Hip-Hop (and other things)
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- Create Date：2022-01-17 09:51:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Shea Serrano
- ISBN：1529388473
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Reviews
Michael Frank
，
One of the most meaningful compliments Shea pays in this book is to Cardi B when he says that she doesn’t “talk over your head。” In his trilogy， Shea wrote on three disparate subjects （basketball， film， and rap）， and never once failed to welcome readers in， regardless of their standing knowledgeability。 He matches insight with top experts， opens the door for tourists， and never talks over your head。
Chad Bell
，
Shea is an absolutely amazing writer on pop culture， and with his illustrator Arturo Torres have once again written a brilliant book， this time about hip-hop。 Shea is hilariously funny， but perhaps the highest compliment I can pay him as a writer is this: I’m a 42 year old white dad in the suburbs who hasn’t kept up too closely with hip-hop post-2006 or so， and yet I was constantly entertained by chapters about rappers I had never heard about， and am going to spend a lot of time over the next mo Shea is an absolutely amazing writer on pop culture， and with his illustrator Arturo Torres have once again written a brilliant book， this time about hip-hop。 Shea is hilariously funny， but perhaps the highest compliment I can pay him as a writer is this: I’m a 42 year old white dad in the suburbs who hasn’t kept up too closely with hip-hop post-2006 or so， and yet I was constantly entertained by chapters about rappers I had never heard about， and am going to spend a lot of time over the next months listening to rap artists praised by Shea。 。。。more
matt
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Serrano’s Rap Yearbook， Basketball and Other Things， and this book are exactly what I want from pop culture writing。 Witty， sincere， clever， and impassioned。 （Movies and Other Things was ok， but I’m not as much of a movie person as I am Rap， Hip-Hop， and basketball。）
Z。 F。
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A series of loose， illustrated， mostly for-fun essays on various hip-hop-adjacent topics。 Some of the essays are basically just funny riffs （"Where's the Second Most Impractical Place Ludacris Mentions Having Sex in During 'What's Your Fantasy'？"）， some are a little more earnest （"How Do You Talk About Missy Elliott's Supa Dupa Fly？"）， all are written in an enthusiastic， conversational style dense with anecdotes from Serrano's own life and the careers of the rappers he's writing about。The bigges A series of loose， illustrated， mostly for-fun essays on various hip-hop-adjacent topics。 Some of the essays are basically just funny riffs （"Where's the Second Most Impractical Place Ludacris Mentions Having Sex in During 'What's Your Fantasy'？"）， some are a little more earnest （"How Do You Talk About Missy Elliott's Supa Dupa Fly？"）， all are written in an enthusiastic， conversational style dense with anecdotes from Serrano's own life and the careers of the rappers he's writing about。The biggest pro and con of this sort of writing will always be how personal it is。 You can tell Serrano is trying to cover his bases， trying not to linger too much on any one particular figure or era or region or style， but nevertheless I'm sure any hip-hop lover will walk away from this with a list of things they wish he'd have devoted more or less page space to。 （For example: why does Action Bronson get a whole essay but OutKast doesn't？ Why are Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar relegated to a single shared chapter， and why is that chapter shorter than the one about Project Pat's "Chickenhead"？ Shouldn't a fun hip-hop book published in 2021 by an author who's active on Twitter at least， like， mention Lil Nas X at some point？） Serrano makes no secret of the fact that he has a soft spot for stuff that came out during his own adolescence and young adulthood in the '90s and early '00s， and judging by this book I think it's also fair to say that he's slightly more interested in hip-hop as a pop culture phenomenon than as a capital-A Artform。 I'm not not interested in hip-hop as a pop culture phenomenon—probably my favorite couple chapters here are the ones where Serrano basically "live"-tweets the 1995 Source Awards—but I'm more into the artistry personally， and wouldn't have minded more of that kind of analysis。On the other hand， if you sanded off everything that makes this book a Shea Serrano book about hip-hop rather than just a book about hip-hop which happens to be by Shea Serrano， you'd also do away with most of what makes it fun to read in the first place。 The intention here isn't really to present all the peer-reviewed， orthodox opinions on hip-hop history （although Serrano does pay his dues to all the right people， even it's just a line or two）—you can get that anywhere。 It's about one specific person celebrating his specific relationship to a medium that he loves。 As someone who also loves （but is still relatively new to） the world of hip-hop， I found Serrano's enthusiasm infectious， learned a bunch of trivia， chuckled a few times， nodded in agreement a few times， and picked up some song recommendations。 That's all he's really going for， I think， and that's perfectly fine。 。。。more
Frank
，
As in his other books， Serrano captures that two friends talking vibe with his writing。 His knowledge of hip hop history is impressive， but sometimes it takes him too deep in the weeds。 Fun book that you can skip around to your artists of interest。
Tamas O'Doughda
