so underdeveloped as to leave major logic gaps. For example, I am still trying to figure out why Kurt Corbain’s suicide led to The Roots having to almost immediately go on a European tour, even though it came up twice in the book. (Did the record label send them out because, having lost a major source of income, they needed money NOW?)
Probably most frustrating, though, is the use of frequent and sometimes very long asides that interrupt the flow of the narrative, making it difficult to figure out what the important points are and how they connect to each other. At one point I counted an aside in parentheses that was 17 lines long; later I counted one that was 19 lines. Oddly enough, there is also a section of nested asides that the writers note by spelling out “open parentheses,” “open parentheses within parentheses,” and “open parentheses within parentheses within parentheses,” which I might have found funny if I hadn’t been so dang confused.
Overall, this book frustrated me because it had so much potential that just wasn’t realized.
CW: domestic violence, gun violence, murder, sexual assault, n-slur, suicide, misogyny, homophobia, racism
July 3, 2024
AUDIOBOOK SPOTLIGHT
Thank you #partner @macmillan.audio for the #gifted audiobook. #macaudio2024
Hip-Hop is History
Questlove
(Ben Greenman contributor)
I listened to this in June for Black Music Month, and found it both entertaining and enlightening! Recorded at the iconic Electric Lady Studios in NYC, and narrated by the author, Questlove takes listeners on a fifty year journey through the evolution of hip-hop. Blending commentary on the cultural, social, and political impact of hip-hop, with his own personal stories, Questlove's Hip-Hop is History is engaging and immersive. The audiobook is really well done! Questlove's narration is conversational and easy to follow, and the added sound effects are a fun touch. 🎶
This book is a must read for hip-hop lovers!
📖 Synopsis: In Hip-Hop is History, Questlove, one of the major and most revolutionary figures of that genre, unpacks one hip-hop song from each of the years since the sound of breakbeat drums first burst out of a house party in the Bronx on 11 August 1973. Clive Campbell, a Jamaican-born teenager threw the party. Questlove wants to talk about the present. In this book he analyses the conditions of each song's creation, its lyrical and musical content, and its role in pushing the genre forward and shining a light on Black American History. Questlove was there at the beginning. He's still creating and influencing in the present. He is the perfect companion on this journey through the music, the context and the lasting impact.
📌 Available now!
Thank you #partner @macmillan.audio for the #gifted audiobook. #macaudio2024
Hip-Hop is History
Questlove
(Ben Greenman contributor)
I listened to this in June for Black Music Month, and found it both entertaining and enlightening! Recorded at the iconic Electric Lady Studios in NYC, and narrated by the author, Questlove takes listeners on a fifty year journey through the evolution of hip-hop. Blending commentary on the cultural, social, and political impact of hip-hop, with his own personal stories, Questlove's Hip-Hop is History is engaging and immersive. The audiobook is really well done! Questlove's narration is conversational and easy to follow, and the added sound effects are a fun touch. 🎶
This book is a must read for hip-hop lovers!
📖 Synopsis: In Hip-Hop is History, Questlove, one of the major and most revolutionary figures of that genre, unpacks one hip-hop song from each of the years since the sound of breakbeat drums first burst out of a house party in the Bronx on 11 August 1973. Clive Campbell, a Jamaican-born teenager threw the party. Questlove wants to talk about the present. In this book he analyses the conditions of each song's creation, its lyrical and musical content, and its role in pushing the genre forward and shining a light on Black American History. Questlove was there at the beginning. He's still creating and influencing in the present. He is the perfect companion on this journey through the music, the context and the lasting impact.
📌 Available now!
September 18, 2025
I was in the mood for a Non-Fiction read and specifically was looking to expand my knowledge of the world of Hip-Hop. I browsed the internet and the wealth of options there are and settled on this one. I thought having the perspective from an Artist who has an extensive music creating history and as legendary a Questlove himself would be a great insider experience of the genre. I was right.
What I found particularly compelling from this book was how much I learnt from the lens of someone who has opposing taste in Hip-Hop from myself. I really appreciated that. Taking us from the birthplace of the genre, through all the way to recent times through his perspective of living it. I really can't recommend this book enough, I loved every minute of this. It introduced me to artists I was not aware of, made me go back and listen through albums fully I never did and grow and even fonder appreciation for the genre than before (which I didn't even think was possible).
If you love Hip-Hop and you haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for?
What I found particularly compelling from this book was how much I learnt from the lens of someone who has opposing taste in Hip-Hop from myself. I really appreciated that. Taking us from the birthplace of the genre, through all the way to recent times through his perspective of living it. I really can't recommend this book enough, I loved every minute of this. It introduced me to artists I was not aware of, made me go back and listen through albums fully I never did and grow and even fonder appreciation for the genre than before (which I didn't even think was possible).
If you love Hip-Hop and you haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for?
