Contents -- Advisory Board -- Foreword -- Introduction -- PART I: 1978-1984-THE OLD SCHOOL -- Afrika Bambaataa -- Zulu Nation Throwdown -- Planet Rock -- Kurtis Blow -- Rappin Blow (Part 2) -- The Breaks -- If I Ruled the World -- Brother D with Collective Effort -- How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise? -- Eddie Cheba -- Live at the Armory 1979 (1) -- Cold Crush Brothers -- Live at Harlem World 1981 -- Live at the Dixie 1982 -- Weekend -- Fresh Wild Fly and Bold -- DJ Hollywood -- Live at the Armory 1979 (2) -- Funky Four + 1 -- from Rappin and Rockin the House -- from That's the Joint -- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- from Live at the Audubon Ballroom (12/23/78) -- from Superrappin -- The Message -- White Lines (Don't Don't Do It) -- Lady B -- To the Beat, Y'all -- Sequence -- from Funk You Up -- from And You Know That -- from Simon Says -- Spoonie Gee -- from Spoonin Rap -- Love Rap -- Sugarhill Gang -- from Rapper's Delight -- Treacherous Three -- The New Rap Language -- from Kool Moe Dee's Battle with Busy Bee (1981) -- Tanya ("Sweet Tee") Winley -- Rhymin and Rappin -- Vicious Rap -- PART II: 1985-1992-THE GOLDEN AGE -- Beastie Boys -- Paul Revere -- Sure Shot -- Shadrach -- Big Daddy Kane -- Raw -- Wrath of Kane -- Ain't No Half Steppin' -- Boogie Down Productions -- Poetry -- Criminal Minded -- My Philosophy -- South Bronx -- Blackman in Effect -- De La Soul -- My Brother's a Basehead -- Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa -- Stakes Is High -- Eric B. & Rakim -- Eric B. Is President -- Paid in Full -- My Melody -- I Ain't No Joke -- Microphone Fiend -- Lyrics of Fury -- Gang Starr -- Step in the Arena -- Just to Get a Rep -- Words I Manifest (Remix) -- Ice-T -- 6 'N the Mornin' -- Colors -- Kool G Rap -- Road to the Riches -- Streets of New York -- Rikers Island -- Kool Moe Dee -- Go See the Doctor -- How Ya Like Me Now.

I Go to Work -- LL Cool J -- Rock the Bells -- I Can't Live Without My Radio -- I'm Bad -- I Need Love -- I'm That Type of Guy -- Mama Said Knock You Out -- MC Lyte -- 10% Dis -- I Cram to Understand U -- Cappuccino -- NWA -- Dopeman (Remix) -- Fuck tha Police -- Gangsta Gangsta -- Straight Outta Compton -- Public Enemy -- Miuzi Weighs a Ton -- Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos -- Rebel Without a Pause -- Fight the Power -- Welcome to the Terrordome -- Queen Latifah -- Evil That Men Do -- Elements I'm Among -- Run-DMC -- Sucker MC's -- It's Like That -- Peter Piper -- Proud to Be Black -- Salt-N-Pepa -- Tramp -- Let's Talk About Sex -- Schoolly D -- P.S.K. What Does It Mean -- Saturday Night -- Roxanne Shanté -- Roxanne's Revenge -- Independent Woman -- Slick Rick -- La Di Da Di -- Children's Story -- I Shouldn't Have Done It -- Too hort -- Cusswords -- The Ghetto -- A Tribe Called Quest -- I Left My Wallet in El Segundo -- Check the Rhime -- Award Tour -- Ultramagnetic MCs -- Ego Trippin -- Critical Beatdown -- X-Clan -- Grand Verbalizer -- A.D.A.M. -- PART III: 1993-1999-RAP GOES MAINSTREAM -- Arrested Development -- Tennessee -- Bahamadia -- Spontaneity -- Big L -- Ebonics (Criminal Slang) -- Big Punisher -- from Capital Punishment -- '95 Freestyle (feat. Fat Joe) -- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony -- Tha Crossroads -- Busta Rhymes -- from Scenario (A Tribe Called Quest) -- Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See -- Canibus -- Poet Laureate Infinity 3 -- Chino XL -- What Am I? -- Wordsmith -- Common -- I Used to Love H.E.R. -- The 6th Sense -- The Light -- A Song for Assata (feat. Cee-Lo) -- Digable Planets -- Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) -- DMX -- Damien -- Who We Be -- E-40 -- Sprinkle Me (feat. Suga T) -- Foxy Brown -- My Life -- BK Anthem -- Freestyle Fellowship -- Can You Find the Level of Difficulty in This? -- The Guidelines (Aceyalone).