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I've been listening to No Skips with Jinx and Shea religiously， and have been enjoying Shea's half-joking reminders that he's a New York Times best-selling author and listeners should cop this book。 So， I went ahead and got a copy and was really excited to read it。 I've recently been picking up books I've got medium interest in， more like I'm just trying to maintain my reading life。 But I was actually enthused and looking forward to reading this。 And happily， it fulfilled expectations。What was I I've been listening to No Skips with Jinx and Shea religiously， and have been enjoying Shea's half-joking reminders that he's a New York Times best-selling author and listeners should cop this book。 So， I went ahead and got a copy and was really excited to read it。 I've recently been picking up books I've got medium interest in， more like I'm just trying to maintain my reading life。 But I was actually enthused and looking forward to reading this。 And happily， it fulfilled expectations。What was I looking for？ Love and enthusiasm for hip-hop， interesting and funny life anecdotes， facts and background I didn't already know， and opinions that both challenged and confirmed my own。 And this delivered on all fronts。 I was mentally agreeing to things like Capone N Noreaga being underappreciated， arguing back that Outkast has FOUR essential/classic albums， not three， and laughing about the student-teacher "P-TOE" incident。 And was astounded to learn that Run-DMC was getting a "Lifetime Achievement" award from the Source at 30-32 years old。 I'm 35！ And still feel pretty young。 I can't imagine getting an award 3-5 years ago that basically meant， "Hey， you're no longer relevant， but we appreciate what you did ten years ago！" They tore the doors down at 20-22！？ Snoop， Outkast， Nas too。 I'm blown away at the legendary music that such young artists produced。 It's astounding。 And cool to look back on in this book。Glad I got to read it。 。。。more
Nick Escobar
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The last in the （And Other Things） Trilogy about things Serrano likes and arguably the weakest。 This one lacks as many funny moments as Movies or Basketball but Serrano's love for the genre is injected into every page。 It is nice that if he talks about a record or performance that you are unfamiliar with， you can pop over to a streaming service and listen to or watch it and then dive back into the book。 The last in the （And Other Things） Trilogy about things Serrano likes and arguably the weakest。 This one lacks as many funny moments as Movies or Basketball but Serrano's love for the genre is injected into every page。 It is nice that if he talks about a record or performance that you are unfamiliar with， you can pop over to a streaming service and listen to or watch it and then dive back into the book。 。。。more
El_kiablo
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The mark of a good culture writer is that they get you curious for things you hadn't previously heard of / been interested in。 And by that mark this book is about half successful because sometimes Shea gets me excited about something that hadn't previously been on my radar （like rewatching the infamous Source Awards show that he recaps in a chapter） but also there's a bunch of stuff I'm still gonna pass on （you're just not gonna convince me that I'm missing out by not listening to Da Brat's Funk The mark of a good culture writer is that they get you curious for things you hadn't previously heard of / been interested in。 And by that mark this book is about half successful because sometimes Shea gets me excited about something that hadn't previously been on my radar （like rewatching the infamous Source Awards show that he recaps in a chapter） but also there's a bunch of stuff I'm still gonna pass on （you're just not gonna convince me that I'm missing out by not listening to Da Brat's Funkdafied） 。。。more
Traci Thomas
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I love love love Shea’s writing style。 It is so conversational and funny without being corny。 It’s what so many people try to but can’t do。 I love the way he thinks and asks questions。 He is just so interesting and smart。 So yeah this book works great bc it’s all Shea。
TJ Neer
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Shea Serrano is perfect。 This book is perfect。
Preston Popoff
，
The conclusion of the "And Other Things" trilogy， this was another great installment。 Can easily see myself reading back through many of the chapters on occasion just for the fun they bring。 The conclusion of the "And Other Things" trilogy， this was another great installment。 Can easily see myself reading back through many of the chapters on occasion just for the fun they bring。 。。。more
Mike
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Everything by Shea is super-enjoyable and represents his pure enjoyment of his subject on each page。 This is the first time I didn't go five stars， and I'm sure it was mostly due to of his three "AOT" books， this is probably the subject I had the least knowledge or opinion on the subjects he was writing about。 His basketball book was right in my wheelhouse and his movie one I had seen almost every film he wrote about。 As my rap listening period was relatively limited to a 6 year period in my tee Everything by Shea is super-enjoyable and represents his pure enjoyment of his subject on each page。 This is the first time I didn't go five stars， and I'm sure it was mostly due to of his three "AOT" books， this is probably the subject I had the least knowledge or opinion on the subjects he was writing about。 His basketball book was right in my wheelhouse and his movie one I had seen almost every film he wrote about。 As my rap listening period was relatively limited to a 6 year period in my teens/early 20's that was a bit before Shea's main subject areas， I was experiencing much of his descriptions and stories about songs， albums or artists I hadn't really listed to that much - made it a little difficult to fully immerse myself in the writing。 The artwork but Arturo Torres was again excellent。 Recommend for anyone that likes Shea or rap， and if both it's a must have。 FOH forever。 。。。more