November 3, 2024
this book was certainly interesting in its analysis of the evolution of sampling, though it would have been far more effective as a podcast. I found myself skimming through a lot. the writing is conversational to a fault. also, while I respect and acknowledge that this is a “history” book through questlove’s own perspective, there is a glaring lack of female artists that has me wondering just how much of hip-hop history is actually missing here. (for context, in his tagged-on list of hip hop songs he actually listens to [16 pages, mind you], he includes only TWO songs by female artists…)
while there’s no denying questlove has an extensive knowledge on the subject, I don’t think it’s extensive enough to merit a 300-page book.
while there’s no denying questlove has an extensive knowledge on the subject, I don’t think it’s extensive enough to merit a 300-page book.
June 23, 2024
Reminiscent and Enlightening
Questlove’s well paced book pulled back the curtain on the Hip-Hop scene, past and present. I appreciated how he put the music and the artists into musical and political context. I was motivated to simultaneously listen to Hip-Hop classics on Spotify, both to reacquaint and to discover.
Questlove’s well paced book pulled back the curtain on the Hip-Hop scene, past and present. I appreciated how he put the music and the artists into musical and political context. I was motivated to simultaneously listen to Hip-Hop classics on Spotify, both to reacquaint and to discover.
August 18, 2024
Questlove works as our generation's ultimate music teacher, sharing knowledge and tidbits everyone with ears enabled to catch sound should listen to.
I'm grateful for his presence.
5/5
I'm grateful for his presence.
5/5
May 10, 2024
Farrar, Sraus and Giroux provided an early galley for review.
Back in 2021, I read Questlove's Music Is History and enjoyed it. I knew his knowledge would again provide an entertaining and enlightening read with this new book.
I was at just the right age for music discovery (my teen years) when hip-hop came into being. Thus, I appreciated that the first chapter dives right in at the start in 1979. My own exposure to the evolution of hip-hop over that first decade was reinforced by the next couple of chapters as well.
What I liked about this book was that it is not meant to be a thorough history of hip-hop. In fact, it mostly a primer that is built around Questlove's own experiences in the genre first as a consumer and later as a musician. It is meant to serve as a beginning and an introduction that should be followed by the reader's own indepth exploration.
I also enjoyed the section that came at the end - the hip-hop songs that Questlove wanted to put some extra focus on. There was a lot here I myself will need to look into in the future. I suspect this homework will be quite enjoyable
Back in 2021, I read Questlove's Music Is History and enjoyed it. I knew his knowledge would again provide an entertaining and enlightening read with this new book.
I was at just the right age for music discovery (my teen years) when hip-hop came into being. Thus, I appreciated that the first chapter dives right in at the start in 1979. My own exposure to the evolution of hip-hop over that first decade was reinforced by the next couple of chapters as well.
What I liked about this book was that it is not meant to be a thorough history of hip-hop. In fact, it mostly a primer that is built around Questlove's own experiences in the genre first as a consumer and later as a musician. It is meant to serve as a beginning and an introduction that should be followed by the reader's own indepth exploration.
I also enjoyed the section that came at the end - the hip-hop songs that Questlove wanted to put some extra focus on. There was a lot here I myself will need to look into in the future. I suspect this homework will be quite enjoyable
September 11, 2024
This is really a book written by a DJ for other DJs; there are long stretches that consist of Questlove rattling off names of songs he especially liked from various eras, their producers and sometimes specific reasons why they were form-changing and such, but at times the book really is a glorified list. Also, if you've read anything Questlove has previously written, you will recognize a number of the anecdotes he shares here. Nevertheless I love the guy, and what I appreciate about this book is how highly personalized it is as a critical rundown of hip hop as a genre; it's not a scholarly historical text, but it is a knowledgeable one. I agree with a lot of his feelings; the fact that I'm a Roots and Run-DMC and Tribe and De La and Outkast fan probably won't surprise anyone who knows me since I'm an extremely meek person who's pretty allergic to aggression in all genres of art and music, so I relate to Quest's apprehension about gangsta rap and his specific reasons for it (he eventually comes to appreciate some of it musically but never is able to look past the misogyny and fetishized violence -- I'm kinda there with Biggie, but I really really cannot stand N.W.A. and their offshoots even now). And I swear to god, with the prompting of this book and my intense admiration of Chuck D as a person, I'm going to give Public Enemy another chance sometime soon; I think I just wasn't ready or didn't have the right framework when I listened to those albums in the early '00s. The only conclusions I guess I sharply disagree with Questlove about are regarding Eminem, who I thought was a fraud and a sham and I still think so, and Run the Jewels, about whom he's skeptical but I think they're pretty great (although I will agree that I'm kept at a slight remove because of the battering-ram nature of it all; Killer Mike seems too open-minded for me to be as suspicious of his politics as Quest is).
