Top products from r/hiphopheads
We found 113 product mentions on r/hiphopheads. We ranked the 713 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
Sentiment score: 13
Number of reviews: 11
Picador USA
2. Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Professional Turntable (USB & Analog), Silver
Sentiment score: 5
Number of reviews: 9
Connectivity Technology: WiredIncluded Components: Headshell/cartridgeAC line corddual RCA (female) to 3.5 mm (1/8") mini-plug (male) stereo adapter cabledual RCA (female) to 3.5 mm (1/8") mini-plug (female) stereo adapter cable45 RPM adapterUSB cablerecording software
3. Yeezus [Explicit]
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 8
WEST KANYER&P INTERNATIONALINTERNATIONALMUSIC
4. Bun B's Rapper Coloring and Activity Book
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 6
Abrams Image
5. The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed
Sentiment score: 4
Number of reviews: 6
The Rap Year Book The Most Important Rap Song from Every Year Since 1979 Discussed Debated and Deconstructed
6. Audio-Technica AT-LP60BK Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Stereo Turntable, Black
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 5
Rediscover your classic 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records on this affordable, fully automatic belt drive turntableBuilt in switchable phono pre amplifier with RCA output cables to connect to audio systems and powered speakersFeatures integral audio technica dual magnet phono cartridge with replaceable diamo...
7. The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 5
New American Library
9. Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 5
10. Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 4
St Martin s Press
11. Hip Hop Family Tree Book 1: 1970s-1981 (Hip Hop Family Tree)
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 4
Fantagraphics Books
13. Sennheiser HD280PRO Headphones (old model)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 3
Dynamic, closed ear headphones with up to 32 dB attenuation of outside soundLightweight and comfortable, ergonomic design, Cord Length 3.3 9.8 feet CoiledExtended frequency response and warm, natural sound reproductionAround the ear design with padded earcupsEarpads, headband padding, and audio...
14. Audio-Technica AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Stereo Turntable, Silver
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 3
Convert your vinyl records to digital audio filesMac and PC compatible Audacity software digitizes your recordsFully automatic belt drive turntable operation with 2 speeds: 33 1/3, 45 RPMAnti resonance, die cast aluminum platterIf you are purchasing the product for a sales area outside the U.S; yo...
16. Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 3
Villard
If you guys are looking for a certified book on Rap, please consider Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists . It's a little old now (about 10 years out of date) but it is a fucking fantastic read if you have even a slight interest in rap music. Great coffee table book that you can just pick up and flip to a random section and be thoroughly entertained.
Edit: It's also very funny. I'll give someone 5 grand if they can find me that Biz Markee dummy.
Depends on where you live but for both Europe as US there are plenty of options. This is for example a nice entry level tt which has everything you need included: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q
If that's still too pricy, get a second hand one but than you have to be careful what you buy cause quality varies a lot (though there's plenty of great second hand deals to be found).
> aux output
all tt have this but not on standard line level which means you need a "phono amp" to connect it to anything with standard line level inputs (standard aux input). an amplifier with an aux input labeled "phono" has this built-in. There are also a few tt such as the one which I linked which have this built in (which means you don't need to buy anything extra). The one which I linked also has a built in analog-to-digital converter with a USB output. I think it would be best if you learned the basics about tt's yourself before purchasing one.
I know you've gotten a bunch of suggestions, but I would recommend Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh. The beatboxing/rapping duo was creative, Slick Rick is maybe rap's greatest storyteller, and Rick has two classic songs (Children's Story and La Di Da Di, which has been sampled by just about everybody.
Also I would check out Shea Serrano's Rap Yearbook. Nice little reference for some of rap's most influential songs.
The best starter table imo is the Audio-Technica AT-LP120 it has everything you need for a good table (cue lever, adjustable weight, good cartridge) at a good price. Get you some decent powered speakers and you're pretty set for a good vinyl setup
I got an Audio Technica LP120-USB. I love it so far! And I'm mainly interested in almost anything Hip-Hop, current and oldies. I also like Indie, like Arcade Fire, NMH, VW, Radiohead, Animal Collective, Modest Mouse. And some weird stuff, like Boards Of Canada, BSBD, Daft Punk, FlyLo. I just want good websites that'll give me nice info on purchases I may make.
This is a really interesting story. I had heard about it but really got it when I read: http://www.amazon.com/Hip-Hop-Family-Tree-Book/dp/1606996908
If you like going deep into the start of hiphop, I really recommend that comic. It's great.
To be quite honest, that's what makes it so appealing to me.
The fact that he tells "a pretty generic hood story" as you put it but manages to make it sound so god damn smooth.
Imagine any other artist, writing this song without the rewind concept. It would be the most boring-ass, generic rap song. Nas turned that into a classic.
This song was even talked about in How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC. It's a pretty interesting read btw, I recommend it to anyone on /r/hiphopheads/
This might not be as detailed as you'd like but I super highly recommend it to anyone who's asking about hip hop history (and likes books): http://www.amazon.com/Rap-Year-Book-Important-Deconstructed/dp/1419718185/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463667021&sr=1-1&keywords=hip+hop+yearbook
For anyone interested on this type of thing, I would highly recommend The Big Payback. Some of the best investigative journalism I've ever read. This dude starts with hip hop's roots in the 20's with jazz and works his way to the mid 2000's. One of the most interesting reads I've ever had. You would be amazed at how some of the slang and phrases in hip hop originated. The depth and detail in this book are absolutely unmatched.
After the free book of covers, they announced a Vol. 1 hardcover that comes out in October. Pretty sure there will be a Vol. 2 hardcover as well, but I'm not counting on a second free book of covers since Marvel is now doing all they can to squeeze every dime they can out of hip-hop fans.
I hope you weren't actually planning on learning to rap with that book.
It's an interesting read in places, but it doesn't actually have any useful or practical information on how to rap.
A great book is Check The Technique.
One of the best papers I've read on this topic that gives a comprehensive review on the policy, history, and urbanization of racial ghettos is this one (its really really dense and goes in depth on a lot of material but its extremely comprehensive).
On general matters of race and civil rights, you can't go wrong with The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
If you want a more hip hop based approach, I recommend Jeff Chang's Can't Stop Won't Stop . This one is more of a history on the hip hop generation in general but gives a great background on how hip hop rose out of racial conflict.
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation
|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|
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I haven't seen this in person, but the Hip Hop Family Tree graphic novels look really awesome and I'd be excited to receive one.
Yeah that one's really great. I'd also recommend Can't Stop Won't Stop like /u/courage_wolf said, as well as Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip-Hop
The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. It's all about the business of hiphop, from the very beginning up until early 2000's. It is super interesting though and I was amazed how much business affects the art.
Another great one is Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation. Basically starts in Jamaica with Herc and ends in the late 90s/early 2000s. A bit lengthy but a great read.
Audio Technica my friend told me it's pretty good for the price and the fact that it's my first one.
I'm open up to suggestions of a future upgrade.
This is my record player. Then I have an old pair of toshiba speakers that I grabbed at a thrift shop that have an amazing sound. I power them with this. Classic I would recommend buying would definitely be Enter the 36 Chambers - Wu-Tang, Madvillainy - Madvillain, MBDTF - Kanye West, Illmatic - Nas, and The Infamous - Mobb Deep.
Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic by Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai. This book takes each of Nas's 10 songs in Illmatic and dissects them based on content into distinct and diverse critiques of social and cultural issues. It's a really great read and has tons of different contributors, including Mark Anthony Neal and Common. I took Daulatzai's class at my school and it completely changed the way I see hip hop. Also, This Is the Life, a documentary that focuses on the The Good Life venue where many of Los Angeles's underground and alternative acts honed their skills through freestyle.
/u/sheaserrano is a bit of an asshole, but his The Rap Year Book has some phenomenal reviews, and I think it really does a good job of giving credence to the early history of the genre.
Something worth mentioning is a book by Shea Serrano called The Rap Year Book. It takes the most important song from each year and talks about it a bunch. It mirrors this list a lot which is cool. Also good art.
Can't Stop Won't Stop by David Chang. A GREAT look at hip hop's first years and cultural context. Highly recommended.
Rap IS poetry man, at least the good stuff. I've always loved Doom for the rhyme schemes and original metaphors with lines like
"A dead mouse is how he catch a phrase / in paws plays with it / kill it, and eat of it for days, get it?"
He uses a lot more tools than a lot of rappers. Aesop Rock is another guy who borders on gibberish but after enough listens you start to come around to the way he talks about things. A good book if you're seriously interested in the topic and/or want to write an actual paper is this. Also, rapgenius.com is dope for reading along if you didn't already know.
