This rich, diverse, and intelligent collection of hip-hop and rap album reviews includes pieces from some of the country's most talented critics on hip-hop music, drawing on a range of expertise from writers at such magazines as Spin, Rolling Stone, The Source, and Vibe. With over 40 entries covering more than 60 classic albums, it disproves the idea that there is a dearth of intelligent commentary and criticism on rap music. Essays and reviews include observations on the music and meaning of the Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, Eminem, Ice-T, Public Enemy, and Run DMC. Tupac's legacy, Jay-Z's pop allure, and Pharcyde's black masculinity issues are also explored.

The team of writers assembled for this project include some of the best talents in music journalism today including:

Jeff Chang (SF Bay Guardian, author of the forthcoming Can't Stop, Won't Stop)

Dave Tompkins (Wire, Grand Slam, author of the forthcoming Reason For a Nice Day)

Hua Hsu (URB, Village Voice)

Jefferson Mao (Ego Trip, XXL)

Ernest Hardy (LA Weekly)

Joseph Patel (Blender, Complex, ESPN)

Jon Caramanics (Rolling Stone, Boston Phoenix)

Elizabeth Mendez Berry (Vibe)

Tony Green (Village Voice, Baltimore City Paper)

Melissa Maerz (City Pages)

Reginald Dennis (The Source, XXL)

David Toop (author of Rap Attack)

Peter Shapiro (author of The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop)

and others.