Rap, a popular music that emerged in the United States during the 1980s and 90s, is described as a creation of young African American culture. It belongs to a centuries old legacy of using language creatively in everyday life. The roots of the music are seen as part of the African-American oral and musical traditions that encompass the hidden messages of slave folktales, the call and response of the Black church, the joy and pain of the blues, the jive talk and slang of disc jockeys and jazz musicians, the boasting of street talk, the wit of comedians, and the eloquence of Black activists. Rap shares West Africa as a common place of origin. After a Prologue, "Young Lions of America", the work is organized into seven chapters and an epilogue. These are Chapter 1, "The Roots of Rap"; Chapter 2, "Get On Up: The Rise of African-American Culture"; Chapter 3, "Back in the Day"; Chapter 4, "The Message Spreads"; Chapter 5, "Roots, Culture, Free Speech, and Technology"; Chapter 6, "Stylin' and Profilin'"; Chapter 7, "Global Rap: Hip Hop Rules"; and "Epilogue: Young Lions Return." These sections are followed by: "Notes"; "A Glossary of Hip-Hop Terms"; "Discography"; "Further Reading", and an "Index." (MM)