Guys are connected to cars,” says rapper/actor Ice-T, “because it’s usually the first toy we get.”

And hip-hop is connected to cars because of the power, freedom and individuality they symbolize.

Hip-hop’s ascent to the mainstream has had a huge effect on the relationship between America and the auto, from MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” to the Ford Flex. And the hip-hop auto aesthetic is something distinctive, say the authors of “DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop (Collins Design).”

Watch the video here, part four of GIANT Magazine’s exclusive, six-part online look inside the creation of “DEFinition,” a book championing the impact of hip-hop-inspired design on music, fashion, advertising, and more, featuring narration from author Bill Adler and cameos from artists like Ice-T and Run (of Run-D.M.C.).

PART ONE: Making Hip-Hop’s Classic Album Covers

More:

Click here for GIANT’s exclusive gallery of the book party for “DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop”

Click here to purchase “DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop”

Click here for book website: “DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop”