Serrano, S., Torres, A., & Ice-T. (2015). The rap year book. New York: Abrams
Growing up in a Latino household, I grew up on salsa and other various Spanish music. Rap music was the first genre outside of Spanish music that I ever listened to so it was very exciting to see this book on the list. Shea Serrano, Ice-T, and Arturo Torres compile a very compelling and chronological history of rap songs. The way they explain what this book is about and what their intentions were really impressed me and really captured my attention as a “hip hop head.” It was very nostalgic, especially reading up in the time that I was an avid fan. There is no doubt that rap evolved and became mainstream. Kids of any race listen, therefore, I believe it would be a cool, not necessarily important book to add to a teen collection. In terms of history and research, it should be included in a teen collection. It would certainly educate teens who are heavily influenced by the genre.
Bradley, A. (2011, September). The anthology of rap. New Haven: Yale University Press.
I decided to pair The Rap Yearbook with Adam’s Bradley’s The Anthology of Rap. When I was browsing the NYPL catalog for the first book, I stumbled upon this gem. The book discusses rap and breaks it down for those not familiar with the genre. I think its beautifully written and really shines light on the music as poetic (although some songs just aren’t).
VOYA
Grade Level – A/YA
Quality – 5Q
Popularity – 2P
Appeal: Evenly paced, nonfiction, appendix, colorful illustration, poetic tone, knowledgeable.
Yesenia Escobar 