You can get a used copy of Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists on Amazon for very cheap. It was published in 1999 but it's a great read.
Hey, so I could use some help getting started on buying a new record player. I just recently got into vinyl and got a record player for Christmas but I've just discovered it sucks ass and may be detrimental to my records. I went on /r/vinyl, I have a Lauson Woodsound record player.
I'm on a budget, though. Altogether, it'd probably have to be below 350 bucks. I've gotten a few recommendations here already that I've kept on hand (/u/TheInfinityGauntlet helped me a lot). If anyone could help me get started putting together a full set up that'd be great. I was going to get this Audio-Technica LP60 but on /r/vinyl they pretty much hate this thing.
To keep this hip hop related, what records do you have on vinyl? Right now the only rap record I have is Orpheus vs. the Sirens.
For studio stuff, or just quality listening (in your house or something) I love the Sennheiser HD280 pro's. Also, I hate to say it, but beats sound great.
Read The Hip Hop Wars, if you guys want to know how it really goes down. Scholarly work by Tricia Rose, you may recognize her as the Author of "Black Noise" too. Basically fuck Clear Channel radio, and suited old white men trying to decide what 13-18 white girls want to hear. Those are your radio bangers. Pretty simple, and pretty obvious that average listeners have no say in what is "popular music."
Not much time, but this would be of great assistance to you.
Also available on Amazon.com.
Amazon.com mp3 Copy - 9.99
Amazon.com Physical Copy - 9.99
Note: if you buy the physical copy, you get a free copy of the digital from Amazon.com.
EDIT: Google Play now has it too! - 11.49
Well Yeezus on French Amazon has four track placeholders and there was also an ad for Best Buy advertising 14 tracks
Whatever you don't go for a Crosley or any of those cheap portable players you see at Walmart, Urban Outfitters, etc. They'll ruin your records.
Most people recommend Audio-Technicas for cheap but solid first-purchase record players. Check out either the AT-LP60 or the AT-LP120. I've got the 120 myself and it's pretty damn good
Best entry bang for your buck would probably be Audio Technica LP120. I can't say I'm incredibly well versed in different turntables and such, but this seems to be a consensus good starter turn table. Just make sure whatever you get has a counterweight on the arm to prevent damage to your records
http://smile.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458516399&sr=8-1&keywords=lp120
Check out The Tao of Wu or The Wu-Tang Manual by RZA. very cool and interesting
EDIT: forgot to mention DMX's autobiography its reeeaaally dark tho
Can anyone recc me some psychedelic rock? stuff like GOAT, Portugal. The Man etc.. Similarly I wouldn't mind some more glitch music like ediT.
oh, and I'm also looking to buy a new record player. can anyone vouch for this?
Fully endorse the homie Shea.
For future nominations my two favorite hip hop books I've read are:
Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove
and
Born To Use Mics
Everyone interested in this needs to peep this book, explains the stories behind classic albums and their individual tracks. Fucking great book and no I'm not a shill. Check The Technique:
Edit: downvotes? This is about exactly the thread topic. Funny shit
I've used Bose once before and the sound quality was great. I haven't had a quality set of headphones in a while. I was looking at the Beyerdynamics and these Sennheisers
@jeff1317:
>2013-05-18 16:54
>Just got a fun message: Kanye West's sixth studio album "Yeezus" out June 18th. Amazon pre-order: amazon.com ; iTunes "soon"
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What's your favorite hip hop related book?
I was recommended The Hip Hop Wars but I'm not sure if it'll be worthwhile to pick up, anyone read it?
Yeah
I want to recommend Jeff Chang's "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation". It's about the origin of hip hop https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Stop-Wont-History-Generation/dp/0312425791
AT LP120
Best starter table, hands down.
Yeah, I feel. This is the one I'm using at the moment & I like it. Obviously not the most high end thing but it does the job well.
Damn this is really dope, would love to cop that Luv(sic) Hexalogy.
The Japanese Hip-Hop manga is actually just a Japanese translation of Hip-Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor so you can check that out if it piqued your interests.
