A comprehensive, chronological survey of rap and hip-hop from 1973 to the present by Chuck D, arguably the most influential rapper in the world.In the more than forty years since the days of DJ Kool Herc and “Rapper’s Delight,” hip-hop and rap have become a billion-dollar worldwide phenomenon. Yet there is no definitive history of the genre-until now.Based on Chuck’s long-running show on Rapstation.com, this massive compendium details the most iconic moments and influential songs in the genre’s recorded history, from Kurtis Blow’s “Christmas Rappin’" to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to Kendrick Lamar’s ground-breaking verse on “Control.” Also included are key events in hip-hop history, from Grandmaster Flash’s first scratch through Tupac’s holographic appearance at Coachella.