PDF Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton in History

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Raw; authoritative; and unflinching ... An elaborately detailed; darkly surprising; definitive history of the LA gangsta rap era.---Kirkus; starred reviewA monumental; revealing narrative history about the legendary group of artists at the forefront of West Coast hip-hop: Eazy-E; Dr. Dre; Ice Cube; Snoop Dogg; and Tupac Shakur.Amid rising gang violence; the crack epidemic; and police brutality; a group of unlikely voices cut through the chaos of late 1980s Los Angeles: N.W.A. Led by a drug dealer; a glammed-up producer; and a high school kid; N.W.A gave voice to disenfranchised African Americans across the country. And they quickly redefined pop culture across the world. Their names remain as popular as ever--Eazy-E; Dr. Dre; and Ice Cube. Dre soon joined forces with Suge Knight to create the combustible Death Row Records; which in turn transformed Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur into superstars.Ben Westhoff explores how this group of artists shifted the balance of hip-hop from New York to Los Angeles. He shows how N.W.A.'s shocking success lead to rivalries between members; record labels; and eventually a war between East Coast and West Coast factions. In the process; hip-hop burst into mainstream America at a time of immense social change; and became the most dominant musical movement of the last thirty years. At gangsta rap's peak; two of its biggest names--Tupac and Biggie Smalls--were murdered; leaving the surviving artists to forge peace before the genre annihilated itself. Featuring extensive investigative reporting; interviews with the principal players; and dozens of never-before-told stories; Original Gangstas is a groundbreaking addition to the history of popular music.