If you’re a Hip Hop fan and at a bit of a loss as to what to get for Christmas then hold tight because I have a perfect gift suggestion. Hip Hop Raised Me is an impressively weighty, deck-shaped book that’s been compiled by DJ Semtex and features all manner of incredible photos, features and ephemera from the very early days of Kool Herc’s block parties right up to the current day climate of Kanye’s chaos. As someone who’s devoured a lot of titles on this genre over the years I was pleasantly surprised by the high level of original content in the book, including the heartfelt intro that talks about PE visiting Manchester (Semtex’s home and mine) back in 87 by the main man himself Chuck D. Not to mention all the previously unseen flyers, quotes and photos of LL, Biggie, Nas and co. or the illuminating infographics in there, including a brilliant look at the history of various Hip-Hop beefs over the years. So if Hip Hop played even a small part in your musical youth then you’ll really, really, really enjoy reading this massive rap manual.
Get yourself a copy here.
thamesandhudson.com