The Fugees -- Vocab -- Fu-Gee-La -- Ready or Not -- Goodie Mob -- Cell Therapy -- Hieroglyphics -- Cab Fare -- Classic -- Virus (Del) -- Lauryn Hill -- Doo Wop (That Thing) -- Lost Ones -- Final Hour -- Ice Cube -- The Nigga Ya Love to Hate -- It's a Man's World (feat. Yo-Yo) -- A Bird in the Hand -- It Was a Good Day -- Jay-Z -- Dead Presidents II -- Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) -- Renegade (feat. Eminem) -- December 4th -- 99 Problems -- My President Is Black (D.C. Mix) -- KRS-One -- Sound of Da Police -- MCs Act Like They Don't Know -- The Lady of Rage -- Afro Puffs -- Unfucwitable -- Lil' Kim -- Queen Bitch (feat. The Notorious B.I.G.) -- Mia X -- Hoodlum Poetry -- Mobb Deep -- Shook Ones, Pt. II -- Quiet Storm (Remix) (feat. Lil' Kim) -- Nas -- from Live at the BBQ (Main Source) -- N.Y. State of Mind -- Life's a Bitch (feat. AZ) -- from The World Is Yours -- Ether -- Black President -- The Notorious B.I.G. -- '95 Freestyle (feat. Scoob, 2Pac, Shyheim, and Big Daddy Kane) -- One More Chance (Remix) -- Ten Crack Commandments -- I Got a Story to Tell -- Outkast -- Ras Kass -- Ordo Ab Chao (Order Out of Chaos) -- Interview with a Vampire -- The Roots -- The Next Movement -- from Act Too . . . The Love of My Life (feat. Common) -- You Got Me (feat. Eve and Erykah Badu) -- Web -- Scarface -- Mind Playing Tricks on Me (Geto Boys) -- I Seen a Man Die -- Snoop Dogg -- Nuthin but a G Thang (feat. Dr. Dre) -- Gin and Juice -- from Freestyle Conversation -- 2Pac -- Brenda's Got a Baby -- Dear Mama -- So Many Tears -- from All Eyez on Me -- Changes -- How Long Will They Mourn Me (feat. Nate Dogg, Big Syke, Rated R, and Macadoshis) -- Twista -- Emotions -- UGK -- Murder -- Dirty Money -- The Wu-Tang Clan -- Protect Ya Neck -- C.R.E.A.M. -- from Bring the Pain (Method Man) -- Duel of the Iron Mic (GZA) -- Incarcerated Scarfaces (Raekwon).

Brooklyn Zoo (Ol' Dirty Bastard) -- Daytona 500 (Ghostface Killah) -- The M.G.M. (Ghostface Killah and Raekwon) -- Triumph -- Shakey Dog (Ghostface Killah) -- PART IV: 2000-2010-NEW MILLENNIUM RAP -- Aesop Rock -- 9-5ers Anthem -- No Regrets -- Atmosphere -- Fuck You Lucy -- Sunshine -- Beanie Sigel -- The Truth -- Blackalicious -- Alphabet Aerobics -- My Pen & Pad -- Brother Ali -- Room with a View -- Picket Fence -- Cam'ron -- Get It in Ohio -- Cee-Lo -- Childz Play (feat. Ludacris) -- The Clipse -- Grindin -- Zen (feat. Roscoe P. Coldchain and Ab Liva) -- dead prez -- Police State -- Hip-Hop -- Devin the Dude -- Briarpatch -- DOOM -- Benzi Box (feat. Cee-Lo) -- Saliva (as Viktor Vaughn) -- Figaro -- Eminem -- Just Don't Give a Fuck -- The Way I Am -- Stan -- Lose Yourself -- Mockingbird -- When I'm Gone -- Eve -- Love Is Blind -- Eyedea & Abilities -- Bottle Dreams (as Oliver Hart) -- Now -- Lupe Fiasco -- Dumb It Down -- Hip-Hop Saved My Life -- 50 Cent -- 50 Shot Ya -- Ghetto Qua'ran -- Jean Grae -- Lovesong -- Hater's Anthem -- Don't Rush Me -- Immortal Technique -- Dance with the Devil -- Industrial Revolution -- K'Naan -- What's Hardcore? -- My Old Home -- Talib Kweli -- RE:DEFinition (Black Star w/Mos Def) -- For Women -- Give 'Em Hell -- Lil Wayne -- from Tha Block Is Hot -- I Feel Like Dying -- Live from the 504 -- Dr. Carter -- Little Brother -- All for You -- Ludacris -- Southern Hospitality -- Hip Hop Quotables -- M.I.A. -- Sunshowers -- Paper Planes -- Pharoahe Monch -- Releasing Hypnotical Gases (Organized Konfusion w/Prince Poetry) -- Simon Says -- Desire -- Mos Def -- Hip Hop -- Mathematics -- Dollar Day for New Orleans (Katrina Klap) -- Auditorium (feat. Slick Rick) -- T.I. -- T.I. vs. T.I.P. -- U Don't Know Me -- Kanye West -- All Falls Down -- Jesus Walks -- Homecoming -- Can't Tell Me Nothing -- Young Jeezy -- from Put On.

My President (feat. Nas) -- LYRICS FOR FURTHER STUDY -- Cadillac on 22's [2003] -- Reality Check [2000] -- Vapors [1988] -- The Choice Is Yours (Revisited) [1991] -- Luchini [1997] -- Grindin (Freestyle) [2003] -- They Want EFX [1992] -- For Colored Boys [2007] -- Summertime [1991] -- Say What's Real [2009] -- Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme [2005] -- The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) [1997] -- Strictly Business [1988] -- King Tim III (Personality Jock) [1979] -- Hate It or Love It [2005] -- Why [2004] -- Exhibit C [2009] -- Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story [2006] -- Come Clean [1993] -- Letter to Obama [2008] -- Ha [1998] -- BaKardi Slang [2000] -- from This Pussy's a Gangsta [2007] -- Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Ghetto Bastard) [1991] -- Country Grammar (Hot Shit) [2000] -- Sometimes I Rhyme Slow [1991] -- Time's Up [1994] -- They Reminisce over You (T.R.O.Y.) [1992] -- Passin Me By [1993] -- Rock Dis Funky Joint [1990] -- Makeshift Patriot [2003] -- Broken Language [1995] -- I Got It Made [1989] -- Talkin All That Jazz [1998] -- Afterword -- Afterword -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index of Songs, Albums, Movies, and Books -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z -- Index of Artists, Authors, and Labels -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z -- Credits.