American Hip-Hop

Rappers, DJs, and Hard Beats

From the Series American Music Milestones

  • Interest Level: Grade 5 - Grade 12
  • Reading Level: Grade 6

A rapper spits rhymes into a microphone.
A DJ scratches a record back and forth against a turntable needle.
Fans’ feet stomp along to a stiff beat.
These are the sounds of hip-hop.

Hip-hop music busted out of New York City in the 1970s. Many young African Americans found their voices after stepping up to the mic. In the decades afterward, rappers and DJs took over the airwaves and transformed American music. In the twenty-first century, hip-hop is a global sensation.

Learn what inspired hip-hop’s earliest rappers to start rhyming over beats, as well as the stories behind hip-hop legends such as Run-D.M.C., 2Pac, Lauryn Hill, and Jay-Z. Follow the creativity and the rivalries that have fueled everything from party raps to songs about social struggles. And find out how you can add your own sounds to the mix!

Format Your Price Add
978-1-5124-5271-6
$34.99
978-1-4677-5964-9
$39.99
978-1-5124-4152-9
$19.99
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Interest Level Grade 5 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 6
Genre Social Studies
Copyright 2013
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Twenty-First Century Books ™
Language English
Number of Pages 64
Publication Date 2014-08-01
Reading Counts! Level 7.6
Text Type Informational/Explanatory
BISACS JNF036060, JNF036000, JNF036020
Dewey 782.42164909
Graphics Full-color illustrations
Dimensions 9.75 x 9.75
Lexile 1020
Features Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Glossary, Index, Reviewed, Sidebars, Source notes, Table of contents, Teaching Guides, Timeline, and eSource

Author: Nathan Sacks

Nathan Sacks is a writer and journeyman scholar born and raised in Ames, IA. He graduated from Cornell College in 2009 with departmental honors in English and received his MA in English Literature from NYU in 2012. His areas of interest include literature, music, culture, politics and film. You can read his writings about music (along with contributions from fellow Lerner music author Aaron Mendelson) at the Rockaliser blog (http://rockaliser.blogspot.com). He also enjoys playing guitar, comic books and matching wits with his rebellious cat Uzi. His first book American Hip-Hop: Rappers, DJs and Hard Beats, is a contribution to Lerner's American Music Milestones series. He hopes to write many more books in the future, and dreams of one day adding novels, screenplays and albums to his repertoire of creative accomplishments.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

American Music Milestones

This high-interest series looks at key musical landscapes in American music. Each book takes a peek at the key events, performers, albums, and songs in the evolution of a specific musical genre. View available downloads →

Awards

  • Booklist Top 10 Series Nonfiction, Winner, 2013

Reviews

School Library Journal, Series Made Simple

“From bluegrass to blue-eyed soul and bubblegum pop to hip-hop, readers discover the exciting evolution of music in America…. This informative set will be useful for reports and of high interest to reluctant readers.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple