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Parents, Here's What That New 'Hip-Hop Alphabet' Book Will Be Teaching Your Kids

Catching ‘em early.

As the summer begins to wind down, classrooms all over the U.S. are gearing up for another school year for returning students — including the little ones backpacking crayons, snacks and number books.  

And for those with the alphabet on the curriculum this year, teachers may want to take a flip through the new Hip-Hop Alphabet book for the musically inclined youth, as well.

Co-authored by the artistic Lordz of Brooklyn OG Michael “Kaves” McLeer and former Jive Records executive Howie Abrams, the 32-page book will feature hip-hop and urban culture’s most notable nuances, artists and moments of hip-hop culture.

Each page, listed A through Z, will include a graffiti picture and brief descriptions of the subject listed on the page. Artsy collective A Tribe Called Quest leads the first page with “A.” Naming Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, the book appropriately explains the trio’s sound as “laid-back rhymes over jazzy beats [that] showed how chill hip-hop could be.”

Other urban legends named in the book are Run-D.M.C., Wu-Tang Clan and even the two-hour MTV show Yo! MTV Raps. According to Ambrosia for Heads, the book is targeted at pre-K and kindergarten students and is meant to get the youth’s creative juices flowing early.

Hip Hop Alphabet combines the wit and words of Hip-Hop with the artistic mastery of graffiti (our art) to provide a creative, educational experience for young and old alike,” the site reports of the publication’s foreword, which was penned by Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run D.M.C.

Head over to Ambrosia for Heads to see the first few pages of the book and pre-order it here to add to this school year’s reading list for the young creatives in your life when it becomes available in October.

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