Ill just make a list of some hip hop books ive read and enjoyed for those interested:
Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon
Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1, Vol 2 , and Vol 3
Jay Z's Decoded
2Pac Vs Biggie
Born To Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic
Eminem's The Way I Am
The Legends of Hip Hop
Prodigy's My Infamous Life
a lot of this is covered in the phenomenal Can't Stop, Won't Stop by Jeff Chang. i highly recommend it
There's a couple Hip Hop History books out there already for anyone interested
https://www.amazon.com/Hip-Hop-Raised-Me-Semtex/dp/0500518947/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539640654&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hip+hop+raised+me+book&dpPl=1&dpID=61SNyHlj2%2BL&ref=plSrch
https://www.amazon.com/Rap-Year-Book-Important-Deconstructed/dp/1419718185/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539640799&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=rap+yearbook&dpPl=1&dpID=51iWiCedZwL&ref=plSrch
I highly recommend this book; lots of historic Hip Hop related photos, interviews etc. Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
I got my brother Bun B's Rapper Coloring and Activity Book a Pac shirt and some money.
You should check for any shows by his favorite artists and get some tickets
Get this LP120
Vinyl is an expensive hobby but i would not recommend anything less than this. If it's not in your budget then start saving up.
The lp120 is essential everything in one. It's expensive but it's the least expensive i would ever recommend to anyone.
Remember this golden rule.
Less than 200$? Fucking trash.
No opinion, but I'd recommend you look into the book The Big Payback for some background. Talks a lot about the history of the business of hip hop and how it's pretty much been financed or exploited (depending on your perspective) by white dudes since the beginning. It was the textbook for my history of american hip hop class in college.
Not sure if it's been posted, but the French site for Amazon has a pre-order with 14 tracks.
Granted, some of the track titles are different, but I feel like Amazon would have their shit in order.
If you still wanna support your shop you can pick up a copy of this when it drops. That's what I'm gonna do.
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation Really enjoyable and exhaustive history of hip-hop from its roots through 2005
On Amazon:
Canada
US
If anyone wants to learn more about hip hop being created in the South Bronx in the 70s and 80s, check out this fantastic book-
Amazon Link
whoever posted first is shadowbanned.
and op, you can buy it on amazon apparently
http://www.amazon.com/Pimp-Butterfly-Kendrick-Lamar/dp/B00UDDM7K0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426781860&sr=8-1&keywords=to+pimp+a+butterfly
Yep, The Wu-Tang Manual, written by RZA.
Got it for christmas, still haven't got to read all the way through it. The stuff I've seen in there so far is dope, though.
He's got another book that's a sequel to this one or something, but I ain't read it and I'm too high/lazy to go find a link for it
On amazon but the title and the cover isn't updated yet: http://www.amazon.com/Untitled-Explicit-Kendrick-Lamar/dp/B00UDDM7K0
Can't Stop Won't Stop: http://www.amazon.com/Cant-Stop-Wont-History-Generation/dp/0312425791
A little back story on Shea Serrano (writer of this story), who I follow on twitter; he always rags on J Cole. I don't know if he really doesn't like him or is just being sarcastic. He also wrote a coloring book with Bun B, which is probably why he's the guy with all the answers
Link to the coloring book if anyone's interested:
http://www.amazon.com/Bun-Rapper-Coloring-Activity-Book/dp/1419710419/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419364809&sr=1-1&keywords=bun+b
Thats not Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists
Ego trip's book of rap lists. http://www.amazon.com/Ego-Trips-Book-Rap-Lists/dp/0312242980. This is a must read. It's kinda old. I've had it for at least 10 years.
http://www.amazon.com/Holler-If-You-Hear-Me/dp/0465017282
http://www.amazon.com/Born-Use-Mics-Reading-Illmatic/dp/0465002110
http://www.amazon.com/Know-What-Mean-Reflections-Hip-Hop/dp/0465018076/ref=la_B001IGNVH4_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397827979&sr=1-4
http://www.amazon.com/Between-God-Gangsta-Rap-Bearing-ebook/dp/B000VDM612/ref=la_B001IGNVH4_1_16?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397827995&sr=1-16
Use this book as a tool!!!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465003478/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0972188223&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=16T63P90Y6R2SSR5YRGX
https://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Hip-Hop-Covers-Vol-1/dp/1302902334
Marvel: The Hip-Hop Covers Vol. 1
The first volume is coming out in book form https://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Hip-Hop-Covers-Vol-1/dp/1302902334/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Bun B's rap coloring book
Bun B coloring book
there are still people that know it seems
http://www.amazon.com/Bun-Rapper-Coloring-Activity-Book/dp/1419710419
https://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-Art-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527022188&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+rap
it shows the intricacies of the song writing for individual artists and the subtle details that make or break a song.
