5 comments about From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens.

1. when I read his book he had some facts that I didn't know about. his book should reach the #1 spot on the book list.



2. I read the book From Pieces to Weights, by 50 cent. This book showed me how the streets are a hard place. There are a lot of people that think the streets are a horrible place and that there dangerous. Well they are dangerous, but there not horrible and many people think that there are horrible people that live in the area. This book showed me that many people on the streets hustling are really trying to find themselves. This book also showed me not to judge the people that are selling the drugs.
   
   This book really touched me with what 50 cent was going though. His mom was killed for selling drugs and then he went and started to sell drugs. I really think he didn't have a choice because it's what he saw everyday. He watched his aunts and uncles and everyone else on the streets, and he probably thought that it was the right thing to do. This book was very well writing and I got hooked to it. I think 50 cent did a great job at telling his story.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone, I think mostly people who don't really know about the streets because it tells you a lot. I wouldn't recommend this book to people that do not like bad language used a lot. This book was very entertaining. I suggest you read it.



3. I recently purchased this book for my fiance, who, obviously, loves 50 Cent. He read the first 50 pages the day it arrived, and I must tell you, he is NOT the type of person to sit down and read a book. It's about 50's life in Southside Queens and his experiences as a child up until his fame. While my fiance finds this book inspirational and exciting, I find the writing style to be fairly simple with 50 reiterating well-known facts (ex. You can't have life without death) and also presenting himself as an arrogant, almost martyr-type of character. Why do I say that? He talks about himself and his experiences in life (which may or may not be exaggerated) and repeatedly states that what he has gone through should be used as an example to others. He blames the media for his portrayal as a "bullet riddled rapper" but obviously, 50 uses it to his advantage without much complaint. He tries to come off as a mentor and inspiration, but I really did find him irritating at times. I think their are better role models for others to look up to. I'd rather read Sidney Poitier's memoirs than idolize 50 Cent. But that's just my view. For 50 Cent lovers, they'll be inspired and amazed.



4. From Pieces To Weight was a great book and I gave it five stars because of the writer's vivid descriptions of the harsh things that he experienced in his life. 50 Cent had to go through a really rough life. His mom died when he was a kid and he never new who his father was. 50 Cent knew he was going to be a drug dealer because everyone in his family sold drugs. I'm not going to give away the rest of the book but I suggest you read this book, it is really good.



5. This is a great book that shows the life of 50 (Curtis Jackson). It was written in a manner that was easy to read and kept you waiting to see what happened next. I highly recommend this book even if you are not a big fan of his music because it shows the story of how someone can make it big even when the odds are stacked against him.

5 comments about Tupac Shakur Legacy.

1. I bought this book for my son-in-law who is much interested in Tupac. When I opened it, I was amazed at how beautifully put together the book is. It has an innovative, creative format which combines story, photo, and the primary source materials of his life. I know this is probably a pretty academic review--but really, this is a creative, gorgeous, well- designed auto/biography. Excellent.



2. This book is incredible. The book is full of life with photos, documents, blueprints, and much more. Readers will be pleased with all of the detachable documents and things that somehow make you feel closer to Pac. My mom and I were in tears when we read on of the detachable court documents that a father wrote to a judge regarding Tupac's true character. He stated that his son was deathly ill and had one final wish that Tupac granted. What a tear jerker!! Read and enjoy. You will come away inspired and more in love with a man that helped change the way we perceived thugs and how we felt about hop-hop.



3. I think this book it`s wonderful and really excellent brilliant thing I `ve ever read
   Thank you!



4. THIS BOOK IS SO GREAT,I EXPECTED IT TO BE GREAT, BECAUSE EVERY TUPAC BOOK THAT I HAVE I PICK OUT CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE, I CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHOICE, BUT THIS IS THE BEST ONE BY FAR, IT EVEN HAS TUPAC'S GROCERY LIST IN IT, NOW, HOW AMAZING IS THAT, IS NOT EVERDAY, THAT YOU GET TO OWN YOUR FAVORITE IDOL'S GROCERY LIST, YOU ACTUALLY GET TO HOLD HIS PRISON CARD, INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT IT IN A BOOK, IT HAS A RARE PICTURE IN THERE TOO, IT HAS HIS RESTURANT MENU IN THERE THAT HE WAS GOING TO OPEN UP, THE POWEKEA CAFE, THAT IS SO GREAT, I HAVE ALWAYS DREAMED OF A BOOK LIKE THIS, AND WHEN THIS BOOK ARRIVED TO ME, MY DREAM TURNED INTO A REALITY, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK, YOU'D BE CRAZY NOT TO GET IT IF YOU ARE A TUPAC FAN, YOU ARENT A OFFICAL TUPAC FAN, UNTIL YOU HAVE OWN THIS BOOK, TRUST ME, YOU WONT REGRET IT ONE BIT,
   
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5. I happened to have bought this at the bookstore when it first came out, in fact its in a cover to protect it from all dust----that's how incredible this book is!!!!! Since his untimely passing, I have not been too happy with how Afeni has continued his legacy....the movie Resurrection was on point and this scrapbook is priceless! The inserts of copied original Tupac scripts,letters,plans,his written ideas,explanations,songs is amazing! I recommend anyone that listened to his music and followed his star to look at this book! Once you look at it, you will want your own copy! And it deserves more then 5 stars!

