Customer Reviews

A Brief History of Rhyme and Bass: Growing Up With Hip-Hop

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Shawn's book is exactly what hip-hop needs. I have long been a fan of hip-hop, but am sometimes let down by the attitude and direction of the industry. At last!! Someone truly inspired has come along to bear the flag and show that there is a historical depth behind the lyrics that now pervade American Culture. Whether you are looking for historical context, a great story, or a truly uplifting journey --- you gotta pick up this book. It is as racy as any rap lyric, but still contains many tense thought provoking moments. I can't stress strongly enough that you simply have to get this book.

I recently ordered the ebook version of this novel and let me tell you, it is explicit! Wowie!! Still, there was something very exciting and very real about the story and I was sucked in from page one. In fact I didn't put it down. The book was less about music and more about the life of the author and although I thought at first that was going to bother me, it ended up being a real treat. I am 28, and let me tell you, it is not often that a writer comes along that actually understands what it was like growing up in the eighties and nineties, I can't find any more written by Livernocke, but I hope to see more in the future. By the end I felt like I was one of Shawn's best friends.

I find the last review interesting. It amuses me that someone with little background or knowledge of the author, would both admit to NOT reading the book, and then state an onslaught of inaccuracies.

From the moment I picked this book up, I could not put it down until I was finished. Livernoche does an excellent job of starting off with a character of whom the reader has little background on, and slowly "pulling" you into his world, while at the same time parelling it with historical background in the Hip Hop world at each interval. By the end of the book, I actually found myself caring for this character and what happened to him. I am sure we can look for more great things from this author, in the field of Hip Hop and other genres as well. My only complaint if I were to submit one, would be that the book wasn't long enough, and left me wanting more... But perhaps that was the idea, so I'll buy the next book. ;-)

A lot of people hear hip-hop everywhere they go, but not many of them know it's roots and that it's not all the craziness you hear on the radio. This book is excellently constructed varying between personal narrative and historical background that kept my attention even though I didn't know much about hip-hop to begin with. Now I hear the names that are in the book and know exactly who they are and the role they played. Livernoche's book is easy to read, extremely entertaining and informational- I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the roots of the music!

It is really rare to see a person be so honest in a confessional. I didn't know anything about Shawn Love's music before I read his book and now I am a fan for life, he is an amazing writer on and off mike. I am a graduate student at Virginia State and I read a few books every week. There isn't enough African American literature out there so sometimes I make an exception and pick up something by one of my lighter brothers. I was not dissapointed.

been a bit of a fan of shawn lov's for a while now.. and was very interested to read this. whether its all true or not, and whether it has typo's and editing problems is beside the point. its an inspiring and somewhat educational story - even the hiphop element isn't really vital to the story, you could just as easily swap it for any art of any kind really. being hiphop was just a little bonus! its a great read, un-put-downable as they say... make sure you also check out shawn's latest work musically, with aussie producers prowla and plutonic lab. the track 7:59 is basically a continuation of this book... filling you in on what happened more recently... an epilogue of sorts... wwwdotcheckoutwaxdotcom is the place to get it! NUFF SAID RECORDS! NUFF SAID BEATS!

I would like to start by saying that I have been a loyal fan of Shawn since I first heard his music in 2000. If you are considering purchasing this book, I will assume you are too. This book provides a great perspective of the origin of rap and hip-hop from a man who obviously has experienced, as a fan and musician, all of the ups and downs of the genre. For the fans of the Lov Doc, like myself, it also offers the incredible story of the life of Shawn and his experiences. It allowed me to go from being his fan to really being able to connect with him and his views. I do not like books by any means, but I read this entire book within two hours. I literally could not put it down. This is a MUST HAVE for any fan of Shawn Lov.

Wow, I was really impressed. This book was definetly informative and entertaining. I noticed that some guy keeps writing bad reviews posing as different people but seems to be the only person that doesn't include his name (He must have a lot of extra time on his hands). I guess he didn't read the subtitle "Growing Up With Hip-Hop" The only thing I can really complain about is the incredibly trite and muddy one page forward, but that was written by one of Shawns friends.

I honestly have not read this book. Perhaps my only reason to pick it up would be to laugh. As far as I know, Livernoche grew up in the lap of suburbia listening to Blink-182. Its in his profile, if you'd like to check it out. I'm pretty sure the Abercrombie & Fitch clothes that he "continually rocks" negate any kind of street credibility he may aspire to. And I have heard his music. I have heard better stuff out of MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. I would make other comments, but I'm afraid that his thug friends Muffy, Buffy, and Biff might jump me outside of Starbucks on their skateboards.

Most of this book is made up. The historical parts in are inaccurate. There are many spelling and typografical errors. Not worth the price of the paper it is printed on. Don't waste your money!