In the past twenty-years there have been many historians who’ve captured the birth and re-birth of hip hop and R&B, but authors Cameron Lazerine and Devin Lazerine has taken his time to create the ultimate guide to the tumultuous art form in his newest book, “Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide to Hip-Hop and R&B.” Published by Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group, “Rap-Up” features a foreword by T.I., and is set to hit bookshelves today. Check out an exclusive excerpt from the book only on VIBE.com: CHAPTER 1 Back In The Day 80's Solo-Rap In a decade so closely associated with bad sitcoms, cocaine, terrible fashion, and the ever-present idiocy of the U.S. government, it's hard to believe that something good came out of the '80s. Dig a little deeper, though, and you'll find the debut records from some of the most classic MCs ever. Finally starting to come into its own, hip-hop in the '80s was still trying to find its footing, hence the varying (but all amazing) styles that came about: LL Cool J's ladies'-man persona, Biz Markie as the class clown, Slick Rick with his street tales and portable jewelry store . . . the list goes on and on. These men and women lived hip-hop before hip-hop was a lifestyle. LL Cool J Back in the day haters said rap music was a here today, gone tomorrow fad. Somebody forgot to tell LL Cool J. The veteran superstar has enjoyed the longest career in hip-hop, releasing CDs since the '80s and since then having hits in every decade. Another Queens child who done real good, LL Cool J (government name James Todd Smith III; the nom de rap stands for "Ladies Love Cool James") started laying down raps as a kid. When he turned eleven, LL, who had been living with his grandparents since he was four (owing to a rocky, often violent home situation), got a DJ system from his granddaddy. The budding B-boy started making tapes, one of which ended up at Def Jam's offices, specifically in the hands of Ad-Rock. The Beastie Boy hi
	Published: 2008-02-29 Provider: VIBE