5 comments about Angry Blonde.

1. I went and bought this book and it was what i had expected it to be, very good but nothing excellent. It provides an excellent insight into what eminem was thinking and the circumstances surrounding him as to why he decided to write the songs and the songs beginnings. It's good because this is written by eminem in his own words and through his feelings. the pictures are a nice supplement and so are the extra freestyles that are provided at the end of the book. very good and an essentiality for all Eminem fans.



2. It's one thing to hear his music, but to read what's behind it makes us realize why he is the way he is and why he is one of the best in the game- a must-read.



3. "The struggle" has always been a mainstay that epitomizes the hip hop persona. Eminem is able to detail his struggle to make it (a.k.a. "the come up") in his book "Angry Blonde" through his descriptions of each of his songs off his first two albums and the complete lyrics to each song. His introduction paragraphs to each song are the best part of the book. These paragraphs reveal how he came up with the idea for the track, how he felt when he wrote it, and tell the reader a lot about the creative process.
   
   Eminem's first two albums truly tell the story of the man; "The Slim Shady LP" when he was struggling just to get by and in "The Marshall Mathers LP" with his reaction to overnight celebrity. Two of the most successful albums of all-time (not just in hip hop history), these albums sold over 28 million records combined worldwide. To look into the mind of a man that could make music that would be heard by so many people and to read those words that so many heard is truly motivational. As an artist whose dream is to reach as many people as Eminem, his words and story are an inspiration and provide me with one of the driving forces behind my career.



4. This book is alot about his raps on paper. If your into his lyrics, great book, if you want an autobiography, then maybe look elsewere.........



5. It's ok. If you are a true eminem fan then you know all of his lyrics already, when i purchased this book i thought it really dug into the mind of this genius but it doesnt. He just tells how his life was messed up at the time in every song and some stupid stuff that was going on while he recorded each track, its really not that interesting. I am a die hard eminem fan and i didnt find this book that great. It's nice beacause it gives lyrics to some of his sick freestyles but other than that, if you really love eminem then you know everything else that is in this book and you dont need it, unless you want it like I did. I dont regret it but i have trouble recommending it to true eminem fans because it is really not necessary.

5 comments about Hip Hop America.

1. I read this book for an African-American Studies class at UNC. At first I did not like it at all. I did not connect with George's choice of language, which seemed outdated and out of touch with current hip hop lingo.

   But as I got into the book, I realized that this outdated language was not George's fault. After all, as George himself points out in a section about hip hop movies, trends and lingo in hip hop change too quickly for anyone to keep up without a very detailed scorecard. So if you can get past him using somewhat outdated language, this is a great book.

   George manages to discuss a wide array of topics, from graffiti to break dancing to production and distribution of records to hip hop themed movies to hip hop lingo to the proliferation of hip hop around the world. Despite the very diverse topics, George manages to tie everything to a common theme, the impact of hip hop on American culture.

   If I had to pick one aspect of the book that was especially good, I would have to choose his discussion of the roots of hip hop and its early days. As a native of New York during hip hop's formative years, George is very well informed on the topic and indeed was a witness to many key events in the early days of hip hop. He also has connections with many key figures, throughout the time period covered in the book, and he is able to recall these connections to tell unique stories you cannot find anywhere else.

   I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of hip hop. It is a quick, enjoyable, and informative read.




2. I read this book when it first came out, and from the onset I realized the book was flawed by Mr. George's ego. Mr. George has great thoughts and opinions, but unfortunately, he allows personal biases to mar how presents them to his readers. Like one of the other reviewers, I didn't agree with a lot of what he wrote, but it is still useful for information about the early days of hip hop.



