Looking for the best Rap books? Browse our list to find excellent book recommendations on the subject.
- How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC (2009)
- The History of Gangster Rap: From Schoolly D to Kendrick Lamar (2018)
- The Anthology of Rap (2011)
- How to Rap 2: Advanced Flow and Delivery Techniques (2013)
- Understand Rap: Explanations of Confusing Rap Lyrics that You & Your Grandma Can Understand (2010)
- Rhyme Book – Rap Journal: A lyricists Hip Hop inspired notebook for Rap Bars, Lyrics, Hooks & Verses. 6 x 9 journal. 150 pages (2019)
- The Mouse Rap (1992)
- Rap Music and Street Consciousness (Music in American Life) (2004)
- Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization (2006)
- Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists (1999)
- Rap and Hip Hop Culture (2014)
- Paradise to Paradise: The Rap Reiplinger Story (2019)
- Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-Hop (2018)
- Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap (2017)
- House Party Murder Rap: 1920s Historical Cozy Mystery (An Evie Parker Mystery) (2018)
How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC (2009)
Clipse, Cypress Hill, Nelly, Public Enemy, Remy Ma, Schoolly D, A Tribe Called Quest, will.i.am—these are just some of the acclaimed artists offering tips and advice in this compelling how-to.
The History of Gangster Rap: From Schoolly D to Kendrick Lamar (2018)
The History of Gangster Rap is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating subgenres of any music category to date. Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music.
The Anthology of Rap (2011)
From the school yards of the South Bronx to the tops of the Billboard charts, rap has emerged as one of the most influential musical and cultural forces of our time.
How to Rap 2: Advanced Flow and Delivery Techniques (2013)
This sequel to How to Rap breaks down and examines techniques that have not previously been explained—such as triplets, flams, lazy tails, and breaking rhyme patterns. Based on interviews with hip-hop’s most innovative artists and groups, including Tech N9ne, Crooked I, Pharcyde, Das EFX, Del the Funky Homosapien, and Big Daddy Kane, this book takes you through the intricacies of rhythm, rhyme, and vocal delivery, delving into the art form in unprecedented detail.
Understand Rap: Explanations of Confusing Rap Lyrics that You & Your Grandma Can Understand (2010)
Rap songs are famous for their double entendres, clever turns of phrase, and general ingenuity, but that doesn’t mean things always make sense the first time around. Enter Understand Rap, a very funny pop-cultural reference book based on the website of the same name, which precisely explains the confusing lyrics and terms used in rap songs using language that even the most un-hip person can understand.
Rhyme Book – Rap Journal: A lyricists Hip Hop inspired notebook for Rap Bars, Lyrics, Hooks & Verses. 6 x 9 journal. 150 pages (2019)
Rhyme Book – Rap Journal. A lyricists Hip Hop inspired notebook for Rap Bars, Lyrics, Hooks & Verses. Perfect for aspiring or established rap / hip-hop artists and MC’s to record their ideas and thoughts for songs, freestyles other projects. Ideal for encouraging consistent and regular writing practice of the craft. A must for all true lyricists. 6 x 9 lined journal. 150 pages.
The Mouse Rap (1992)
You can call me Mouse, ’cause that’s my tag I’m into it all, everything’s my bag my ace is Styx, he’ll always do Add Bev and Sheri, and you got my crewand a crew it is! For fourteen-year-old Mouse, this summer is anything but boring. His father, who checked out from the family eight years ago, is now trying to make a comeback as a dad. Beverly, a new girl from California, seems to like locking lips with the Mouse–but she seems to like other guys, as well.
Rap Music and Street Consciousness (Music in American Life) (2004)
In this first musicological history of rap music, Cheryl L.
Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization (2006)
In this lively ethnography Ian Condry interprets Japan’s vibrant hip-hop scene, explaining how a music and culture that originated halfway around the world is appropriated and remade in Tokyo clubs and recording studios.
Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists (1999)
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 irreverant bible of true hip hip knowledge.
Rap and Hip Hop Culture (2014)
Rap and Hip Hop Culture traces the ideological, social, historical, and cultural influences on a musical genre that first came to prominence in the mid-1970s in one of New York’s toughest neighborhoods, the South Bronx. Orejuela describes how the arts of DJing, MCing, breakin’ [b-boying], and graffiti developed as a way for this community’s struggle to find its own voice.
Paradise to Paradise: The Rap Reiplinger Story (2019)
More than four decades after redefining comedy in Hawaii, Rap Reiplinger and his humor are still making people laugh. His iconic catch phrases are forever carved in the memory banks of fans old and new, whether they live in Hawaii or have migrated elsewhere.
Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-Hop (2018)
The neighborhoods of Fifth Ward, Fourth Ward, Third Ward, and the Southside of Houston, Texas, gave birth to Houston rap, a vibrant music scene that has produced globally recognized artists such as Geto Boys, DJ Screw, Pimp C and Bun B of UGK, Fat Pat, Big Moe, Z-Ro, Lil’ Troy, and Paul Wall.
Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap (2017)
Amid rising gang violence, the crack epidemic, and police brutality, a group of unlikely voices cut through the chaos of late 1980s Los Angeles: N.W.A. Led by a drug dealer, a glammed-up producer, and a high school kid, N.W.A gave voice to disenfranchised African Americans across the country. And they quickly redefined pop culture across the world. Their names remain as popular as ever–Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube.
House Party Murder Rap: 1920s Historical Cozy Mystery (An Evie Parker Mystery) (2018)
1920s England. Lighthearted cozy historical mystery.Two people have been targeted. Shots have been fired. Who stands to inherit? Who has the most to lose? Evangeline ‘Evie’ Parker, Countess of Woodridge, thinks it’s nothing but an accident but then an attempt is made on her host’s life. Suddenly, all the guests attending the Duke of Hetherington’s house party think they are being targeted.
Best Rap Books that Should be on Your Bookshelf
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some rap books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
The teacher development continuum in the United States and China : summary of a workshop
Author(s): Ana Ferreras and Steve Olsen, rapporteurs ; A. Ester Sztein, ed.; et al.
ID: 1324837, Publisher: National Academies Press, Year: [2010], Size: 925 Kb, Format: pdf
Practical mind reading : a course of lessons on thought-transference, telepathy, mental-currents, mental rapport, etc.
Author(s): William Walker Atkinson
ID: 1317900, Publisher: Advanced Thought Pub. Co., Year: [1908], Size: 4 Mb, Format: pdf
The arm movement method of rapid writing
Author(s): by C.P. Zaner.
ID: 1034135, Publisher: Zaner & Bloser Co., Year: [1904], Size: 6 Mb, Format: pdf
Please note that this booklist is not final. Some books are absolutely hot items according to USA Today, others are written by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.