RAP CAPITOL

New York Times reporter Joe Coscarelli offers a masterful, street-level story of art, money, race, class, and salvation.

Rap Capital tells a gripping human drama of young Black lives navigating the shoals of race and class in an American city as it faces a turning point through political, cultural, and social upheaval. From mansions to trap houses, office buildings to strip clubs, Atlanta is defined by its rap music. But this flashy and fast-paced world is rarely seen below surface-level as a collection not of superheroes and villains, cartoons and caricatures, but of flawed and inspired individuals all trying to get a piece of what everyone else seems to have. In artistic, commercial, and human terms, Atlanta rap represents the most consequential musical ecosystem of this century so far. Rap Capital tells the dramatic stories of the people who make it tick, and the city that made them that way.

Drawing on years of reporting, more than a hundred interviews, dozens of hours in recording studios and on immersive ride-alongs, acclaimed New York Times reporter Joe Coscarelli weaves a cinematic tapestry of this singular American culture as it took over in the last decade, from the big names to the lesser-seen prospects, managers, grunt-workers, mothers, DJs, lawyers and dealers that are equally important to the industry. The result is a deeply human, era-defining book. Entertaining and profound, Rap Capital is an epic of art, money, race, class, and sometimes, salvation.

Joe Coscarelli's viral video series "Diary of a Song" takes viewers into the creative process of pop stars. His breaking news coverage of Britney Spears' conservatorship can be seen in the Emmy-nominated documentary "Framing Britney Spears." His hit NYT podcast "Popcast" is a fan favorite for anyone who cares about modern music culture.