The most impressive parts of the book come near the end. As it goes on and Questlove expresses disillusionment with hip hop's fragmentation and lack of artistic growth, I found myself nodding -- there's newer stuff I love like Denzel Curry and Little Simz but I really can't with Future and the way that sound took over -- but also quietly thinking to myself that this is really the way of the world with all genres and movements, even something as formidable/huge as jazz or rock & roll or, I dunno, the French New Wave. It's not like we look back on the Italian Renaissance with some sense that it could have lasted forever. Moments are all we get, but there's so much contained in them etc. But then, it turns out that this is where Questlove is heading all along, and his beautiful conclusion suggests that what's crucial about hip hop is its place in a much larger cosmos of human expression, and in fact he actively hopes that one day the pain that created the genre is enough of a distant memory that unimaginable and even more democratic forms will have taken its place in our culture. Nevertheless, we'll always have and enjoy "The Breaks" even if it's no longer -- with any luck -- our reality.
Book also reminds me that I still haven't fully processed the decline of Kanye West, who a dozen years ago was the guy who held the moon as far as I was concerned, and now I cringe when I so much as hear his name. I think the most helpful way of considering him is to compare him to a figure like Van Morrison, who's just as unshakeable and long-standing a part of my life and who I find just as horrifying on a personal level now, and then just consider myself lucky that a lot of my heroes did not lose their fucking minds as the years went by.
(BTW, I never thought The Tipping Point was that bad, and I played "Don't Say Nuthin'" on my very first night as a DJ in 2008.)
The most impressive parts of the book come near the end. As it goes on and Questlove expresses disillusionment with hip hop's fragmentation and lack of artistic growth, I found myself nodding -- there's newer stuff I love like Denzel Curry and Little Simz but I really can't with Future and the way that sound took over -- but also quietly thinking to myself that this is really the way of the world with all genres and movements, even something as formidable/huge as jazz or rock & roll or, I dunno, the French New Wave. It's not like we look back on the Italian Renaissance with some sense that it could have lasted forever. Moments are all we get, but there's so much contained in them etc. But then, it turns out that this is where Questlove is heading all along, and his beautiful conclusion suggests that what's crucial about hip hop is its place in a much larger cosmos of human expression, and in fact he actively hopes that one day the pain that created the genre is enough of a distant memory that unimaginable and even more democratic forms will have taken its place in our culture. Nevertheless, we'll always have and enjoy "The Breaks" even if it's no longer -- with any luck -- our reality.
Book also reminds me that I still haven't fully processed the decline of Kanye West, who a dozen years ago was the guy who held the moon as far as I was concerned, and now I cringe when I so much as hear his name. I think the most helpful way of considering him is to compare him to a figure like Van Morrison, who's just as unshakeable and long-standing a part of my life and who I find just as horrifying on a personal level now, and then just consider myself lucky that a lot of my heroes did not lose their fucking minds as the years went by.
(BTW, I never thought The Tipping Point was that bad, and I played "Don't Say Nuthin'" on my very first night as a DJ in 2008.)
November 13, 2024
I breezed through this because I love to devour music history and memoir books. I learned a lot from fellow ND king, Questlove, about old school hip-hop but thought the book fell a little short after he was disappointed with Wu Tang’s 1997 album. As someone who continuously wants to learn as much as possible about music history, I could relate to his strong need to understand newer hip-hop as he aged into an “OG” hip hop musician, even though a disconnect was forming between him and the genre. The last third of the book heavily transformed into full on memoir as he tried to find his place in modern day music and if is hip-hop is truly still alive and well after the 90s.
As much fun as I had reading this, I still did not think the book was well written. It was mostly rambling and run on sentences with many (many) parentheses to further accentuate his passion for the subject. One of the most exciting moments of my white girl life was realizing that Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” was basically just cutting and pasting the instrumentals from Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”. I’ve never been super into rap but I’m happy to say I had fun reading this book and remembering that I memorized a decent chunk of the lyrics to “Rapper’s Delight” in 9th grade. This book added some songs to my repertoire and I’m excited to revisit Tribe for the millionth time :)
As much fun as I had reading this, I still did not think the book was well written. It was mostly rambling and run on sentences with many (many) parentheses to further accentuate his passion for the subject. One of the most exciting moments of my white girl life was realizing that Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” was basically just cutting and pasting the instrumentals from Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”. I’ve never been super into rap but I’m happy to say I had fun reading this book and remembering that I memorized a decent chunk of the lyrics to “Rapper’s Delight” in 9th grade. This book added some songs to my repertoire and I’m excited to revisit Tribe for the millionth time :)
May 30, 2024
The longest-ever Wikipedia article??! Woof. I think I overestimated my scholarly capabilities here. There were some amazing firsthand accounts. A lot of it was just blah blah blah to me though. If you’re more of a music aficionado, this could be up your alley. I will give props to Q for the heart and passion I felt throughout.
Read
August 27, 2024I wasn’t the right audience for this book. For me to really be into the book would’ve required a base knowledge of hip hop that I don’t have. I think someone like my husband would really enjoy the book.
March 27, 2025
I have been a voracious consumer of Professor Questlove’s creative output since I received and then championed the advance Distortion to Static single as MD at my college radio station. I’ve heard all the podcasts, read all the books, seen the films, waited in lines, and even got to meet him once and ask him a question. I might be a Questlove Stan.
This book falls in line with some of his other recent works in the sense that unlike his explorations on food or creativity that feel either adjacent to his wheelhouse or expansive reaches beyond his primary expertise, the subject matter is so close to his heart that he can flow seamlessly between objective analysis and personal anecdotes without missing a beat. Hip hop is history…sure…but Questlove is hip hop, and with this book he sticks the landing in his position as hip hop’s deepest and most creative thinker.
One thing that has always puzzled me though, is that I’ve never heard him once mention the Good Life Cafe collective, or the influential LA groups like Freestyle Fellowship. Is he the one playing reindeer games now? So while this book does manage to cover an impressive spectrum of the pantheon, this listener is still left feeling like his East Coast leaning regional bias is still getting in the way of his ability to tell the whole story.
PS: he reads the audio book very well and it’s a great way to take in this tremendous achievement.
This book falls in line with some of his other recent works in the sense that unlike his explorations on food or creativity that feel either adjacent to his wheelhouse or expansive reaches beyond his primary expertise, the subject matter is so close to his heart that he can flow seamlessly between objective analysis and personal anecdotes without missing a beat. Hip hop is history…sure…but Questlove is hip hop, and with this book he sticks the landing in his position as hip hop’s deepest and most creative thinker.
One thing that has always puzzled me though, is that I’ve never heard him once mention the Good Life Cafe collective, or the influential LA groups like Freestyle Fellowship. Is he the one playing reindeer games now? So while this book does manage to cover an impressive spectrum of the pantheon, this listener is still left feeling like his East Coast leaning regional bias is still getting in the way of his ability to tell the whole story.
PS: he reads the audio book very well and it’s a great way to take in this tremendous achievement.
August 17, 2024
From one Aquarius to another, I think this is my longest review yet…
Firstly, it took me quite awhile to get through this audiobook because the beginning was pretty dull. I listened to it in short parts between other books, as I realized I don’t consider Quest Love my go-to hip hop officianado. He is a representative for the culture in mainstream, white America because he’s a recognizable staple on late night television, but since I’m a hip hop head, I don’t look to him as the expert. The thing is, I love learning about hip hop because I was born in 1986, so I discovered rap music in the nineties. This made me feel slighted on all that had come before me, prompting me to research everything I missed and everything that came before my official hip hop awakening (Lauryn Hill); and let me say, I’m still learning. As the book warmed up, I was able to engage and learn more from it, which is what I was hoping for. I began to enjoy it…
until…
Quest began slighting Kanye West. One thing we are NOT going to do in a hip hop book is celebrate Drake (let me hear you say, “O V Ho”) by comparing him with Kanye. This is the man who brought us The College Dropout and whose production elicits tears with its powerful beauty (Common’s Be, and the tracks from The Blueprint are absolutely unmatched). We’re not going to disregard Ye’s contributions as an ARTIST due to his eccentricities, his politics, or any perceived recent musical missteps.
There’s a part in the book where Quest Love defends Drake’s “emo” quality by calling him “sincere” and then parenthetically grunts Kanye’s name as the antithesis of Drake’s sincerity… nope, not funny. In 30 years, Drake MIGHT be relevant in the world of pop music with his bullshit fake accents, hotline bling, and hair clips; whereas in 30 years, Kanye’s mark on hip hop music and hip hop culture will be absolutely indelible, revered, and NECESSARY. Quest then goes on to compare Drake with Common (WTF?!) saying that Common has grown emotionally over time, but that Drake has been emotionally accessible from the start. Hmmm… do you think that’s because Drake is a child star turned pop star while Common is a representative of the culture by way of Chicago? Common has kept it real from day one, while Drake is a manufactured pop star, no different than Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo. Are they talented and do they appeal to the masses? Yes. Are they credible in the realm of hip hop? No. Comparing Drake to Kanye and Common was a major fumble in this book, and an oversight I cannot accept. To quote Drake and his emotional tirades, “I’m upset”.
Overall, I didn’t appreciate the cold tone Quest takes toward Kanye. He discusses listening to his music in secret as if it’s shameful, and then discusses his GROUNDBREAKING and GENIUS-LEVEL music in an arbitrary manner. He said he liked the album Yeezus only because other people didn’t like it; and that he found The Life of Pablo depressing because Kanye left room for revisions after the release date. Well guess what? Quest has an epilogue to an epilogue of this book because he wanted to say more (the second of which was lame, unnecessary, random, and did not add anything to the overall tone of the book). So it’s ok for him to struggle to end his book but not ok for Kanye to do the same with an album? I’d love to understand why Quest Love has such issues with Kanye. Is it jealousy? Is it because Kanye isn’t hood, had an influential parent, and brought something new to the genre, and that threatens Quest as he can be described IDENTICALLY, but didn’t enjoy the same amount of success as Kanye? There aren’t many backpack, spoken-word rappers who become mega stars… but Kanye did.
