Few forms of music have been as misunderstood, vilified or wildly successful as hip-hop.  Like  jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll before it . . . when hip-hop started, critics said it wasn’t music.  And, like each of those forms, it quickly dominated the world, ushering in an entirely new culture with new words, new styles, new clothes, new dances.  The scope of its influence is still nothing short of breathtaking.

This issue of Thriller examines hip-hop through the eyes of two of its legends:  KRS-One and ?uestlove of the Roots.  KRS-One was there at the birth of hip-hop and is at least partially responsible for its rise to prominence.  His interview is placed in the format of the first ever Thriller broadcast!   ?uestlove came to the game a bit later, but few in hip-hop – indeed, few in any kind of music – have as much a sense of history as the Roots’ amply afroed drummer.  At the time of his interview, he had just finished scoring a documentary on Soul Train and the Roots were just about to release their ninth album, How I Got Over.

As always, check out The Playlist, carefully hand-crafted for your enjoyment.