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Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies
A Tribe Called Quest • Beastie Boys • De La Soul • Eric B. & Rakim • The Fugees • KRS-One • Pete Rock & CL Smooth • Public Enemy • The Roots • Run-DMC • Wu-Tang Clan • and twenty-five more hip-hop immortals
It’s a sad hip-hop album liners have always been reduced to a list of producer and sample credits, a publicity photo or two, and some hastily composed shout-outs. That’s a damn shame, because few outside the game know about the true creative forces behind influential masterpieces like PE’s It Takes a Nation of Millions. . ., De La’s 3 Feet High and Rising, and Wu-Tang’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). A longtime scribe for the hip-hop nation, Brian Coleman fills this void, and delivers a thrilling, knockout oral history of the albums that define this dynamic and iconoclastic art form.
The One chapter, one artist, one album, blow-by-blow and track-by-track, delivered straight from the original sources. Performers, producers, DJs, and b-boys–including Big Daddy Kane, Muggs and B-Real, Biz Markie, RZA, Ice-T, and Wyclef–step to the mic to talk about the influences, environment, equipment, samples, beats, beefs, and surprises that went into making each classic record. Studio craft and street smarts, sonic inspiration and skate ramps, triumph, tragedy, and take-out food–all played their part in creating these essential albums of the hip-hop canon.
Insightful, raucous, and addictive, Check the Technique transports you back to hip-hop’s golden age with the greatest artists of the ’80s and ’90s. This is the book that belongs on the stacks next to your wax.
“Brian Coleman’s writing is a lot like the albums he direct, uproarious, and more than six-fifths genius.”
–Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
“All producers and hip-hop fans must read this book. It really shows how these albums were made and touches the music fiend in everyone.”
–DJ Evil Dee of Black Moon and Da Beatminerz
“A rarity in mainstream a truly essential rap history.”
–Ronin Ro, author of Have Gun Will Travel
It’s a sad hip-hop album liners have always been reduced to a list of producer and sample credits, a publicity photo or two, and some hastily composed shout-outs. That’s a damn shame, because few outside the game know about the true creative forces behind influential masterpieces like PE’s It Takes a Nation of Millions. . ., De La’s 3 Feet High and Rising, and Wu-Tang’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). A longtime scribe for the hip-hop nation, Brian Coleman fills this void, and delivers a thrilling, knockout oral history of the albums that define this dynamic and iconoclastic art form.
The One chapter, one artist, one album, blow-by-blow and track-by-track, delivered straight from the original sources. Performers, producers, DJs, and b-boys–including Big Daddy Kane, Muggs and B-Real, Biz Markie, RZA, Ice-T, and Wyclef–step to the mic to talk about the influences, environment, equipment, samples, beats, beefs, and surprises that went into making each classic record. Studio craft and street smarts, sonic inspiration and skate ramps, triumph, tragedy, and take-out food–all played their part in creating these essential albums of the hip-hop canon.
Insightful, raucous, and addictive, Check the Technique transports you back to hip-hop’s golden age with the greatest artists of the ’80s and ’90s. This is the book that belongs on the stacks next to your wax.
“Brian Coleman’s writing is a lot like the albums he direct, uproarious, and more than six-fifths genius.”
–Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
“All producers and hip-hop fans must read this book. It really shows how these albums were made and touches the music fiend in everyone.”
–DJ Evil Dee of Black Moon and Da Beatminerz
“A rarity in mainstream a truly essential rap history.”
–Ronin Ro, author of Have Gun Will Travel
528 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 11, 2020
Un libro lleno de curiosidades sobre discos clásicos del rap americano.
July 11, 2011
Equally essential in its way, and at the other end of the spectrum from Chang’s book, music journalist Brain Coleman explores the origins of 36 classic hip-hop albums, providing the commentary behind the lack of liner notes in those albums. This book was a win for me because both Coleman and Ahmir ‘?uestlove’ Thompson in his intro talk about the magic and mystery of hip-hop albums in the 80s and 90s. You might get a photo and some production credits, but you never knew who these people were, you never knew what the artist’s real name was half the time. Coleman interviews the key players and breaks it down into oral histories of everything from ‘Paid in Full’ to ‘The Low End Theory’ to ‘The Score’. Yes, there are glaring omissions, but there have been rumblings of a sequel. The only criticism is that some of the interviews come across as self-serving: Rakim makes the most of his time to downplay Eric B’s contributions, and obviously the Fugees section is lacking without Lauryn’s thoughts, but it’s still a book I’ve read cover to cover, even if it’s an album I’ve never heard before [like X-Clan]. It also has a thorough section on Digital Underground’s album ‘Sex Packets’, which blew my little mind up in the 8th grade.