When we look at Kanye’s complete catalogue, it’s full of absolute gems despite any recent missteps; while Quest’s catalogue is much less impressive in both quantity and quality, as he admits his flops and discusses his quest 🙃 to stay relevant. He hasn’t been able to release as much music that people want to hear as Kanye has (including all the immaculate production Kanye has done for other artists), and as a devout hip hop fan who DOES respect The Roots and enjoy their music, I can attest to that.
Furthermore, I don’t understand how QL can rave over legitimate artists such as Big Brother and J. Dilla only to sheepishly approach the modern-day Jay-Z as if his opinion will make or break him. If we’re talking about Jay-Z as in Jigga, pre- “I’m a business man”, then, yes, he’s to be revered. Modern-day Jay-Z is not someone a hip hop artist should approach so timidly. Jay-Z is no longer the rap-focused, creative he used to be, but IS, as he says, a business- he’s just a profit mogul. Respect is one thing, but are we praising money over artistry now?
As absolutely diabolical as I find some of QL’s perspectives, he did get me thinking, reflecting, and revisiting artists and albums. He also incorporated humor into the book, as well as personality to the narration. I appreciate the thought provoking nature of Quest’s righteous perspective, but I simply cannot rate this book a five mic classic due to his dismissive, pompous tone; as well as the rambling beginning and disjointed and uninteresting second epilogue. Furthermore, as a proud and certified Drake hater since 2010, I fervently disagree with the Drake d*ck riding that found its way into this book about hip hop, because if Drake becomes the standard, then hip hop IS history.
Epilogue: Will I go back and listen to Quest’s other books now? Probably.
Firstly, it took me quite awhile to get through this audiobook because the beginning was pretty dull. I listened to it in short parts between other books, as I realized I don’t consider Quest Love my go-to hip hop officianado. He is a representative for the culture in mainstream, white America because he’s a recognizable staple on late night television, but since I’m a hip hop head, I don’t look to him as the expert. The thing is, I love learning about hip hop because I was born in 1986, so I discovered rap music in the nineties. This made me feel slighted on all that had come before me, prompting me to research everything I missed and everything that came before my official hip hop awakening (Lauryn Hill); and let me say, I’m still learning. As the book warmed up, I was able to engage and learn more from it, which is what I was hoping for. I began to enjoy it…
until…
Quest began slighting Kanye West. One thing we are NOT going to do in a hip hop book is celebrate Drake (let me hear you say, “O V Ho”) by comparing him with Kanye. This is the man who brought us The College Dropout and whose production elicits tears with its powerful beauty (Common’s Be, and the tracks from The Blueprint are absolutely unmatched). We’re not going to disregard Ye’s contributions as an ARTIST due to his eccentricities, his politics, or any perceived recent musical missteps.
There’s a part in the book where Quest Love defends Drake’s “emo” quality by calling him “sincere” and then parenthetically grunts Kanye’s name as the antithesis of Drake’s sincerity… nope, not funny. In 30 years, Drake MIGHT be relevant in the world of pop music with his bullshit fake accents, hotline bling, and hair clips; whereas in 30 years, Kanye’s mark on hip hop music and hip hop culture will be absolutely indelible, revered, and NECESSARY. Quest then goes on to compare Drake with Common (WTF?!) saying that Common has grown emotionally over time, but that Drake has been emotionally accessible from the start. Hmmm… do you think that’s because Drake is a child star turned pop star while Common is a representative of the culture by way of Chicago? Common has kept it real from day one, while Drake is a manufactured pop star, no different than Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo. Are they talented and do they appeal to the masses? Yes. Are they credible in the realm of hip hop? No. Comparing Drake to Kanye and Common was a major fumble in this book, and an oversight I cannot accept. To quote Drake and his emotional tirades, “I’m upset”.
Overall, I didn’t appreciate the cold tone Quest takes toward Kanye. He discusses listening to his music in secret as if it’s shameful, and then discusses his GROUNDBREAKING and GENIUS-LEVEL music in an arbitrary manner. He said he liked the album Yeezus only because other people didn’t like it; and that he found The Life of Pablo depressing because Kanye left room for revisions after the release date. Well guess what? Quest has an epilogue to an epilogue of this book because he wanted to say more (the second of which was lame, unnecessary, random, and did not add anything to the overall tone of the book). So it’s ok for him to struggle to end his book but not ok for Kanye to do the same with an album? I’d love to understand why Quest Love has such issues with Kanye. Is it jealousy? Is it because Kanye isn’t hood, had an influential parent, and brought something new to the genre, and that threatens Quest as he can be described IDENTICALLY, but didn’t enjoy the same amount of success as Kanye? There aren’t many backpack, spoken-word rappers who become mega stars… but Kanye did.
