Today Jonathan Abrams joins The Stacks to discuss his third book The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop. In unpacking the massive undertaking, the NYT staff writer and sports reporter addresses what goes into crafting a good oral history, and why he wanted to tell this particular story now. Plus, we get into the best diss tracks and rap beefs of all time.

The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We will discuss the book on November 30th with Mariame Kaba.

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Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

• The Come Up by Jonathan Abrams
• All the Pieces Matter by Jonathan Abrams
• Grantland
• Russell Simmons
• Joseph “Run” Simmons
• Can’t Stop Won’t Stop by Jeff Chang and Cook
• The Big Payback by Dan Charnas
• “The Malice at the Palace” (Jonathan Abrams, Grantland)
• “Rocked” (Bryan Curtis & Patricia Lee, Grantland)
• Bill Simmons
• Stephen Jackson (NBA player)
• Public Enemy
• The Last Dance (ESPN/Netflix)
• The Wire (HBO)
• David Simon
• Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
• “Rapper’s Delight” (Sugarhill Gang, 1980)
• “The Message” (Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, 1982)
• The Roots
• Questlove
• Tupac
• Biggie Smalls
• The Bridge Wars
• Nas
• Jay-Z
• 50 Cent
• Paradise Gray
• Ice Cube
• AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (Ice Cube, 1990)
• The Bomb Squad
• 106.1 KMEL
• Kris Kross
• The Chronic (Dr. Dre, 1992)
• N.W.A
• Dr. Dre
• Power 106
• 92.3 The Beat
• Snoop Dogg
• DJ Quik
• Too Short
• Ant Banks
• E-40
• MC Hammer
• “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” (Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, 1992)
• “How the 1995 Source Awards Changed Rap Forever” (Paul Cantor, Complex)
• Andre 3000
• “To Die Like A Gangsta” (Robert Sam Anson, Vanity Fair)
• Kendrick Lamar
• “Kendrick Lamar Wins Pulitzer in ‘Big Moment for Hip-Hop’” (Joe Coscarelli, The New York Times)
• It Was All a Dream by Justin Tinsley
• Petersen Automotive Museum
• Schoolly D
• Ice-T
• Carrie Mathison
• Lil Baby
• Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU
• DJ Kool Herc
• Ann Carli
• Monica Lynch
• Jive Records
• Fresh Prince
• DJ Jazzy Jeff
• Tommy Boy Records
• Lil Uzi Vert
• Hit ‘Em Up (2Pac, 1996)
• Drake
• Meek Mill
• Whitney Houston
• Michael Jackson
• The Stylistics
• Al Green
• Mase
• Busta Rhymes
• “What You Want” (Mase, 1997)
• Silkk the Shocker
• St. Lunatics
• Nelly
• “Air Force Ones” (Nelly, 2002)
• Jonathan Abrams at The New York Times
• Original Gangstas (Larry Cohen, 1996)
• Gerrick Kennedy
• The Rap Year Book by Shea Serrano
• “The Short Stacks 27: Shea Serrano//Movies (and Other Things)” (The Stacks)
• Movies (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano
• The Come Up by Jonathan Abrams (audiobook)

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