A really amazing look at the secret art and language of gang culture in Chicago – the most detailed book we've ever seen to examine the words on the street during the 60s, 70s, and 80s! Chicago had a very special sort of language to communicate gang activity and culture during the heyday of the city's big gangs – graffiti that was filled with codes and symbols, and which really predated major street art in New York – plus a network of patches, business cards, and other objects that conveyed a special sort of numerology and message – sometimes harmless words about parties and events, sometimes essential details about the criminal underworld. This book is fascinating on so many different levels – not just a prurient true crime story, but instead a very detailed examination of gang culture in terms of linguistics, visual media, and representation. Yet all that detail doesn't make things too dry, either – as the book is overflowing with photos and images – examples of street graffiti, countless business cards, patches, portraits, and more – even some maps at the back. The whole thing is a massive 375 pages, full color throughout, and very beautifully done! Book

The legendary Iceberg Slim has given us plenty of his own story over the years – but this book is the first to look at the man behind the man – writer Robert Beck, who started as a pimp and became a surprisingly successful author – as well as an underground figure who inspired a later generation of hip hop artists as well! If you've ever read any of Slim's books, you'll know the world that he came from – but author Justin Gifford gets past the hype of the character, and looks at Beck's background and upbringing, his sometimes less-than-successful career as a hustler, and his move to convey the spirit of the streets on paper. Gifford's an academic, but presents the book in a nicely lively style – and the whole thing is hardcover, 265 pages, with some black and white images. Book

One of the most lavish, loving books on hip hop that we've ever seen – a huge volume that manages to be a history of rap music, a photo book, a guide to key albums, and also a personal journey as well – all served up with a vivid, non-stop array of images that make the whole thing even more of a visual delight than digging in the crates! The volume is huge – stuffed with over 1000 images, most in color – photos of album covers, street art, hip hop DJs and MCs, and countless other subjects – all presented in loose chronological order, alongside a history and evolution of the music, plus a timeline of key records and moments – all guided by some personal reflections by the author as well. Chuck D gives the book some huge props in the intro – and this updated volume is a heavy 446 pages, in a softcover edition, filled with images throughout. Book

The biggest book we've ever seen to focus on the photography of Jamel Shabazz – a Brooklyn photographer who was out on the streets in the glory days of the old school – famous for his work capturing key sides of the early hip hop scene, and plenty of other New York culture as well! The book follows strongly from other volumes to collect the work of Shabazz – like Back In The Day and Time Before Crack – but the presentation is a bit different, as each page represents a page in one of Jamel's photo albums – usually with a few different color photographs on each page, often in arrays that bring together images from a single location or which have a way of resonating with each other. Subject matter is similar to other books of the photos of Shabazz – lots of early 80s New York street scenes and street portraits – and the huge book comes with a few essays on the work as well. Hardcover, 320 pages, and full color throughout – with hundreds of images! Book