Kool G Rap, PE and More Discuss Hip-Hop 101 in New Book

As we mark the 13th anniversary of the death of the Notorious B.I.G, one of the most influential rappers in hip-hop history, the Chicago Review Press announces the release of 'How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC.' Authored by Paul Edwards, with foreword from the legendary Kool G Rap, the book is a lesson in the art of rapping, taught by those who have done it best.

Over 100 MCs from all levels and generations of the hip-hop industry have been interviewed – from pioneers such as Big Daddy Kane and golden era stalwarts Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Quest, to "rapper's rappers" like Pharoahe Monch and new school frontrunners the Clipse, Crooked I, and Royce da 5'9. Also included are discussions with interviewees on the work of some of hip-hop's best – B.I.G., 2Pac, Rakim, Jay-Z, Outkast, Eminem, KRS-One – and the first complete breakdown of the art of "flow," allowing readers to recreate the style of some of their favorite artists.

'How to Rap' is broken into four parts -- content, flow, writing, delivery -- as well as subsections on such vital rap elements as topics, freestyling and collaboration, vocal techniques and improving concert and studio work. Readers will learn how producers Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, and DJ Premier work with rappers, how to create compound rhymes, and to have an ear for picking the right singles and beats. Says famed poet Nikki Giovanni, "How to Rap' is classic in an art that is just coming into a definition of itself. Everyone who wants to go to the next level needs this book, it's the inside and outside of the trade."

For more information, check out the 'How to Rap' website.