Will Smith's transformation from a West Philadelphia kid to one of the biggest rap stars of his era, and then one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood history, is an epic tale-- but it's only half the story. His whole family was at the pinnacle of the entertainment world-- only they felt more like star performers in his circus, a seven-days-a-week job they had not signed up for. Here he shares his journey of self-knowledge, telling how he mastered...

How does one pay homage to A Tribe Called Quest? The seminal rap group brought jazz into the genre, resurrecting timeless rhythms to create masterpieces such as The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders. Seventeen years after their last album, they resurrected themselves with an intense, socially conscious record, We Got It from Here . . . Thank You 4 Your Service, which arrived when fans needed it most, in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Poet...

"In September 2019, "Truth Hurts" became the longest-reigning solo female rap song at the number 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100. Since then, Lizzo has appeared on TV, at award shows, and on sold-out world tours. Learn more about this Grammy-winning artist and how she went from band kid to opening act to mainstream superstar"--

Offers a "bible" for success in life and work that advocates living by one simple principle: fear nothing.

"The first biography of rapper Mac Miller, the Pittsburgh cult favorite "turned" rap superstar who touched the lives of millions before tragically passing away at the age of twenty-six. Malcolm James McCormick was born on January 19, 1992. He began making music at a young age and by fifteen was already releasing mixtapes. One of the first true viral superstars, his early records earned him a rabid legion of die-hard fans -- as well as a few noteworthy...

"Fat Joe is a hip-hop legend, but this is not a tale of celebrity; it is the story of Joseph Cartagena, a kid who came of age in the South Bronx during its darkest years of drugs, violence, and abandonment, and how he navigated that traumatizing landscape until he found--through art, friendship, luck, and will--a rocky path to a different life. Joe was born into a sprawling Puerto Rican and Cuban family in the projects of the South Bronx. From infancy...

"Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson opens up about his ... comeback--from tragic personal loss to thriving businessman and cable's highest-paid executive--in this unique self-help guide ... In his early twenties [he'd risen] to the heights of fame and power in the cutthroat music business. A decade ago the multi-platinum selling rap artist decided to pivot. His ability to adapt to change was demonstrated when he became the executive producer and star of Power,...

"Timbaland offers fans an unprecedented look into his life and work. He reveals the magic behind the music, sharing the various creative impulses that arise while he's producing, and the layering of sounds that have created dozens of number one hits."--Amazon.com.

A passionate, critically incisive cultural biography of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur and an examination of the forces that shaped him. In 1996 Tupac Shakur, one of the most talented artists of his time, was murdered by an unknown gunman. Fred L. Johnson and Tayannah Lee McQuillar examine the theories surrounding his death and the story of Tupac's lost legacy in this definitive biography. For millions, Shakur gave voice to their stories, but there was...

A cultural portrait of the Pulitzer Prize-winning rap superstar documents his coming-of-age as an artist, his genius as a lyricist, and his profound impact on today's racially fraught America. Moore provides a definitive account of Lamar's coming-of-age as an artist, his resurrection of jazz, his profound impact on a racially fraught America, and his emergence as the bona fide King of Rap. Through his confessional poetics, his politically charged...