Books, Articles & Databases
Find scholarly books, peer-reviewed articles, dissertations, and music databases for DJing research.
Use this section to find scholarly books, peer-reviewed articles, dissertations, music reference works, and humanities databases. DJing research is interdisciplinary, so strong research may require music databases, humanities databases, African American studies resources, media studies sources, legal resources, and archives.
Start with one or two core books to build your understanding, then move to databases for articles, and archives for primary sources. See Search Strategies for keyword clusters and Boolean search examples.
💡 Librarian Tip
Your library may provide access to many of these databases through your student login. Check your library's website or ask a librarian about access to RILM, JSTOR, Project MUSE, and ProQuest. Use WorldCat and interlibrary loan when your library does not own a source.
Core Books
Mark Katz, Groove Music: The Art and Culture of the Hip-Hop DJ
Best source for DJing, turntablism, scratching, and the hip-hop DJ as artist and musician. Essential reading for any DJing research project. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Jeff Chang, Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
Strong broad history of hip-hop's social, political, and cultural roots. Useful for building historical context and understanding hip-hop's emergence from the Bronx. St. Martin's Press, 2005.
Tricia Rose, Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America
Foundational source for rap, Black culture, politics, identity, and cultural expression. Essential for centering hip-hop within Black cultural scholarship. Wesleyan University Press, 1994.
Joseph G. Schloss, Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop
Best source for sample-based hip-hop production and beatmaking. Schloss uses interview-based ethnography to reveal the creative and ethical dimensions of sampling practice. Wesleyan University Press, 2004.
Cheryl L. Keyes, Rap Music and Street Consciousness
Musicological history tracing rap and hip-hop through African diasporic, Jamaican, and African American expressive traditions. University of Illinois Press, 2002.
Justin A. Williams, Rhymin' and Stealin': Musical Borrowing in Hip-Hop
Helps students study musical borrowing, quotation, remix, and intertextuality in hip-hop beyond legal questions. University of Michigan Press, 2013.
Kembrew McLeod and Peter DiCola, Creative License: The Law and Culture of Digital Sampling
Connects digital sampling to law, culture, licensing, and creativity. One of the best sources for the tension between sample-based art and copyright law. Duke University Press, 2011.
Music Databases
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
Use this database to find scholarly articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings, and essays about music. It is useful for popular music, traditional music, jazz, classical music, and global music scholarship. One of the most comprehensive music research databases available.
Grove Music Online / Oxford Music Online
Use this for background information, definitions, biographies, genres, instruments, and music history. Grove Music is the authoritative encyclopedic reference for academic music research.
RISM (Répertoire International des Sources Musicales)
Use RISM to locate historical musical sources and manuscripts. It is most useful for students researching music history, archives, and older music materials, including manuscripts and printed editions.
RIPM (Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals)
Use RIPM for historical music periodicals and older music criticism. It supports research into music journalism, music reception history, and historical music culture from the 18th through 20th centuries.
General Humanities Databases
JSTOR
Use JSTOR for scholarly articles and books related to music, African American studies, cultural studies, history, sociology, and media studies. JSTOR is one of the most accessible starting points for interdisciplinary humanities research.
Project MUSE
Use Project MUSE for peer-reviewed humanities books and journals, especially from university presses. Strong for African American studies, literature, cultural studies, history, and music humanities.
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Use this database to find graduate research, literature reviews, dissertation bibliographies, and emerging scholarship. Dissertations often include extensive literature reviews and bibliographies that can point to additional sources.
WorldCat
Use WorldCat to locate books, recordings, videos, scores, dissertations, and archival materials in libraries beyond your home institution. WorldCat connects you to interlibrary loan services for materials your library does not own.