When we look at Kanye’s complete catalogue, it’s full of absolute gems despite any recent missteps; while Quest’s catalogue is much less impressive in both quantity and quality, as he admits his flops and discusses his quest 🙃 to stay relevant. He hasn’t been able to release as much music that people want to hear as Kanye has (including all the immaculate production Kanye has done for other artists), and as a devout hip hop fan who DOES respect The Roots and enjoy their music, I can attest to that.
Furthermore, I don’t understand how QL can rave over legitimate artists such as Big Brother and J. Dilla only to sheepishly approach the modern-day Jay-Z as if his opinion will make or break him. If we’re talking about Jay-Z as in Jigga, pre- “I’m a business man”, then, yes, he’s to be revered. Modern-day Jay-Z is not someone a hip hop artist should approach so timidly. Jay-Z is no longer the rap-focused, creative he used to be, but IS, as he says, a business- he’s just a profit mogul. Respect is one thing, but are we praising money over artistry now?
As absolutely diabolical as I find some of QL’s perspectives, he did get me thinking, reflecting, and revisiting artists and albums. He also incorporated humor into the book, as well as personality to the narration. I appreciate the thought provoking nature of Quest’s righteous perspective, but I simply cannot rate this book a five mic classic due to his dismissive, pompous tone; as well as the rambling beginning and disjointed and uninteresting second epilogue. Furthermore, as a proud and certified Drake hater since 2010, I fervently disagree with the Drake d*ck riding that found its way into this book about hip hop, because if Drake becomes the standard, then hip hop IS history.
Epilogue: Will I go back and listen to Quest’s other books now? Probably.
March 18, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 Stars)
This was such a fascinating read, and I learned a lot. At times, it was a ton of info to take in all at once, but overall, it was super entertaining.
The book is basically Questlove telling stories about different hip-hop artists over the past 50 years, with many of them tied to where he was in his own life and career at the time. I loved that personal touch—it made the history feel even more engaging.
I’m so glad I chose to listen to this one as an audiobook. Questlove is a fantastic storyteller, and his narration made it even better. I’d definitely listen to/read more of his books in the future!
This was such a fascinating read, and I learned a lot. At times, it was a ton of info to take in all at once, but overall, it was super entertaining.
The book is basically Questlove telling stories about different hip-hop artists over the past 50 years, with many of them tied to where he was in his own life and career at the time. I loved that personal touch—it made the history feel even more engaging.
I’m so glad I chose to listen to this one as an audiobook. Questlove is a fantastic storyteller, and his narration made it even better. I’d definitely listen to/read more of his books in the future!
October 6, 2024
I love listening to people geek out about their passions. Listening to Questlove share his love and appreciation for the genre, and personal history as a hip-hop artist was a joy. Pausing to listen to the music and watch the videos he referenced added to the experience.
October 30, 2024
As a casual, “fairweather” fan of hip hop, this book offered some really insightful commentary on the genre. Well done!
July 21, 2025
Really extensive history that covers ground quickly and thoroughly. Especially enjoyed Questlove's voice and his weaving in of his own personal history with hip-hop.
January 19, 2025
I really really enjoyed this. It reinforced my own recollection that I was into the hip hop pioneers in my youth and my own biases about hip hop more recently (not as good). A criticism is that questlove goes too in depth at times but that is also a bonus 🤷🏽♀️
July 23, 2025
opisując lata 2012 - 2022 autor z jakiegoś powodu odszedł z zamysłem opisania faktycznej historii i skupił się bardziej na wspominkach i ciągłym wplataniu dawnych czasów do tego co się dzieje więc na duży minus, myślę że jest dużo rzeczy które mogły być opisane a nie było ich kompletnie i całe dwa rozdziały wspomniały jedynie o kendrick i drake
April 11, 2025
I didn't hate it, but it lacked A LOT.
First off, there was little to no mention of women in hip hop. Or women in music at all for that matter considering I've read this book and his previous one, Music is History. Surely, the person with the most Grammy nominations AND wins would have some mention outside of a singular name drop about her husband's verse on her song. No mention of her cultural impact over the last 30 years, her wonderful use of samples and interpolations, or impact on the music industry overall? I find that funny considering some of the acts he drones on about, are because of their clever use of sampling "the greats". Strange. Even stranger, was his glossing over of the impacts of female rap figures other than a touch of Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim and their beef. Like come on. We get a pinch of Queen Latifah but nothing about her music or messaging. No Eve, Trina, Da Brat, Left Eye, Megan Thee Stallion, City Girls, or many others. I was honestly surprised to hear him mention Doja Cat in the end. He only brought her up because he was shocked by her use of a Dionne Warwick sample because people of Doja and I's generation typically lack knowledge of musicians of the past. If you can raid your parent's records, surely, we can too, right?
