"In the late 1980s, the emergence of gangsta rap shifted the epicenter of hip-hop from New York to Los Angeles. N.W.A.'s shocking success led to rivalries between members, backlash from the FBI, politicians, and police, and eventually an all-out war between East and West Coast rappers. In the process, hip-hop burst into mainstream America at a time of immense social change."--

"The essential oral history of hip-hop, from its origins on the playgrounds of the Bronx to its reign as the most powerful force in pop culture-from the award-winning journalist behind All the Pieces Matter, the New York Times bestselling oral history of The Wire. The music that we would later know as hip-hop was born at a party in the Bronx in the summer of 1973. Now, fifty years later, it's the most popular genre in America and its electric impact...