After 10 years, the Understand Rap website is no longer being maintained.

The main pages of the site have been preserved, but all user accounts and data have been removed. We no longer serve advertisements or track any visitor information as referenced in the Privacy Policy or Terms of Use.

You can still order the book from Abrams Books, Indie Bound, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

I'd like to thank all the people in my life who inspired and supported this idea back in 2009, the artists around the world making rap music every day, the anonymous individuals on IRC who helped me implement the site, everyone who contributed content in the form of confusing lyrics or insightful explanations, the media outlets who reviewed the site and interviewed me, and Abrams Books for believing in the concept in book form and approaching me to draft a manuscript.

About UnderstandRap.com

Understand Rap was created to help people understand rap lyrics.

Some lyrics and explanations on the site may seem obvious, but many people do not understand some of the references to culture, history, people, and events that others take for granted. Since music is an art form, lyrics are open to interpretation. Therefore, multiple explanations for lyrics from different perspectives are encouraged. With a greater understanding of lyrics, the genre as a whole can grow and be appreciated and accepted by people all over the world who like the music they hear but are confused or curious because they just don't understand rap.

Anyone can add an artist, album, song, or lyric to Understand Rap, but only people who sign up can add explanations. If you don't want to add anything, you can still look around at explanations other people have added for confusing rap lyrics. You can browse the newest explanations for lyrics, or you can see lyrics that need explanations. You can support Understand Rap by visiting us on Facebook (Understand Rap and Understand Rap Book), or following us on Twitter @understandrap. You can also help us out by using the contact form to let us know about a problem or to give us a suggestion.

Thanks for visiting.