Wednesday Night Live: Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop with The Come Up

New York Times journalist and best-selling author Jonathan Abrams has created a compilation of the oral history of hip hop in his latest work, The Come Up. Join us as he shares some of the countless stories that will give you a deeper understanding of the magic that is such an integral part of the culture.

The program features Abrams' unique journey collecting this rich history, including a brief reading, followed by an audience talkback and book signing. Guests can purchase The Come Up during the program for the signing.

Jonathan Abrams is a staff writer at The New York Times and bestselling author of All The Pieces Matter, The Inside Story of The Wire and Boys Among Men. His latest book, The Come Up, An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop, publishes in October. He was previously a staff writer at Bleacher Report, ESPN's Grantland, and Los Angeles Times and is a graduate of the University of Southern California.

"The Come Up is Abrams at his sharpest, at his most observant, at his most insightful."—Shea Serrano, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hip-Hop (And Other Things)

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Spin

"In more than three hundred interviews conducted over three years, Abrams has captured the stories of the DJs, executives, producers, and artists who both witnessed and themselves forged the history of hip-hop. Masterfully combining these voices into a seamless symphonic narrative, Abrams traces how the genre grew out of the resourcefulness of a neglected population in the South Bronx, and from there how it flowed into New York City's other boroughs, and beyond—from electrifying live gatherings, then on to radio and vinyl, below to the Mason-Dixon Line, west to Los Angeles through gangster rap and G-funk, and then across generations.

Abrams has on record Grandmaster Caz detailing hip-hop's infancy, Edward "Duke Bootee" Fletcher describing the origins of "The Message," DMC narrating his role in introducing hip-hop to the mainstream, Ice Cube recounting N.W.A's breakthrough and breakup, Kool Moe Dee recalling his Grammys boycott, and countless more key players. Throughout, Abrams conveys with singular vividness the drive, the stakes, and the relentless creativity that ignited one of the greatest revolutions in modern music." - penguinrandomhouse.com