Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Chairman Mao, Gabriel Alvarez & Brent Rollins: Ego Trip's Book Of Rap Lists

Like many pop-culture phenomena, the erratically published, freakishly adored hip-hop zine Ego Trip has only grown in stature since it ceased to exist. Describing itself as the "arrogant voice of musical truth," Ego Trip dissects the world of hip hop with irreverent, sarcastic glee in its first book, a hip-hop version of that most disreputable of guilty literary pleasures, the book of lists. Appropriately titled Ego Trip's Book Of Rap Lists, it combines lists compiled by its editors, celebrity lists by people like Chuck D and Biz Markie, and far-from-definitive lists of the top hip-hop albums and singles from rap's inception through the present day. Some of its entries are more entertaining than others—does anybody really need lists of 99 songs featuring the words "nigga" and "bitch" in their titles?—but most are funny and informative. Packed with trivia and practical advice from people like mogul Chris Lighty (who offers up 10 rules for road managers to live by) and RA The Rugged Man (who lists 10 ways to get dropped by your record label), Book Of Rap Lists should make perfect bathroom reading. Some of its lists are inessential or just plain baffling: A list of the top clubs in L.A. and New York won't hold much appeal to those living between the coasts, while a hip-hop report card by Kool Moe Dee gives the same grade to Kurupt, Mos Def, and Common. But they're also almost always interesting, and sometimes even laugh-out-loud funny.