The book is appropriately broken up by era. However, I learned more about Run DMC's personal life than I did about anything regarding 2000's era hip hop. No mention of music videos and video vixens. No mention of 106&Park being a touchstone for so many. He doesn't mention BET at all actually but plenty of MTV. No concrete mention of the Breakfast Club, Hot 97 or Summer Jam as cultural institutions. There's no real mention of regional disk jockeys and their impacts. He writes off Miami Bass as strip club music. He shoutouts New Orleans but doesn't talk about the innovative sounds of Bounce msuic. No mention of Nelly, T. I., or Three Six Mafia's and their Oscar win for Best Original Song for "Its Hard Out Here for a Pimp". Damn, they weren't worth a single sentence? But somehow, he name drops J. Dilla, De la Soul and A Tribe Called Quest 30 times each?
No mention of Souljah Boi or any Myspace and YouTube era rappers who carved out a lane to fame via the internet. Nothing about regional sound like Chicago Drill, for example. Literally no mention of Atlanta besides their propensity to make drugged-up pill music. No mention of Migos, a global rap group with notable pop cultural impact, other than a sentence about Takeoff's untimely death.
He spends half of the 2017-2022 & 2023 chapters talking more about himself being an old fart than he does about music released during this time or of the greater changes in how people discover music (i.e. TikTok). The last 3 chapters could've been left out of the book entirely. We didn't need a chapter about his from the future. This isn't the Jetsons.
Honestly, I wanted so much more out of this reading. I am highly disappointed because there was so many minute details about production and his memoir-like snippets. If this book was poised as memoir and not a celebration of 50 years of one of Black America's greatest creations, my critique would be very different. It was tone deaf, poorly paced, and simply not a great resource for those looking to learn more about the genre. It was just a list of Questlove's favorite things/people.
I simply could've done without it.
First off, there was little to no mention of women in hip hop. Or women in music at all for that matter considering I've read this book and his previous one, Music is History. Surely, the person with the most Grammy nominations AND wins would have some mention outside of a singular name drop about her husband's verse on her song. No mention of her cultural impact over the last 30 years, her wonderful use of samples and interpolations, or impact on the music industry overall? I find that funny considering some of the acts he drones on about, are because of their clever use of sampling "the greats". Strange. Even stranger, was his glossing over of the impacts of female rap figures other than a touch of Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim and their beef. Like come on. We get a pinch of Queen Latifah but nothing about her music or messaging. No Eve, Trina, Da Brat, Left Eye, Megan Thee Stallion, City Girls, or many others. I was honestly surprised to hear him mention Doja Cat in the end. He only brought her up because he was shocked by her use of a Dionne Warwick sample because people of Doja and I's generation typically lack knowledge of musicians of the past. If you can raid your parent's records, surely, we can too, right?
The book is appropriately broken up by era. However, I learned more about Run DMC's personal life than I did about anything regarding 2000's era hip hop. No mention of music videos and video vixens. No mention of 106&Park being a touchstone for so many. He doesn't mention BET at all actually but plenty of MTV. No concrete mention of the Breakfast Club, Hot 97 or Summer Jam as cultural institutions. There's no real mention of regional disk jockeys and their impacts. He writes off Miami Bass as strip club music. He shoutouts New Orleans but doesn't talk about the innovative sounds of Bounce msuic. No mention of Nelly, T. I., or Three Six Mafia's and their Oscar win for Best Original Song for "Its Hard Out Here for a Pimp". Damn, they weren't worth a single sentence? But somehow, he name drops J. Dilla, De la Soul and A Tribe Called Quest 30 times each?
No mention of Souljah Boi or any Myspace and YouTube era rappers who carved out a lane to fame via the internet. Nothing about regional sound like Chicago Drill, for example. Literally no mention of Atlanta besides their propensity to make drugged-up pill music. No mention of Migos, a global rap group with notable pop cultural impact, other than a sentence about Takeoff's untimely death.
He spends half of the 2017-2022 & 2023 chapters talking more about himself being an old fart than he does about music released during this time or of the greater changes in how people discover music (i.e. TikTok). The last 3 chapters could've been left out of the book entirely. We didn't need a chapter about his from the future. This isn't the Jetsons.
Honestly, I wanted so much more out of this reading. I am highly disappointed because there was so many minute details about production and his memoir-like snippets. If this book was poised as memoir and not a celebration of 50 years of one of Black America's greatest creations, my critique would be very different. It was tone deaf, poorly paced, and simply not a great resource for those looking to learn more about the genre. It was just a list of Questlove's favorite things/people.
I simply could've done without it.
October 9, 2024
Hip-Hop is History explores the music genre in depth over its humble beginnings to its current state and potential future.
Over the 50 years since hip-hop became popularized so much has happened to music and history that has been greatly influenced by the genre. This music is deeply rooted in African American culture, as well as influential to America as a whole that it goes beyond just music. Questlove does a great job of exploring each period of time and evolution of hip-hop.
