New York Times staff writer Jonathan Abrams has released a new book called "The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip Hop," which dives into the genre's origins through a series of roughly 300 interviews with the pioneers and architects of the culture.
Published by Penguin Books, "The Come Up" offers unique perspectives from MCs/producers such as Grandmaster Caz, Ice Cube, Marley Marl and Bun B.
"I knew that we had been coming up on 50 or so years [since Kool Herc’s first party on August 11, 1973], and I felt like this was a history that hadn’t been studied and explored and excavated as much as it should be," Abrahms told Okayplayer. "There had been Jeff Chang’s book [Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop] and Dan Charnas’ The Big Payback, both of which are amazing. But I wanted to read a historical book and account in these people’s own words and thoughts without them being diluted at all."
As Abrams mentioned, Hip Hop is turning 50 on August 11, 2023. While the celebration gets underway, find "The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip Hop" here.
