Word Is Bond: The Untold Story of Hip-Hop Journalism

By Syreeta Gates

A treasure trove from the golden era of hip-hop journalism, featuring groundbreaking articles, oral histories, and never-before-seen photos and artifacts--expertly curated by a renowned archivist

In the early days of the hip-hop industry--long before hip hop became American pop music, before the sanitized protocols of the larger music industry took over with regimented press days and ever-present publicists--mainstream media essentially ignored the culture while hip hop journalists were in the trenches with young artists, record label owners, stylists, and photographers. Each unknowingly played a critical part in deciding what the future of this global cultural movement would look like. Yet for its essential role, early hip-hop journalism is a hidden treasure. Most of the '80s and '90s magazines that shaped the culture are not available anywhere, not even online.

Word Is Bond is the first book that uncovers those magazine pages in their original form, contextualized with the riveting stories behind the articles, from the editorial offices to the music studio to their impact on today's generation of fans and cultural critics. With unprecedented access to this history through pages, photos, and first-person accounts of the people that lived it, readers can feel like they're back at those desks, covering the latest albums, or sitting up in their rooms, poring over profiles of their favorite artists.

In addition to the visuals, Word Is Bond features a who's who of some of today's most influential cultural creators with articles and oral histories from journalists like dream hampton, Mimi Vald s, Cheo Hodari Coker, and Joan Morgan. With this history finally being told by the scribes who recorded it, Word Is Bond is both a celebration and a corrective: finally, the story of hip-hop journalism is brought out of the shadows and into the mainstream consciousness.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593446895
• ISBN13: 9780593446898
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Roc Lit 101
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.27 lbs.