A product of a profound journey of self-knowledge, and a reckoning with all that your will can get you and all that it can leave behind, in this memoir, one of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life. Will Smith's transformation from a West Philadelphia kid to one of the biggest rap stars of his era, and then one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood history, is an epic tale-- but it's...

"From one of our generation’s most powerful artists and incisive storytellers comes a brilliantly crafted work about the art—and war—of becoming who we are." -Provided by Publisher

Before there was hip hop, there was DJ Kool Herc. On a hot day at the end of summer in 1973 Cindy Campbell threw a back-to-school party at a park in the South Bronx. Her brother, Clive Campbell, spun the records. He had a new way of playing the music to make the breaks the musical interludes between verses longer for dancing. He called himself DJ Kool Herc and this is When the Beat Was Born. From his childhood in Jamaica to his youth in the Bronx,...

"Rick Ross is an indomitable presence in the music industry, but few people know his full story. Now, for the first time, Ross offers a vivid, dramatic and unexpectedly candid account of his early childhood, his tumultuous adolescence and his dramatic ascendancy in the world of hip-hop. Born William Leonard Roberts II, Ross grew up 'across the bridge,' in a Miami at odds with the glitzy beaches, nightclubs and yachts of South Beach. In the aftermath...

How does one pay homage to A Tribe Called Quest? The seminal rap group brought jazz into the genre, resurrecting timeless rhythms to create masterpieces such as The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders. Seventeen years after their last album, they resurrected themselves with an intense, socially conscious record, We Got It from Here . . . Thank You 4 Your Service, which arrived when fans needed it most, in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Poet...

A wake-up call to empowerment. Oscar-nominated actress, Grammy-winning entertainer, entrepreneur--Queen Latifah has done it all. Through everything she has encountered, she has come to love herself, including her flaws. But this transformation didn't happen overnight: The Queen had to overcome a series of challenges--difficult moments--before she knew she was going to emerge triumphant. We all have such moments. The question is, how can we learn from...

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. From still-swirling conspiracy theories about the murders of Biggie and Tupac to the release of the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the era of gangster rap is one that...

Traces the life and career of the late rap musician and actor Tupac Shakur.

"Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson opens up about his ... comeback--from tragic personal loss to thriving businessman and cable's highest-paid executive--in this unique self-help guide ... In his early twenties [he'd risen] to the heights of fame and power in the cutthroat music business. A decade ago the multi-platinum selling rap artist decided to pivot. His ability to adapt to change was demonstrated when he became the executive producer and star of Power,...

"In this biography of Hip-Hop mogul Jay-Z, read everything about him from his rough childhood in Brooklyn to his rise to fame as a rapper and entrepreneur"--