Zahreen
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All of Shea's books are fun to read and this one was no exception。 All of Shea's books are fun to read and this one was no exception。 。。。more
Eric
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I listened to the audiobook because that was available through the library immediately， unlike the illustrated physical copy。 I would probably give the audiobook alone 4 stars due to some regional and generational differences in musical taste， but my past experiences with the work of Serrano and Torres obligate me to give them the fifth star for the artwork whose accompaniment I was too impatient to wait for。
Jesse Coker
，
Every time I read something Shea has written I think “this is the best thing he’s ever written” and every time this is true and every time he writes something better。 I loved this book because everything Shea writes is beautiful and important。
Sean Tenaglia
，
“No matter what happens， don’t stop rapping。 Don’t。 Stop。 Rapping。 If you’re in love， rap about being in love。 If you’re getting money， wrap about getting money。 If you’re broke， rap about being broke。 There’s always going to be people that can relate to your station in life。 You just have to not be afraid to tell them what that station is。 Don’t stop rapping。 You need to keep going。” —Bun BAnother classic from Shea。 Not only is he a creative and inventive writer， but he’s one of the best storyt “No matter what happens， don’t stop rapping。 Don’t。 Stop。 Rapping。 If you’re in love， rap about being in love。 If you’re getting money， wrap about getting money。 If you’re broke， rap about being broke。 There’s always going to be people that can relate to your station in life。 You just have to not be afraid to tell them what that station is。 Don’t stop rapping。 You need to keep going。” —Bun BAnother classic from Shea。 Not only is he a creative and inventive writer， but he’s one of the best storytellers out there。 One chapter will be completely absurd （e。g。 “What’d the Chicken Have to Say About Project Pat’s ‘Chickenhead？’”）， then another will have you on the verge of tears as he eloquently hits on some universal， deeper meaning （e。g。 finding comfort amidst the sadness of Mac’s “Circles”）。 Hip-hop has always meant a lot to me， and it clearly has to Shea。 I’m just so grateful that he could bottle some of those feelings and put them down on the page。 This’ll join his other works as a permanent coffee table fixture。 。。。more
Daniel Lippmann
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I love Shea！ There are some writers who’s voice is unmistakable in the way they write - he’s one of them。 I’m just a white boy in my 40s having not grown up on hip hop soooo much of the book was like talking about an alien nation， but it was still enjoyable。 Almost kind of sort of （blasphemy， I know） like Ready Player One but for rap and hip hop。 Shea nerded-out to the max here。
Kevin Krein
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i feel like in the time since shea serrano wrote his first book， the rap year book， in 2015， my patience has either waned， or i have lost a lot of my sense of humor， because this did not hit the way i was expecting it to。 some of these short essays were clever， or insightful， or fun to read， but a number of them didn't land—the conceits were a little flimsy， jokes stretched a little further than they should have been， and the overall charm of these books has started to fade。 i feel like in the time since shea serrano wrote his first book， the rap year book， in 2015， my patience has either waned， or i have lost a lot of my sense of humor， because this did not hit the way i was expecting it to。 some of these short essays were clever， or insightful， or fun to read， but a number of them didn't land—the conceits were a little flimsy， jokes stretched a little further than they should have been， and the overall charm of these books has started to fade。 。。。more
Adam
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Fun。 Clever。 Thoughtful。Think of this book as a love letter to hip-hop。 For the uninitiated， Shea's style is this delightful blend of sarcastic yet warm。 You can tell he loves this music， but more importantly， he loves talking about it with other super-fans。That's what I enjoy most about Shea's work and delivery - it feels like he's addressing a room full of close friends who all want to jaw and debate endlessly about their favorite topics。 Yet， the tone never feels know-it-all or obnoxious。 He Fun。 Clever。 Thoughtful。Think of this book as a love letter to hip-hop。 For the uninitiated， Shea's style is this delightful blend of sarcastic yet warm。 You can tell he loves this music， but more importantly， he loves talking about it with other super-fans。That's what I enjoy most about Shea's work and delivery - it feels like he's addressing a room full of close friends who all want to jaw and debate endlessly about their favorite topics。 Yet， the tone never feels know-it-all or obnoxious。 He simply wants to talk about what he loves most about hip-hop。 Sure， he drops all sorts of over-the-top opinions， but you get the sense that he'd happily discuss this stuff with just about anyone。Another thing I enjoy about Shea's style - you don't have to actually be a big fan of hip-hop to enjoy this book。 That same writerly grace appeared in his books about movies and basketball。 Sure， it would be GREAT if you were as a big a nerd about the topic as he is， but you don't have to be。 That's where his legacy as a middle school science teacher comes to the fore: he might know more than you， but he is also REALLLLLLLY excited to teach you about stuff if you show even the slightest bit of interest。Like most of Shea's books， the chapters revolve around the sort of debates close friends have about their favorite topics。 He delivers discussions about DMX， the 1995 Source Awards， Cardi B， the best duos in rap， Nas， Biggie， & 2Pac， but he does so in the form of wacky， yet relatable lists that are quite conversational in tone。All in all， this is an excellent bookend to the first four books in Shea's career， the first of which is The Rap Year Book - which remains my favorite of his。 。。。more
