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At a time when academics are just beginning to recognize hip hop as a legitimate form, William Jelani Cobb, a child of rap himself, brings an unparalleled level of understanding to the music. His historically informed yet hip-to-the-tip viewpoint roots readers in the art form rather than the hype. -Chuck D Upon finishing To The Break of Dawn any objective fan will acknowledge that Cobb has done a commendable job in chronicling rap's evolution and explaining its multiple influences and impact. -City Paper With poetic passion and surgical precision, William Jelani Cobb's engaging exploration of the hip hop aesthetic lovingly demonstrates that, when it comes to beats and rhymes, the beauty of the (bass) god resides in the details. -Joan Morgan,author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost Vital stuff for hip hop fans eager to know more about their favorite cultural idiom's development and underpinnings. -Booklist [P]eels back the many digitized layers of hip-hop to explore the evolution of the MC, from African folkloric traditions to the global (and often hypercommercial) phenomenon it is today. -Utne To the Break of Dawn dissects the evolution of hip hop lyricism from its most primitive beginnings to its current manifestation as a global phenomenon. Author Jelani Cobb examines issues of race, geography, genre and bravado in this overview of hip hop's lyrical art. Covering words from B.I.G., Cube, Obie Trice and Pimp C, Cobb offers an intellectual and up-to-date report on hip hop's most powerful element. -The Source Magazine To the Break of Dawn tells the serious story of hip hop's artistic roots, and in the process revels in the great MCs who stand at the crossroads of music and literature. In a crowded field of hip hop scholars, pundits, and journalists, To the Break of Dawn puts William Jelani Cobb way out in front. -Ta-Nehisi Coates Finally, a hip hop study that captures the verve and swagger that marked the work of our critical forebears Albert Murray and Amiri Baraka. In his brilliant new tome, William Jelani Cobb bridges the gap between the majesty of the blues and the gully regality of hip hop. -Mark Anthony Neal,author of New Black Man To the Break of Dawn marks a crucial turning point in hip-hop writing... By opening the discourse on hip-hop's aesthetic, Cobb spearheads a new sub-genre, and perhaps a return or revolution in hip-hop aesthetics. -Black Issues Book Review This book makes an important contribution to hip-hop history... Cobb's writing style is engaging, and the book benefits from the legitimacy provided by the author's background: he is a former MC who grew up with the culture. -Choice To the Break of Dawn is smart, funny, conversational-a book to touch off serious study of the modern MC. -The Austin Chronicle Cobb has contributed a worthy study to the growing literature on hip-hop. -Popular Music Wow! To the Break of Dawn is a crucial contribution to hip hop history. I'm thrilled that William Jelani Cobb has documented hip hop's relationship to the blues. If you want to truly understand how hip hop was born, read this book. -MC Lyte What makes William Jelani Cobb's To the Break of Dawn so refreshing is that it centers on what hip-hop is, rather than on what it does. Eschewing the common practice of treating rap lyrics as just another way to talk about race, politics or the self, Cobb treats them as art. His aim is ambitious: to articulate hip-hop's aesthetic principles while tracing its roots back to the 'ancestral poetic and musical traditions' of black oral culture, from Sunday sermons to gut-bucket blues. To the Break of Dawn celebrates lyrical invention, the artists and even the particular rhymes that make hip-hop great. For the uninitiated, it is Hip-Hop 101, offering a rich overview of rap's verbal artistry. For the aficionado, it alternately affirms and challenges deeply held beliefs of what is valuable in hip-hop. -Washington Post Book World On literally every page [Cobb] displays a tremendous command of language and history as he 'examines the aesthetic, stylistic, and thematic evolution of hip hop from its inception in the South Bronx to the present era.' But make no mistake: this groundbreaking work is an artfully constructed and vividly written look at 'the artistic evolution of rap music and its relationship to earlier forms of black expression.' Much of the book's pleasure also comes from Cobb's ability to 'freestyle' serious and humorous insights-from how artists such as Tupac and Nas sometimes 'stepped outside the conventions of hip-hop to pen sympathetic narratives about the sexual exploitation of young women,' to how LL Cool J's pioneering 'I Need a Beat' sounded 'like he'd raided every entry in an SAT book.' -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

To the Break of Dawn marks a crucial turning point in hip-hop writing... By opening the discourse on hip-hop's aesthetic, Cobb spearheads a new sub-genre, and perhaps a return or revolution in hip-hop aesthetics. Black Issues Book Review Celebrates lyrical invention, the artists and even the particular rhymes that make hip-hop great. For the uninitiated, it is Hip Hop 101, offering a rich overview of rap's verbal artistry. For the aficionado, it alternately affirms and challenges deeply held beliefs of what is valuable in hip-hop. Washington Post Book World Dissects the evolution of hip hop lyricism from its most primitive beginnings to its current manifestation as a global phenomenon. Cobb examines issues of race, geography, genre and bravado in this overview of hip hop's lyrical art. Covering words from B.I.G., Cube, Obie Trice and Pimp C, Cobb offers an intellectual and up-to-date report on hip hop's most powerful element. Source Magazine On literally every page [Cobb] displays a tremendous command of language and history as he examines the aesthetic, stylistic, and thematic evolution of hip hop from its inception in the South Bronx to the present era. But make no mistake: this groundbreaking work is an artfully constructed and vividly written look at the artistic evolution of rap music and its relationship to earlier forms of black expression. Much of the book's pleasure also comes from Cobb's ability to freestyle serious and humorous insights. Publishers Weekly

Celebrates lyrical invention, the artists and even the particular rhymes that make hip-hop great. For the uninitiated, it is Hip Hop 101, offering a rich overview of rap's verbal artistry. For the aficionado, it alternately affirms and challenges deeply held beliefs of what is valuable in hip-hop. WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD Dissects the evolution of hip hop lyricism from its most primitive beginnings to its current manifestation as a global phenomenon. Cobb examines issues of race, geography, genre and bravado in this overview of hip hop's lyrical art. Covering words from B.I.G., Cube, Obie Trice and Pimp C, Cobb offers an intellectual and up-to-date report on hip hop's most powerful element. SOURCE MAGAZINE On literally every page [Cobb] displays a tremendous command of language and history as he examines the aesthetic, stylistic, and thematic evolution of hip hop from its inception in the South Bronx to the present era. But make no mistake: this groundbreaking work is an artfully constructed and vividly written look at the artistic evolution of rap music and its relationship to earlier forms of black expression. Much of the book's pleasure also comes from Cobb's ability to freestyle serious and humorous insights. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review

Author Information

William Jelani Cobb is Assistant Professor of History at Spelman College and editor of The Essential Harold Cruse: A Reader. He is a contributing writer at Essence magazine, and his music criticism and essays have also appeared in the Washington Post, Emerge, and the Progressive. His website can be found at www.jelanicobb.com. He resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

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