As Quest himself has been part of hip-hop world since the late 1980s, he provides a vast wealth of knowledge and passion for the subject. However, he definitely holds plenty of biases. He will focus on certain artists, for better or worse, and leave out or gloss over many important people. I was disappointed in the lack of recognition for female musicians. While Quest does admit to having strong opinions, (like how he doesn't "get" particular artists or albums) I do wonder how a more unbiased person could've contributed to this book.
Over the 50 years since hip-hop became popularized so much has happened to music and history that has been greatly influenced by the genre. This music is deeply rooted in African American culture, as well as influential to America as a whole that it goes beyond just music. Questlove does a great job of exploring each period of time and evolution of hip-hop.
As Quest himself has been part of hip-hop world since the late 1980s, he provides a vast wealth of knowledge and passion for the subject. However, he definitely holds plenty of biases. He will focus on certain artists, for better or worse, and leave out or gloss over many important people. I was disappointed in the lack of recognition for female musicians. While Quest does admit to having strong opinions, (like how he doesn't "get" particular artists or albums) I do wonder how a more unbiased person could've contributed to this book.
July 6, 2024
Audiobook (11 hours) narrated by the author, Questlove
The narration and audio are excellent.
While there aren't any songs included in the audiobook, there are some notes that you will recognize.
Also the editing is fantastic, which due to who is narrating the book, you would assume it would be, but at one point he says that after the book was completed, the news about Tupac had come out so he edited it in. The edit was flawless! There was no discernible break or cut in the audio to tell you that this peace of audio hadn't always been there. The volume, the pacing, everything was in line with everything before and after.
If you have never heard of Questlove, click and take a gander.
You may have seen his documentary Summer of Soul (in theaters and on Hulu) .
YouTube trailer: https://youtu.be/slFiJpAxZyQ?si=mD0R0...
This book is a labor of love.
Questlove speaks of the history of music from his own life and worldview, from childhood to adult, beginning in 1979 and going into the future for a bit of speculative fiction, or not but we will have to wait to see if he actually hitched a ride with the latest Doctor until we see how accurate he is.
I loved hearing Questlove tell it in his own voice. Speaking about how he got his sisters new boyfriend to gain favor with his sister by taking him to the music store for a new record. He sets the scene of the state of the world, how it related to music and how music related to it and the people.
As Questlove goes through the years, he related everything close to his heart. What he sees, hears, and feels. There's a lot of love in this telling of history. You can look up the history yourself, but here, you get to ride along with someone both before and after he enters the music world as a musician. What a ride it is!
We hear everything from Michael Jackson, well I can name drop but you already know these names! He includes details of politics and politicians in the US and how it effected music, the old school east coast vs. west coast bravado, terrible losses, and so much more. There is a lot packed into 11 hours.
Recommend!
The narration and audio are excellent.
While there aren't any songs included in the audiobook, there are some notes that you will recognize.
Also the editing is fantastic, which due to who is narrating the book, you would assume it would be, but at one point he says that after the book was completed, the news about Tupac had come out so he edited it in. The edit was flawless! There was no discernible break or cut in the audio to tell you that this peace of audio hadn't always been there. The volume, the pacing, everything was in line with everything before and after.
If you have never heard of Questlove, click and take a gander.
You may have seen his documentary Summer of Soul (in theaters and on Hulu) .
YouTube trailer: https://youtu.be/slFiJpAxZyQ?si=mD0R0...
This book is a labor of love.
Questlove speaks of the history of music from his own life and worldview, from childhood to adult, beginning in 1979 and going into the future for a bit of speculative fiction, or not but we will have to wait to see if he actually hitched a ride with the latest Doctor until we see how accurate he is.
I loved hearing Questlove tell it in his own voice. Speaking about how he got his sisters new boyfriend to gain favor with his sister by taking him to the music store for a new record. He sets the scene of the state of the world, how it related to music and how music related to it and the people.
As Questlove goes through the years, he related everything close to his heart. What he sees, hears, and feels. There's a lot of love in this telling of history. You can look up the history yourself, but here, you get to ride along with someone both before and after he enters the music world as a musician. What a ride it is!
We hear everything from Michael Jackson, well I can name drop but you already know these names! He includes details of politics and politicians in the US and how it effected music, the old school east coast vs. west coast bravado, terrible losses, and so much more. There is a lot packed into 11 hours.
Recommend!
October 11, 2024
Not bad. I felt a little bit like an outsider looking in. One of the reasons I chose to read this book was my limited experience with hip-hop and rap, I wanted to expand my horizons. I’m pretty sure I did, but a lot of producer and artist references went over my head. Questlove does a decent job of catering to a wide audience, but I definitely would have gotten much more out of this with some more background knowledge.
May 19, 2025
I love Questlove’s gift for telling a musical story through sound and video, so I had high hopes for this book. But it never quite worked for me. It felt very anecdotal while I was looking for more of a thread or history, something maybe more meaty. I’m left thinking (and hoping) that it would be amazing if he turned this into a tv series.
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