I didn't grow up in New York City and my first introduction to the art form was through Rapper's Delight (unfortunately), but hip-hop is my favorite music genre. I use it to lift my spirits when I'm depressed, and to make me feel powerful when I need a boost of confidence. I've also been known to actually tear up when I hear a good sample used in a particularly masterful way or an intricate scratching routine. Seriously.

So I was excited to read this new book by music historian, Mark Katz. He specifically chose to focus on DJs that actually manipulate records, not the DJ/producers that are so popular today. Even though I've learned about the history from reading other books, it was still interesting to hear about who invented what scratch and how the technology has advanced and its effect on the industry. The inclusion of female DJs was nice, because they are so often overlooked, but I would have liked for that chapter to have been a little longer. This is a great addition to the growing canon of books about hip-hop.