With roots that stretch from West Africa through the black pulpit, hip-hop emerged in the streets of the South Bronx in the 1970s and has spread to the farthest corners of the earth. This book examines this freestyle verbal artistry on its own terms. Music critic Cobb, who spent his youth at the epicenter of the new art form, takes readers inside the beats, the lyrics, and the flow of hip-hop, separating mere corporate rappers from the creative MCs that forged the art in the crucible of the street jam. Unlike books that focus on hip-hop as a social movement or a commercial phenomenon, this book tracks the music's aesthetic, stylistic, and thematic evolution from its inception to today's distinctly regional sub-divisions and styles. Written with an insider's ear, it illuminates hip-hop's innovations in a freestyle form that speaks to both aficionados and newcomers to the art.--From publisher description.