Born to Use Mics

Author and radio host Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai, an assistant professor in African American Studies at the University of California, have recruited several Hip-Hop scholars, including Bobbito Garcia, to contribute to a biography of sorts about Nas’ seminal debut album Illmatic. The new book Born To Use Mics: Reading Nas’ Illmatic examines the change then 19-year-old Nas effected on the Hip-Hop landscape by analyzing each song on the classic 1994 release. Born to Use Mics, which draws its title from the single "N.Y. State of Mind," will be available December 28.