When Chickenheads Come Home To Roost
Date: 1999
Medium: paperback book
Object number: GUM-BK-2026-023
Foundational work by Joan Morgan, first published in 1999 and widely credited with coining the term "hip-hop feminism." An essential text that examines the tension between loving hip-hop culture and critiquing its treatment of women.
Fresh Fly Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style
Date: 2023
Medium: hardcover book
Object number: GUM-BK-2026-005
Hardcover companion to the Fashion Institute of Technology exhibition of the same name, tracing five decades of hip-hop's influence on fashion. Written by fashion historians Elena Romero and Elizabeth Way, published in 2024 by Rizzoli Electa.
Da Baddest
Date: 2024
Medium: paperback book
Object number: GUM-BK-2026-004
Autobiography of Miami rapper Trina, co-written with Sesali Bown and published in 2024 by Simon & Schuster, chronicling her rise as one of the South's defining women in hip-hop.
Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop
Date: 2022
Medium: hardcover book
Object number: GUM-BK-2026-003
Memoir and cultural history by former Vibe editor-in-chief Danyel Smith, tracing the lives and legacies of Black women pop and R&B singers. Published in 2022 by Penguin Randomhouse, it blends personal narrative with decades of music journalism.
The Book of HOV
Date: 2023
Medium: paper
Object number: GUM-MEM-2026-002
Collectible library book from The Book of HOV exhibit celebrating Jay-Z, presented at the Brooklyn Public Library Central Library in 2023.
Son of a Pharaoh (JOOPITER inaugural auction)
Date: 2022
Medium: paper
Object number: GUM-MEM-2026-001
Book from Pharrell Williams' inaugural digital auction, Son of a Pharaoh, held in 2022 through his auction house JOOPITER.
Spike Lee: Do the Right Thing
Date: 2010
Medium: hardcover book
Object number: GUM-BK-2026-002
Oral history and behind-the-scenes companion book to Spike Lee's movie ‘Do the Right Thing,’ written by Spike Lee and Jason Matloff, published by AMMO Books in 2010.
First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed The Game
Date: 2024
Medium: hardcover book
Object number: GUM-BK-2026-001]
Debut book by Nadirah Simmons, founder of The Gumbo, published in 2024 by Hachette's Grand Central/Twelve Books imprint. Held in the personal collection as a milestone artifact marking the brand's own place in hip-hop media history.