How to Rap
Read RZA's book The Tao of Wu
Don't make judgments or assumptions of people unless you hear it from them.
I've had this audio technica one in my cart for awhile but I haven't bit the bullet yet
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008872SIO/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Audio Technica AT-LP60BK Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Stereo Turntable, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008872SIO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UqO0Bb8C0G3JJ
It might have more tracks.
Check the tracklist here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yeezus-Kanye-West/dp/B00CV5ZPA2
It was. In the UK at least. We'll see tomorrow if I get it though.
US: http://www.amazon.com/Untitled-Explicit-Kendrick-Lamar/dp/B00UDDM7K0/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1426096288&sr=1-1&keywords=kendrick+lamar
Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Untitled-Explicit-Kendrick-Lamar/dp/B00UDDM7K0/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1426096288&sr=1-1&keywords=kendrick+lamar
I died laughing when I saw this one. Also, you can preorder the book here.
not a biography, but a huge chunk of the book revolves around him:
http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0451234782
tons of hip hop knowledge to be learned in that book
I wouldn't doubt it. I read the Wu-Tang manual and RZA talks about how GhostFace was someone you wouldn't want to mess with.
I'm paraphrasing cause I don't have the book on me, but he said there was one instance where they got in a fight and Ghost was holding two guy's heads underneath each arm and was about to fight a third dude.
Amazon link to the book (was a great read): http://www.amazon.com/Wu-Tang-Manual-RZA/dp/1594480184
[According to this link the untitled tracks are called Guilt Trip and Send It Up.](http://www.amazon.fr/Yeezus-Kanye-West/dp/B00CV5ZPA2/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_3
)
Sennheiser HD280 Pro. 100 bucks on Amazon.
I've had these for about 5 or 6 years now and they're still going strong. Closed back, so you put these on with some music playing, nobody's hearing you, you're not hearing them.
Only downside is that they're pretty snug. They block out a stupid amount of noise, but they do that by squishing the pads around your ears. Not a huge deal, I wore them for about 9 hours straight on a flight and only started to get uncomfortable towards the end.
[http://www.amazon.fr/Yeezus-Kanye-West/dp/B00CV5ZPA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371010597&sr=8-1&keywords=yeezus](This French preorder says 14 tracks)
[http://i.imgur.com/JS5Qr6S.jpg](Ad somebody posted)
EDIT: stupid formatting's not working right.
Alright so I have logic , really enjoy it so far.
My next step would to buy something like this
However, for the turnable , I have an audio-technia turntable but the arm is really fucked and i think my belt is warped.
Suggestions on the turntable?
I can't recommend those portable record players to anyone. I had one for a while and the needle is shit, the sound quality is shit, and they really just pick up on every little imperfection in your records. Tiny scratches will make them skip, any sort of warping will be amplified times 10. I got this: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120-USB-Direct-Drive-Professional-Turntable/dp/B002S1CJ2Q a few years ago and the difference is just night and day.
i would add to this the hip hop wars by trisha rose.
>Hip-hop is in crisis. For the past dozen years, the most commercially successful hip-hop has become increasingly saturated with caricatures of black gangstas, thugs, pimps, and ’hos. The controversy surrounding hip-hop is worth attending to and examining with a critical eye because, as scholar and cultural critic Tricia Rose argues, hip-hop has become a primary means by which we talk about race in the United States.
>In The Hip-Hop Wars, Rose explores the most crucial issues underlying the polarized claims on each side of the debate: Does hip-hop cause violence, or merely reflect a violent ghetto culture? Is hip-hop sexist, or are its detractors simply anti-sex? Does the portrayal of black culture in hip-hop undermine black advancement?
Here's a comment in that ODB verse thread by /u/albinojustice
>Speaking of ODB's death, I recently read the RZA's memoir, The Tao of Wu and he has a very chilling story about the day Dirty died. Apparently earlier in the day Dirty had forced his son and RZA to watch him smoke crack and wouldn't let them leave. He then told RZA repeatedly that he "didn't understand." A few hours later he was gone. Shows just how crazy things had gotten for ODB by that point.
EDIT: Imma take this moment to plug the actual book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Tao-Wu-RZA/dp/1594484856