Hangin' Out In 100b

I always say that what I love about music history is that it’s really the history of people. Yes, technically all history is, but music history is not about presidents or kings or generals, it’s about regular people who make a change, try something new, go their own way. Almost every music story begins with someone(s) just like you or me and an idea. They figure out how to do it and everything changes with them – sometimes just the flow of popular culture for a small group, sometimes the direction of a whole society. Music may not be the only thing responsible for those changes, but it moves and inspires people to make the difference, big or small, like nothing else.

Which is why my very favorite music writing is always oral histories. There’s nothing quite like hearing about events from the people who were there, who created and witnessed those events, in their own words. Yes Yes Y’all: The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-hop – The First Decade (edited by Jim Fricke and Charlie Ahearn) is one of the very best. This is the story of hip-hop from the very beginning, back before it was even an idea. Starting with the inspirations, people, and events that lead up to hip-hop’s beginnings, Yes Yes Y’all takes you through the street parties and entrepreneurial endeavors that started it all, shows the gradual creation of the genre as we know it now, explains controversies and tensions within the early hip-hop community, and introduces you to every person involved along the way. It really is quite an achievement, and creates such a vivid picture, you honestly do feel like you’re there, experiencing this remarkable time alongside the people who created it. I sincerely hope The Experience Music Project continues the story into hip-hop’s second decade someday.