{"product_id":"this-is-a-throwdown-by-del-cowie-9781770415546","title":"This is a Throwdown","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom blockos to Billboard hits, the previously untold story of the Toronto Sound\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLong before Drake picked up the mic, Toronto had a thriving, vital hip-hop culture fighting for recognition. It was shaped by multiple generations of artists, including Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee, Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates, Choclair, and k-os, and fostered shrewd promoters and pioneering producers such as Ron Nelson, Noah “40” Shebib, and Boi-1da.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis Is a Throwdown\u003c\/em\u003e authoritatively chronicles the music, history, and environment that shaped the Toronto hip-hop sound, from its 1980s sound system scene through to Drake’s stratospheric success with 2011’s \u003cem\u003eTake Care\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on Del Cowie’s two decades of experience as a music journalist, \u003cem\u003eThis Is a Throwdown\u003c\/em\u003e is the first book to critically assess and chronicle the largely untold story of hip-hop culture in Toronto, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003ethe sound system clashes and block parties that were the foundation of Toronto’s early hip-hop culture\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003ethe hidden pioneers who shaped the scene\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003ethe diasporic fusion of Caribbean and African-American influences\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003ehow Toronto artists broke barriers in an industry that overlooked Canadian hip-hop\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver 50 years after hip-hop began, now’s the time to move the 6ix from shadow to spotlight and celebrate the oft-neglected MCs, producers, and promoters who created this scene and this sound, starting from the bottom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68068943495404,"sku":"9781770415546","price":49.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781770415546-this-is-a-throwdown-1.jpg?v=1793821304","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/products\/this-is-a-throwdown-by-del-cowie-9781770415546","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}