The host and creator of the long-running TV show Soul Train died Wednesday morning. His show proved a truism about America and race that so few people, even today, understand: Black culture, expressed in undiluted form and unapologetically, will by virtue become accepted by the American mainstream.

Coming up, Today sees the launch of a much anticipated collaboration between two musical giants. Jay Z and Kanye West have joined forces to produce ‘Watch the Throne’. What can we expect? That's next on the Takeaway.

As Soundcheck gears up for tonight’s Mic Check showcase with rapper Blitz the Ambassador, Queens MC Homeboy Sandman and others, hip hop historian Dan Charnas joins us to discuss hip hop’s golden year: 1988.

Long Island-based rap trio De La Soul’s 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, was recently added to the Library of Congress’ national recording registry. We talk about a landmark in hip hop music – and copyright litigation – with Dan Charnas, author of rap-business history The Big Payback, and rapper and producer Von Pea of the Brooklyn-based rap group Tanya Morgan.

The story of hip hop has been told from many angles – but a new book, “The Big Payback,” takes on the history of the multibillion dollar business. Hip hop journalist and industry veteran Dan Charnas chronicles the genre’s four decade history from street to studio to boardroom through many of its key players.

It may seem like just yesterday that you first heard The Sugar Hill Gang or Run DMC, but the hip hop business is pushing forty. For many of the years that hip hop has been around, Dan Charnas has been working in the business - as a scout, a promoter, and a journalist. Dan is the author of a new book called “The Big Payback: the History of the Business of Hip Hop.” Charnas walks us through some pivotal moments in the hip hop business, and how those moments have informed our culture and the entertainment industry.