This brief discussion should show just why the study of hip hop is so critical.

NPR: Author Comes to Hip-Hop Music's Defense

Two years later, he and eight friends including two cousins, who would become the RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard released "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), " a critical entry in the hip-hop canon.

WSJ: GZA on 'Dark Matter' Album - Interview: Rapper Finds Muse in the Stars

The college dropout was an overwhelming commercial and critical success, and West found fans outside hip-hop circles.

NPR: Kanye West Shines