James
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The great thing about Shea Serrano’s writing is that he shares his thoughts so honestly & vulnerably - and hilariously - that it empowers the reader to be comfortable themselves， with their own thoughts while they’re reading。 He’s a nerd… but he knows he’s a nerd and that almost makes him cool。Also: the illustrations in this book are f^*king amazing。
Sirbriang2
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The first thing to know about Shea Serrano’s HIP-HOP （AND OTHER THINGS） is that you don’t need to be heavily into hip-hop to enjoy this book。 The second thing to know about HHAOT is that it obviously helps if you know what the hell Shea is talking about。 And “talks” is the correct word to use; Serrano has an extremely conversational style， which is probably the best reason to read this。 It’s like being at a bonfire where everyone else has gone inside， but you and one person stay out by the fire The first thing to know about Shea Serrano’s HIP-HOP （AND OTHER THINGS） is that you don’t need to be heavily into hip-hop to enjoy this book。 The second thing to know about HHAOT is that it obviously helps if you know what the hell Shea is talking about。 And “talks” is the correct word to use; Serrano has an extremely conversational style， which is probably the best reason to read this。 It’s like being at a bonfire where everyone else has gone inside， but you and one person stay out by the fire and just bullshit for a few hours on a single topic。 It’s not a history of the musical genre。 It’s absolutely biased and arbitrary in its judgements。 And — depending on how much you know about hip-hop — you might find yourself skimming or skipping portions。 And all of that is perfectly fine。 If you want a book that will make you want to excited to hear some music （whether it’s nostalgia or for a first listen）， this is for you。 。。。more
Alec Brown
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More amazing work from Shea。 Plenty of laughs， but great insight and stories I previously hadn’t known。 Can’t wait for his next （And Other Things） book。
Jason Boone
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Great fun as usual。 Sent me down a thrilling rabbit hole relistening to songs I haven't thought about in decades。 Great fun as usual。 Sent me down a thrilling rabbit hole relistening to songs I haven't thought about in decades。 。。。more
Len or Len
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Funny and informative， like most of Serrano’s books。 I was a little surprised that there was very little material on N。W。A。 and Public Enemy。
Ryan Vasko
，
Shea is one of those writers with the rare gift to take something he’s passionate about and talk about it in the simplest， most conversational， but ultimately most entertaining way possible。 Perfect read for any hip-hop fan， especially if you came up during the glory years of the mid-90s like I did。 Can’t wait to dive into his other two “And Other Things” books。
Nathan Shuherk
，
Shea has a brilliant and funny way of expressive his love for a subject。 Hip Hop （And Other Things） is his own unique way talking about how culture and history （and sometimes unrelated diatribes） of rap is not only important， and， for mostly everyone， personal。 While I did enjoy this and will always be a preorderer for all his books， I felt this book wasn’t as realized as the rest of his And Other Things series。
Conor Daley
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This book is perfect。 I made me reevaluate my feelings for Da Brat and Lil Kim and celebrated UGK in the perfect way…。。Still upset about Gangstarr though。 Can’t believe they didn’t have two gold albums。
Adam Fisher
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I absolutely loved this book。 Serrano's writing style is so entertaining and funny。 But he also provides top-notch analysis。 He really， really knows rap music。 Anyone with any interest in hip-hop needs to read this book。 I absolutely loved this book。 Serrano's writing style is so entertaining and funny。 But he also provides top-notch analysis。 He really， really knows rap music。 Anyone with any interest in hip-hop needs to read this book。 。。。more
Ryan Reese
，
I love Shea， and I love Shea's books。 So many of the chapters he constructs are the types of debates and questions that I most love having with my friends。 He is unendingly relatable and hilarious， and his takes are 90% spot-on。 He is a master of footnotes， and he's one of the best at weaving together both hysterical and poignant personal anecdotes that never feel like too much of a jump cut。 This book was great。 All of his books are great。 I love Shea， and I love Shea's books。 So many of the chapters he constructs are the types of debates and questions that I most love having with my friends。 He is unendingly relatable and hilarious， and his takes are 90% spot-on。 He is a master of footnotes， and he's one of the best at weaving together both hysterical and poignant personal anecdotes that never feel like too much of a jump cut。 This book was great。 All of his books are great。 。。。more
Mitchell
，