August 16, 2008
One of the best and only books on the behind the scenes of how many of the greatest hip hop albums came to life. Featuring interviews with the original artists, producers and engineers of these seminal classics. Where else can you read about the birth of classics such as- Cypress Hill's "Cypress Hill" album, De La Soul's "3 Feet High and Rising", Fugees "The Score", Biz Markie "Going Off", Redman "What Thee Album", A Tribe Called Quest "Low End Theory" and Wu Tang "Enter the 36 Chambers" among many others..Not just for old school heads but for any one curious as to how these songs came to be.
I met the author at the release party for "Check The Technique" and you can read my review on THEZROHOUR.COM-
http://thezrohour.blogspot.com/2007/08/book-review-brian-colemans-check.html
I met the author at the release party for "Check The Technique" and you can read my review on THEZROHOUR.COM-
http://thezrohour.blogspot.com/2007/08/book-review-brian-colemans-check.html
May 20, 2009
While I wasn't interested in every album detailed here, I was interested in most of them -- and the stories are all fascinating, especially if you're a fan of the oral history format (or have ever spent a few hours poring over a set of liner notes in a sitting). Recommended.
June 5, 2021
The liner notes that you never knew you needed! Great background information to some classic songs straight from the artists. Been chipping away at this book since the beginning of the year. I would listen to the albums on Spotify while reading about the songs to refresh my memory about some of the older albums that I wasn't as familiar with.
Want to read
June 29, 2020Got a copy of this from John McGregor. Looking forward to reading it. Always cool getting books as gifts.
April 17, 2021
This book really spoke to me. I learned about Coleman’s book after reading his excellent essay about how the experience of creating KMD’s second album Black Bastards led to the birth of MF Doom right after I heard about MF Doom’s death. The article is worth checking out (https://medium.com/cuepoint/check-the...), as Coleman shows how rigorous and detailed he is in his storytelling and analysis. I hoped that he would show a similar eye for detail and keen analysis in this book that he does in the article.
If anything, I felt like this book charted the wall of tapes and 12” in my room from about 8th grade to 11th grade. The number of excellent albums he covered and artists interviewed was impressive—Public Enemy, De La Soul, Wu Tang, EPMD, Digital Underground, Cypress Hill, Ice-T, Geto Boys—I could list nearly every chapter in the book. I was especially excited to see Poor Righteous Teachers in there as well as I remember how Rock Dis Funky Joint was the #1 on the Top 9 at 9 for like 3 months in 8th grade. I always felt like they were such an under-appreciated group. It was fascinating to learn more about them and their experiencing with developing the band, working on the album, and trying to get a distribution deal for the record. In general, it was fascinating to read about the record industry at that time. It is probably an era of the past since there’s really no more demo tapes anymore. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed hearing from all of the artists and hearing about their stories about developing some of these important albums. Some of the highlights included KRS-ONE and Ice-T’s interview. I also really enjoyed reading more about Digital Underground’s masterpiece Sex Packets and how creative Shock G was. One interesting thing about that album was how it helped to reshape the nature of West Coast Rap—shifting samples from James Brown to P-Funk and George Clinton that would bust out of the scene with Dre’s The Chronic about 2 years later.
In compiling a book of great albums like this, there are always going to be some albums left out, and I couldn’t help but wonder why there were no Gang Starr albums, no Ice Cube albums, and no NWA or Dre albums. I guess I can see why maybe Dre would get left out as most of the albums were just before The Chronic; however, I would think that either Step into the Arena or Daily Operation (my choice) would be worthy of an overview. Similarly, any one of Ice Cube’s first three albums would deserve an overview. I would choose Death Certificate, but I think that the historical context of The Predator would also be fascinating to study. Gang Starr and Ice Cube created many great albums, but I also would have liked to see a few other chapters dedicated to some other great albums from 1991—Black Sheep’s A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and Showbiz and AG’s Runaway Slave would have also made some great chapters. Black Sheep’s album is so much better than the Choice is Yours. That album was hilarious while also have amazing samples. Dres is a great lyricist, and I would have liked to know more about the band and how that album came about. I also think that Runaway Slave is one of the top 5 hip hop albums from the 90s. Definitely a top 10, but I’ve always felt it was one of the top 5-7. In any event, there are many great samples and cameos on that album and I would have liked to learn more about it. I also think that highlighting the DITC crew would be interesting. I know that Coleman has some other books out, so maybe these records are a part of this, and I will need to read them to find out. On a final note, I think that was a good book to read after Hanif Abdurraqib’s They Can’t Kill Us…since they both talk about the shiny suit era of hip hop and how it sort of slowed the evolution of hip hop, or at least pushed all of the good hip hop underground, which maybe wasn’t so much of a bad thing.
If anything, I felt like this book charted the wall of tapes and 12” in my room from about 8th grade to 11th grade. The number of excellent albums he covered and artists interviewed was impressive—Public Enemy, De La Soul, Wu Tang, EPMD, Digital Underground, Cypress Hill, Ice-T, Geto Boys—I could list nearly every chapter in the book. I was especially excited to see Poor Righteous Teachers in there as well as I remember how Rock Dis Funky Joint was the #1 on the Top 9 at 9 for like 3 months in 8th grade. I always felt like they were such an under-appreciated group. It was fascinating to learn more about them and their experiencing with developing the band, working on the album, and trying to get a distribution deal for the record. In general, it was fascinating to read about the record industry at that time. It is probably an era of the past since there’s really no more demo tapes anymore. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed hearing from all of the artists and hearing about their stories about developing some of these important albums. Some of the highlights included KRS-ONE and Ice-T’s interview. I also really enjoyed reading more about Digital Underground’s masterpiece Sex Packets and how creative Shock G was. One interesting thing about that album was how it helped to reshape the nature of West Coast Rap—shifting samples from James Brown to P-Funk and George Clinton that would bust out of the scene with Dre’s The Chronic about 2 years later.
In compiling a book of great albums like this, there are always going to be some albums left out, and I couldn’t help but wonder why there were no Gang Starr albums, no Ice Cube albums, and no NWA or Dre albums. I guess I can see why maybe Dre would get left out as most of the albums were just before The Chronic; however, I would think that either Step into the Arena or Daily Operation (my choice) would be worthy of an overview. Similarly, any one of Ice Cube’s first three albums would deserve an overview. I would choose Death Certificate, but I think that the historical context of The Predator would also be fascinating to study. Gang Starr and Ice Cube created many great albums, but I also would have liked to see a few other chapters dedicated to some other great albums from 1991—Black Sheep’s A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and Showbiz and AG’s Runaway Slave would have also made some great chapters. Black Sheep’s album is so much better than the Choice is Yours. That album was hilarious while also have amazing samples. Dres is a great lyricist, and I would have liked to know more about the band and how that album came about. I also think that Runaway Slave is one of the top 5 hip hop albums from the 90s. Definitely a top 10, but I’ve always felt it was one of the top 5-7. In any event, there are many great samples and cameos on that album and I would have liked to learn more about it. I also think that highlighting the DITC crew would be interesting. I know that Coleman has some other books out, so maybe these records are a part of this, and I will need to read them to find out. On a final note, I think that was a good book to read after Hanif Abdurraqib’s They Can’t Kill Us…since they both talk about the shiny suit era of hip hop and how it sort of slowed the evolution of hip hop, or at least pushed all of the good hip hop underground, which maybe wasn’t so much of a bad thing.
July 26, 2017
Learning how people succeed in almost any field is always worth it. The 1980s stories are particularly interesting, as the guys were for the most part very young (many were teens) and most of them were operating with little if any template for success. As you get into the 1990s, you start to see guys targeting the marketplace a bit more, and these guys generally make more of an effort to maintain their personas.
The musical side is thought provoking as well, as you see the will to make music just carries these guys through the record making process, even without formal training and even as they are learning how to use studio equipment on the fly. People will just find a way to make the kind of art that they like if they are really into it. There is also a much greater emphasis on how the beats were developed than I would have expected.
The musical side is thought provoking as well, as you see the will to make music just carries these guys through the record making process, even without formal training and even as they are learning how to use studio equipment on the fly. People will just find a way to make the kind of art that they like if they are really into it. There is also a much greater emphasis on how the beats were developed than I would have expected.
March 1, 2022
Great idea for a book: Given the paucity of printed backstory regarding golden-age hip-hop albums, why not assemble an anthology of belated liner note essays? Many of the essays are quite good, too, though not all; frankly, some of the artists who are interviewed don’t have as much to say as you might hope when it comes to the inspiration or recording of specific songs. But for revealing the breadth of hip-hop tradition, this is more than effective. And as a celebration of the genre’s bygone values (like technical virtuosity), it’s sensational.
February 25, 2023
A very solid read. I thoroughly enjoyed this. A great collection of essays and track-by-track album breakdowns. Primarily interviews with the artists themselves. Real first-person accounts of what went into making classic hip-hop albums. More matter-of-fact than sensational, the stories focus on the effort and the craft that went into making the music moreso than revealing the fables that created stars. Down-to-earth and quite interesting.
March 4, 2024
Rating - 9.2
A deep & dense read that you almost have to take one instalment at a time so that all the details don't get blurred; An encyclopedia of old-school hip hop knowledge that brings you back to the days of old
I'm not as sophisticated about the musical production side so not going to get as much out of it as a DJ or aficionado however really appreciated learning the history of how groups formed & evolved
A deep & dense read that you almost have to take one instalment at a time so that all the details don't get blurred; An encyclopedia of old-school hip hop knowledge that brings you back to the days of old
I'm not as sophisticated about the musical production side so not going to get as much out of it as a DJ or aficionado however really appreciated learning the history of how groups formed & evolved
October 1, 2024
Loved the format of the book covering 36 historic rap albums from 36 different artists/groups. I appreciate the time it must have taken to interview all the people involved with the albums and do a track by track breakdown. Essential book to anyone that loves hip hop and helped me to discover new music that I love.
Feeling a strong to decent 9/10 on this one.
Feeling a strong to decent 9/10 on this one.
May 28, 2019
the writing is adequate at best but as you'd expect from an oral history, there are some great stories and insights. well worth slogging through if you're interested in how music is made and hip hop history of a certain time period.
September 21, 2022
I love Hip Hop so this felt like a history lesson from the professor everybody loves on campus. If you love Hip Hop it’s worth the read.
December 27, 2024
Well written and paced. The breakdowns of the albums are well done.
July 28, 2017
A must read for any music/hip-hop nerd.
January 2, 2025
Na tuto knihu jsem měl narazit rozhodně dříve. Všechna moje oblíbená alba z přelomu 80. a 90. let v jedné knize. Fantazie.
Jako dlouholetý fanoušek jsem dost věcí věděl, ale rozhodně ne všechno. Pro hip-hop headz naprostá povinnost. K dokonalosti chybí pouze delší kapitola s Redmanem.
Jako dlouholetý fanoušek jsem dost věcí věděl, ale rozhodně ne všechno. Pro hip-hop headz naprostá povinnost. K dokonalosti chybí pouze delší kapitola s Redmanem.
November 8, 2010
Check the Technique is pretty cool! Most impressive to me was the caliber and range of artists that Coleman managed to interview and include in his tell-all about hip-hop production. Chuck D, KRS-1, the Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, Eric B & Rakim, Run-DMC, De La Soul, The Beastie Boys, MC Lyte, Biz Markie, RZA, Ice-T, etc etc etc. The format was great, too, for people less neurotic than me; people who can stand to skip around in a book instead of reading from cover to cover! It's arranged alphabetically by artist, so you can pick and choose who you want to read about when. Me, on the other hand -- I started with "B" (there were no "A"s) and moved right on down the line.
I think this book was mostly useful in terms of individual artists' biographies, and tons of interesting production details. A nice complement to this work would be a more narrative or historical account that really puts these artists into context. I'm hoping to get that with my next hip hop read, Jeff Chang's Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation.
I think this book was mostly useful in terms of individual artists' biographies, and tons of interesting production details. A nice complement to this work would be a more narrative or historical account that really puts these artists into context. I'm hoping to get that with my next hip hop read, Jeff Chang's Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation.
January 17, 2016
man, this was a fun read. it was like taking a trip back in time, to when i'd rush home from school to watch Yo! MTV Raps. i grew up listening to the roots of hip hop. Check the Technique gives insightful background on some of the most influential albums in hip hop. Erik B & Rakim, RUN DMC, Beastie Boys, EPMD, etc. the list goes on and on.
it's a good book, even though some of the reviews and background seems shallow. overall, i enjoyed it. i found myself on Spotify listening to the albums as i read about them. then i used the Who Sampled app to find some of the many sampled songs featured in many of the songs on these early Rap albums.
it's a good book, even though some of the reviews and background seems shallow. overall, i enjoyed it. i found myself on Spotify listening to the albums as i read about them. then i used the Who Sampled app to find some of the many sampled songs featured in many of the songs on these early Rap albums.
June 14, 2016
This was a great book and an easy read for this fan of classic hip hop, and the craft behind the tracks. Coleman stays out of the way as promised and just lets the creators shine in each segment. I was hoping for a few more studio techniques and stories about the actual crafting of the songs, as a lot of the details revolve around the ideas behind the songs and who was involved, but not about innovation in the studio. The promise of peeling back the curtain on the actual making of the records is never really delivered on, but it's still interesting.
It's also unfortunate that because it's in alphabetic order, the book ends with X-Clan. Not exactly climactic.
It's also unfortunate that because it's in alphabetic order, the book ends with X-Clan. Not exactly climactic.
May 22, 2008
The subtitle says it all - oral histories of 36 classic hip-hop albums. What I really like about this book is how it really strips away a lot of the mythologies (much of them self-made: see Clan, Wu-Tang) about rappers and instead portrays them as what they are: artists who are completely geeked out by music and how it is made. My only complaint about this book is that there isn't more of it, though I hear that a second volume is being written...Can't wait.
July 15, 2015
Some of these albums I knew, some I didn't. It was enjoyable to read about albums I was familiar with. It was also fun to read some of the interviews about albums I didn't know well, because they were funny, or really poignantly showed hip-hop for that time period.
Eventually, though, I gave up on it. If I was more well versed in early hip-hop, I'd probably think the book was amazing. I'd go back to it if I listen to any of the other albums documented.
Eventually, though, I gave up on it. If I was more well versed in early hip-hop, I'd probably think the book was amazing. I'd go back to it if I listen to any of the other albums documented.
January 1, 2011
I'm a rap music junkie, and this book is like crack. Behind the scenes stories from some of the most classic records in Hip-Hop. The book is mostly centered in late 80's and early 90's. And it's heavily focused on the East Coast, but that's where Hip-Hop was at the time. A must read for any serious to moderate fan of rap music.
May 28, 2011
Loved it. Probably not interesting to someone who has no interest in hip-hop. A nice variety of artists/albums were covered. It was good to see the early days of the hip-hop movement. I especially liked the chapter on the beastie boys.
March 4, 2021
A great view into the inspiration for and creation of 36 rap albums, with chapters split between the history that led up to each record, and commentary from participants on the creative process behind each song. Not much gangsta rap, no Pac, Biggie, Em, or Jay-Z. But so what?
October 8, 2012
This book covers influential rap albums and the stories behind their creation. It features segments from interviews with artists and goes into lots of detail both about the technical aspects of recording and artistic intention.
The coverage focuses on 90s rap so this is one for the dinosaurs...
The coverage focuses on 90s rap so this is one for the dinosaurs...
July 1, 2013
Nice to get some insight on some of the seminal albums of my coming of age period. Some intersting inclusions (M.O.P. and ONYX) and oversights (N.W.A and Ice Cube) - That might have been an access issue - East Coast base?
November 24, 2014
Disappointing, and not because of the author's aim, or the albums covered (though there is room for argument. This is music I love, but the essays are too short, and I didn't learn much about anyone or anything.
May 3, 2015
A lot of fun, brought back a lot of great memories of listening to these albums. The actual "liner notes" are generally not as interesting as the group backstories, but it's all good if you like these classic rap albums. I look forward to checking out volume 2.
December 28, 2007
good read giving you history and background on some of hip hop's finest albums. via interviews with the artists, you get to learn more about the process and ideas behind each album. sooo good!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews