It's fascinating to watch the onslaught of media attention for anything Beyoncé-related. From the birth of her daughter Blue Ivy, to her very first tweet, to the stupendous honor of being named People's “World's 2012 Most Beautiful Woman,” the over-the-top coverage keeps this mega superstar in the spotlight.

Beyoncé Knowles first grabbed headlines in the late-1990s with the African-American, all-girl group Destiny's Child, which was originally comprised of childhood friends Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson. They were constantly compared to preceding R&B female sensations like The Supremes, En Vogue and Xscape, yet this was a new type of girl group. At that time it was shocking to see teen girls brandish sexuality like weapons with such finesse, yet they did so in songs like “Say My Name,” “No, No, No” and “Bills, Bills, Bills.”

Books in the “Hip-hop” bookshelf created by Vika Bocharova