Word is Born

By: Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

Narrated by: Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

Grammy winning family hip-hop artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo’s rhyme-writing workshop will get aspiring rhymers ready for the limelight. Skidoo breaks down song writing and performing basics into easy-to-follow examples alongside short chapters featuring cultures that have songs at their core, including West African griots, Australian indigenous songline culture, and Viking rhyme battling.

This unique combination of how-to and history showcases musicians and singers performing traditional styles, then flips them into contemporary hip-hop songs celebrating their cultures. With an opening chapter and original music by hip-hop founding father Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers, Word is Born is full of techniques and tales that will help you sing your own song.

Ages 10+

©2021 Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.

Excellent history and good narration

I knew so little of hip hop and now it's ubiquitous. This is a very insightful history of how it got started and who is involved and why it plays such an important part in musical history. I'm disappointed that Audible didn't promote this more!

Wow! I learned so much!

This is such a cool book! It literally teaches you how to rap (or rhyme) but also digs into the history of hip hop and musical cultures all over the world. There is music in the historical parts and it's so cool. I think my favorite part was hearing about Australian song lines. But Vikings are pretty rad too. Plus, this narrator/author has the best voice ever. Audible, please hire him to narrate other things. Good for older kids AND adults.

An entertaining masterclass in Hip Hop technique, culture and history

Whether you’re looking to kick off a career as an MC or just want a better appreciation for Hip Hop music and culture, Agent 23 breaks it down without dumbing it down. With additional first hand history and insight provided by Grandmaster Caz, this book provides a unique view into all of the skills required to write and perform along with a perspective on the culture developed through his unique experiences traveling the globe. From West Africa to Scandinavia to First Nation Australia to New Orleans and Brooklyn, the history and influences that Agent 23 reveals are fascinating and amazingly entertaining.

This is not your average audiobook, as Agent 23 takes advantage of the audio format to mix story with song and truly serve justice to his topic. I’ll be looking on Apple Music next for the soundtrack!

A phenomenal honoring of the culture of hip hop

This beautiful piece of work is incredibly rich in context and substance with the abundance of knowledge and experience learned from a true lyricist. Whether you want to learn about how to rhyme or where the culture came from, this book contains all that and then some!

Educational, thoughtful and entertaining

I’m not an aspiring MC, but I still got a whole lot from listening to this book. It gives you a lot to reflect on, has tons of cultural and historical nuggets of knowledge, and features some amazing original music.