The Rap Year Book

Last updated
The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed
The Rap Year Book.jpg
First edition
Author Shea Serrano
Illustrator Arturo Torres
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Hip hop
Genre Music criticism, music history
Publisher Abrams Image
Publication date
October 13, 2015
Media typePaperback
Pages240
ISBN 1-4197-1818-5
Website https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/rap-year-book_9781419718182/

The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed is a 2015 New York Times best-selling book written by Shea Serrano and illustrated by Arturo Torres.

Contents

Development

The Rap Year Book followed Serrano's 2013 project with Houston rapper Bun B, Bun B's Rap Coloring and Activity Book. [1] The Rap Year Book took 15 months to develop, [2] and was still without an illustrator three months before the book's due date. Serrano encountered eventual collaborator Torres via a flyer Torres had designed announcing a performance by Dallas rap group The Outfit, Texas; Serrano told Texas Monthly that on seeing Torres's work, he thought immediately, "This is the exact style that I’m trying to find." [3] Serrano contacted the group's management asking for information about who had made their flyer and eventually tracked Torres down on social media; Torres agreed to work on the book.

Publication

The Rap Year Book was published on October 13, 2015, by Abrams Image. [4] It is 240 pages with 150 full-color illustrations. [5]

Format

The book is structured around essays by Serrano selecting the most important rap song for every year from 1979 to 2014. [2] His text is accompanied by illustrations by Torres, "bright, colorful, and offbeat cartoons...featuring depictions of Kanye and Jay-Z on a movie poster, Dr. Dre in scrubs, Drake using a pottery wheel, and more." [6] Ice-T wrote the book's preface, [4] and critics, including Wesley Morris and Jessica Hopper, contributed short rebuttals arguing for alternative choices as the most important song of a given year. [7]

Reception

Sales

Propelled by Serrano's engagement with his enthusiastic Twitter following, [8] The Rap Year Book repeatedly ranked on 2015 The New York Times best-seller lists. [9] The book's first pressing of 20,000 copies sold out in pre-orders before The Rap Year Book even hit shelves; [10] a mock "feud" on Twitter between Serrano and Books-a-Million sold out the retailer's stock of the book in one day, and crashed the company's website in the process. [8]

Reviews

PopMatters reviewed the book as "both educationally useful and shamelessly fun...tailor-made to counter every criticism levied against routine, overly generalized music retrospectives." [6] In the Los Angeles Review of Books , Oliver Wang said that while Serrano's essays take a position on what constitutes the most important song of each year, "he doesn’t browbeat his reader into agreement; he writes confidently but not condescendingly. More importantly, the main pleasure in reading The Rap Year Book isn’t in agreeing with Serrano’s choices but rather in following the elliptical paths he takes to explain them." [7]

Adaptation

In July 2017, Serrano announced that AMC would produce The Rap Year Book as a 6-part television documentary series with The Roots as executive producers. [11]

Related Research Articles

Korean hip-hop, also known as K-hip-hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of the South Korean popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bun B</span> American rapper

Bernard James Freeman, known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK, a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with UGK, Bun B has released five solo albums, including 2010's Trill OG, which received the rare 5-mic rating from The Source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alchemist (musician)</span> American record producer, DJ and rapper

Alan Daniel Maman, professionally known as the Alchemist, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and songwriter. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo the Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. He has produced music since the 1990s.

<i>Run-D.M.C.</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Run-D.M.C.

Run-D.M.C. is the self titled debut studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on March 27, 1984, by Profile Records, and re-issued by Arista Records. The album was primarily produced by Russell Simmons and Larry Smith.

<i>Trill</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Bun B

Trill is the debut studio album by American rapper Bun B. It was released on October 18, 2005, by Rap-a-Lot Records, Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. The record serves as Bun B's first studio release going solo, after spending years among years as a member of the Southern hip hop duo UGK throughout the most of his rap career. The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 118,000 copies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song)</span> 1982 single by Grandmaster Flash

"The Message" is a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released as a single by Sugar Hill Records on July 1, 1982, and was later featured on the group's debut studio album of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grindin'</span> 2002 single by Clipse

"Grindin'" is the debut single from Virginia Beach rap duo Clipse. The song was produced by The Neptunes, and featured on the Clipse's debut album, Lord Willin'. The song became a summer Top 40 hit, reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated August 10, 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knuck If You Buck</span> 2004 single by Crime Mob featuring Lil Scrappy

"Knuck If You Buck" is a song by American Southern hip hop group Crime Mob. It was recorded at PatchWerk Recording Studios in Atlanta and released on June 29, 2004 via Reprise Records as the first single from their eponymous debut studio album Crime Mob (2004). Written by members Jarques "M.I.G." Usher, Chris "Killa C" Henderson, Jonathan "Lil' Jay" Lewis, Venetia "Princess" Lewis and Brittany "Diamond" Carpentero, it was produced by Lil' Jay, and features fellow rapper Lil Scrappy.

