Ben Greenman – författare

'Questlove radiates passion, knowledge, wit and profundity as he reflects on this ever-evolving art form' GUARDIANFor a young Black kid growing up in a musical family in 1970s Philadelphia, hip-hop was everything. He stayed up late to hear the newest songs on the radio. He saved his money to buy vinyl as soon as it landed. He even started to make his own songs. That kid was Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson.Now, in this landmark book, Questlove traces the creative, cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting the forgotten influential gems and the chart-topping hits - and weaves it all together with the stories no one else knows. It is at once an intimate, sharply observed story and a sweeping theory of the evolution of the greatest artistic movement of our time. Questlove approaches it with both the encyclopaedic fluency of an obsessive fan and the unique expertise of an innovative participant. Hip-hop is history, and also his history.

The World According to Questlove Mo' Meta Blues is a punch-drunk memoir in which Everyone's Favorite Questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture. Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson is many things: virtuoso drummer, producer, arranger, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandleader, DJ, composer, and tireless Tweeter. He is one of our most ubiquitous cultural tastemakers, and in this, his first book, he reveals his own formative experiences--from growing up in 1970s West Philly as the son of a 1950s doo-wop singer, to finding his own way through the music world and ultimately co-founding and rising up with the Roots, a.k.a., the last hip hop band on Earth. Mo' Meta Blues also has some (many) random (or not) musings about the state of hip hop, the state of music criticism, the state of statements, as well as a plethora of run-ins with celebrities, idols, and fellow artists, from Stevie Wonder to KISS to D'Angelo to Jay-Z to Dave Chappelle to...you ever seen Prince roller-skate?!? But Mo' Meta Blues isn't just a memoir. It's a dialogue about the nature of memory and the idea of a post-modern black man saddled with some post-modern blues. It's a book that questions what a book like Mo' Meta Blues really is. It's the side wind of a one-of-a-kind mind. It's a rare gift that gives as well as takes. It's a record that keeps going around and around.

Dig If U Will The Picture is a portrait of The Artist who will be remembered by many as the most seductive and enigmatic pop star of his generation. A year after Prince's death at the age of 57, acclaimed writer Ben Greenman brilliantly anatomizes the star's dramatic career and an aesthetic that at times seemed otherworldly.In thematically structured chapters that blend critical consideration of Prince's art with the author's personal connection to the music, this is a fitting memorial to a legendary performer: monumental, yet deeply intimate. Drawing on over 40 studio albums, a repertoire of 2,000 plus live shows, and close analysis of the unreleased highlights of the Vault, Dig If U Will the Picture is the definitive book on Prince's work.

'A wonderfully original take on a Rock and Roll autobiography' Paul McCartney'An inimitable Rock 'n' Roll life told as boldly as it was lived' Bruce SpringsteenWhat story begins in a bedroom in suburban New Jersey in the early '60s, unfolds on some of the country's largest stages, and then ranges across the globe, demonstrating over and over again how Rock and Roll has the power to change the world for the better? This story.The first true heartbeat of UNREQUITED INFATUATIONS is the moment when Stevie Van Zandt trades in his devotion to the Baptist religion for an obsession with Rock and Roll. Groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones created new ideas of community, creative risk, and principled rebellion. They changed him forever. While still a teenager, he met Bruce Springsteen, a like-minded outcast/true believer who became one of his most important friends and bandmates. As Miami Steve, Van Zandt anchored the E Street Band as they conquered the Rock and Roll world.And then, in the early '80s, Van Zandt stepped away from E Street to embark on his own odyssey. He refashioned himself as Little Steven, a political songwriter and performer, fell in love with Maureen Santoro who greatly expanded his artistic palette, and visited the world's hot spots as an artist/journalist to not just better understand them, but to help change them. Most famously, he masterminded the recording of "Sun City," an anti-apartheid anthem that sped the demise of South Africa's institutionalized racism and helped get Nelson Mandela out of prison.By the '90s, Van Zandt had lived at least two lives-one as a mainstream rocker, one as a hardcore activist. It was time for a third. David Chase invited Van Zandt to be a part of his new television show, the Sopranos-as Silvio Dante, he was the unconditionally loyal consiglieri who sat at the right hand of Tony Soprano (a relationship that oddly mirrored his real-life relationship with Bruce Springsteen).Underlying all of Van Zandt's various incarnations was a devotion to preserving the centrality of the arts, especially the endangered species of Rock. In the twenty-first century, Van Zandt founded a groundbreaking radio show (Underground Garage), a fiercely independent record label (Wicked Cool), and developed a curriculum to teach students of all ages through the medium of music history. He also rejoined the E Street Band for what has now been a twenty-year victory lap.UNREQUITED INFATUATIONS chronicles the twists and turns of Stevie Van Zandt's always surprising life. It is more than just the testimony of a globe-trotting nomad, more than the story of a groundbreaking activist, more than the odyssey of a spiritual seeker, and more than a master class in rock and roll (not to mention a dozen other crafts). It's the best book of its kind because it's the only book of its kind.

A must-read for old-school hip-hop heads and burgeoning fans alikeTime'Hip Hip is not History, it's Our story. Brilliant book'Craig Charles'Hip-Hop Is History melds a detailed chronological retelling of the genre's story with occasionally hair-raising memoir 'Guardian'Sharp and lyrical analyses of hip-hop's evolution with fascinating, up-close recollections of the genre's turning point... an exuberant account of a dynamic musical genre and the cultural climate in which it evolved Publishers WeeklyWhen hip-hop first emerged in the 1970s, it wasn't expected to become the cultural force it is today. But for a young Black kid growing up in a musical family in Philadelphia, it was everything. He stayed up late to hear the newest songs on the radio. He saved his money to buy vinyl as soon as it landed. He even started to try to make his own songs. That kid was Questlove, and decades later, he is a six-time Grammy Award-winning musician, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a New York Times bestselling author, a producer, an entrepreneur, a cofounder of one of hip-hop's defining acts (the Roots), and the genre's unofficial in-house historian.In this landmark book, Hip-Hop Is History, Questlove skilfully traces the creative and cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting both the forgotten but influential gems and the undeniable chart-topping hits-and weaves it all together with the stories no one else knows. It is at once an intimate, sharply observed story of a cultural revolution and a sweeping, grand theory of the evolution of the great artistic movement of our time. And Questlove, of course, approaches it with not only the encyclopaedic fluency and passion of an obsessive fan but also the expertise and originality of an innovative participant.Hip-hop is history, and also his history.'A must-read for music lovers, cultural history buffs, and hip-hop fans... Questlove's illuminating and insightful survey is as personal as it is expert'Booklist'A memorable, masterful history of the first 50 years of an indelible American art form'Kirkus ReviewsThe musician and Oscar-winning director traces the first 50 years of hip-hop... Questlove pairs the history of hip-hop with a personal reflection on how the genre shaped his identity during his childhood in PhiladelphiaThe Week