<i>Trill OG</i> 2010 studio album by Bun B

Trill OG is the third solo studio album by UGK member Bun B. It is the third album in his Trill series. The album was released under Universal Music Group after Bun B left Warner Music Group's Asylum Records. The album was released August 3, 2010 on Rap-a-Lot Records and Fontana Distribution. On August 4, 2010, The Source magazine gave Trill OG its rare 5 mic rating.

Adil Omar is a Pakistani rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and filmmaker from Islamabad. In addition to being a solo artist, he is also involved in songwriting and production for other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sucker M.C.'s</span> 1983 single by Run-D.M.C.

"Sucker M.C.'s" is a song by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C. It was first released in 1983 as B-side to "It's Like That". The two-sided release marked the start of Run-D.M.C.'s career as their first single, and it is widely regarded as ushering in a new school of hip hop artists with a street image and an abrasive, minimalist sound that marked them out from their predecessors. Both tracks were collected on the trio's self-titled debut album in 1984. WBAU was the first station to play the two songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chance the Rapper</span> American rapper (born 1993)

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape 10 Day in 2012. He gained mainstream recognition in 2013 following the release of his second mixtape, Acid Rap. His third mixtape, Coloring Book (2016), was released to further critical acclaim and commercial success as it peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200. The mixtape also earned a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, while a song off the album "No Problem" won Best Rap Performance; it became the first streaming-only album to win a Grammy Award. Bennett himself was also awarded Best New Artist the same night. His debut studio album, The Big Day was released in 2019 to continued commercial success and moderate critical reception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gudda Gudda</span> American rapper from Louisiana

Carl Eugene Lilly Jr., better known by his stage name Gudda Gudda, is an American rapper from New Orleans. He was originally a member of Sqad Up with Kidd Kidd and Lil Wayne. After forging a long-time friendship with Wayne, he signed to Young Money Entertainment, and later Republic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corbin (musician)</span> American singer (born 1998)

Corbin Beckner Smidzik, better known as Corbin is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a member of the hip hop/R&B collective Thestand4rd.

Shea Serrano is an American author, journalist, and former teacher. He is best known for his work with the sports and pop culture websites, The Ringer and Grantland, as well as his books, including The Rap Year Book, Basketball and Movies , all of which were The New York Times #1 best-sellers.

<i>Coloring Book</i> (mixtape) 2016 mixtape by Chance the Rapper

Coloring Book is the third mixtape by American rapper Chance the Rapper. It was produced by his group The Social Experiment, Lido, and Kaytranada, among others. For the mixtape, Chance also collaborated with musicians such as Kanye West, Young Thug, Francis and the Lights, Justin Bieber, 2 Chainz, Kirk Franklin, and the Chicago Children's Choir.

Arturo Torres is a Dallas-based artist. He has notably collaborated with Shea Serrano on three New York Times best-selling books in which Torres illustrated Serrano's essays. The first was The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed in 2015, then Basketball : A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated, in 2017; and in 2019, Movies : A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated.

<i>Basketball</i> (and Other Things) Illustrated essay collection

Basketball : A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated is a 2017 book written by Shea Serrano and illustrated by Arturo Torres, with a foreword from former NBA star Reggie Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cousin Stizz</span> American rapper and songwriter

Stephen Goss, known professionally as Cousin Stizz, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is from Dorchester, Massachusetts and signed to RCA Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La-La-La (Jay-Z song)</span> 2003 single by Jay-Z

"La-La-La" is a song by the American hip hop recording artist Jay-Z. It was the second single released from the Bad Boys II soundtrack and also appears on Blueprint 2.1. The song is a sequel to Jay-Z's "Excuse Me Miss".

References

  1. ↑ Bacher, Danielle (June 18, 2013). "Q&A: Bun B on the 'Incredible Journey' of Creating His Hip-Hop Coloring Book". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 Euse, Erica (October 12, 2015). "How 'The Rap Year Book' Breaks Down the Most Important Rap Songs for Each Year Since 1979". Complex. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Solomon, Dan (12 October 2015). "Music Monday: Shea Serrano On 'The Rap Yearbook' And His Houston Hip Hop Playlist". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 Schiewe, Jessie (October 9, 2015). "Here's How One Writer Spent Way Too Long Deciding the Best Rap Song Every Year from 1979 to 2014 | NOISEY". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  5. ↑ Serrano, Shea (13 October 2015). Rap Year Book The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN   9781419718182 . Retrieved 30 May 2017.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  6. 1 2 Fitzgerald, Colin (October 29, 2016). "'The Rap Year Book' Reformats Hip-Hop History". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  7. 1 2 Wang, Oliver (February 6, 2016). "Top Five, Dead or Alive". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  8. 1 2 Locke, Charley (October 25, 2015). "How One Man and His Twitter Army Stormed the Bestseller List". Wired. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Tiffany, Kaitlyn (6 July 2016). "The Rap Yearbook author Shea Serrano on building a tiny utopia on Twitter". The Verge. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  10. ↑ Crucchiola, Jordan (30 May 2016). "The King Of Twitter: Shea Serrano Is Our New Favorite Internet Hero". GOOD. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  11. ↑ Darville, Jordan (April 2, 2018). "Shea Serrano's The Rap Yearbook To Be Made Into An AMC Documentary Series". The Fader. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.