3. I am currently writing an entry about Grandmaster Flash for the forthcoming Icons of Hip-Hop (Greenwood Press). First of all, Nelson George is one of the most experienced, respected and eloquent hip-hop journalists alive, and he maintains his reputation in this book. He grew up in the middle of the birth of this artistic-come-cultural phenomenon, and tells the story as both insider and critic. Though there wasn't much specific material about Flash (which I didn't expect), George paints a genuine, if disarming or infuriating, portrait of the rise and continued influence of hip-hop through elegant and sometimes even poetic language and virtually unsurpassed insight. The latter observation comes, in part, from his willingness to explore the broader picture that this culture informs and is controlled by. He raises political and socioeconimic questions, takes on the task of discussing the record industry and how its desire for hit records over individual talent promotes a homogenous selection of 'rap artists', and is unafraid to question the roles society has played to transform hip-hop almost completely from what it was in its nascent form. Some people complain, with regard to hip-hop reference books, that the author obviously has no real authority. No one can make that claim about George. After all, he is respected enough to be able to interview GM Flash, Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa (considered the 'Holy Trinity'/founding fathers of hip-hop) in the same place at the same time. [For those of you who don't understand the significance here, no one has ever been able to get these three guys together, because of past rivalry among other things, and Kool Herc had not discussed hip-hop publicly for about thirty years prior to this interview.] So, George gives an authoritative, articulate, thoughtful and insightful account of the rise of hip-hop and the consequences of its appearance in mainstream society (which basically transformed it completely, so that the only true-to-its-roots subculture is underground hip-hop). Buy this book - but don't expect an in-depth discussion of the major players because that isn't what the book is supposed to be anyway.



4. Nelson George has written several books on Hip Hop and African-American popular culture, all of which are worth reading. This book is particularly good for the clarity of thought evident in the writing. It is an assessment of the overall position of Hip Hop as an American cultural phenomenon branching out to the rest of the world.
   It provides a neat and insightful stock take of what Hip Hop was about in the late nineties for academic purposes, but is written in an easy to digest style that suits readers of a non academic background too. It is a good book to read to get a good idea of how Hip Hop evolved from a localised phenomena to a wider cultural movement. It is enlivened by the author explaining his viewpoint, and not just presenting a dry account of facts.



5. The musical scene in the Sixties and the Eighties was hip-hop for all races and religions in the USA. The Seventies was devoted mostly to folk music. In the Ninties it was more rap and contemporary and also country music hit it big in the whole country and not just Nashville, Tennessee.
   Who Takes The Blame?, August 13, 2006
   Reviewer: Betty Burks (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews
   
   In February, 1969, a study titled "Black-White Contact in Schools: Its Social and Academic Effects" was published by Purdue University sociologist Martin Patchen. In it, he concludes "Available evidence indicates that interracial contact in schools does not have consistent positive effects on students' racial attitudes and behavior or on the academic prformance of minority students." In March, it was declared that the AIDS virus started in Africa and on the Caribbean island, Haita and spread to the United States via tourists. Get this! Susan Sontag decided in 1988 that "the virus was sent to Africa from the U.S. as an act of bacteriological warfare" as a conspiracy.
   
   July, 1985, a survey conducted in New York City using the HIV antibody test finds that of frequent drug users, 87 percent carried the infection. The majority of the addicts were black and Hispanic. In August 1988, on Zachary's birthday, Jean-Michael Basquiat died in New York village of a heroin overdose at the age of 27 (Zach was 26 then). He was a graffiti artist whose pieces sold for $50,000 at the time of his death. There was a lot of debate about his artistic worth.
   
   This book traverses the years 1979 to 1989 in America and is mostly about the singers and groups in the entertainment area but also writers which proliferated during that time. It is the time of affirmative action and Clarence Thomas who was married to a Causcasian woman but courted the office girls and almost lost his nomination. I watched it all on t.v. The girl took all the blame, and she was honest and above-board, blameless. The results of overcompensation has caused much turmoil for us all in America and some are deceitful by trying to pull the wool ober the eyes of political figures to the detriment of everybody.

3 comments about It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post-Hip-Hop Generation.

1. It's a challenge to describe this book because it is very different from most of the books I've read on hip hop and youth of color. For one, the writer is young and his voice feels authentic and real. It's evident from the onset that the writer loves hip hop. But even more than that, he uses examples from conscious and politically-progressive hip hop to make interesting and often timely points about what many youth of color are going through. Also, he uses personal examples from his life that I'm sure many young, urban folks can relate to.
   
   The book is profound in its message and creative in its delivery. Powerful points are often highlighted with equally powerful hip hop lyrics that really emphasize the point. Other creative things he does is conduct a phone interview with hip hop, an interview with the ghetto which gives the reader an understanding of the racist policies and zoning laws that created the ghetto. And finally this book is inspiring for me. I'm 20 years old and I feel like the authors energy and love come through the pages in a way that makes me want to take action and speak up! A great book.



2. The title says it all. This book is a brilliant document of 21st century Black thought and life. I especially dug the combination of scholarship, poetry, creative non-fiction, analysis, conscious rap lyrics and LOVE that the author transfers through the page. All of these elements are needed when dealing with the huge issues he tackles in this book. This is not another dry academic hip hop book or anything like that. This book actually needs it's own category. I most definitely recommend this for all thinking people!



3. I pre-ordered this book over the summer anticipating a great read, as I am a fan of M.K. Asante, Jr.'s poetry. I already have Like Water Running Off My Back Like Water Running Off My Back: Poems and Beautiful. & Ugly Too Beautiful. And Ugly Too. After reading It's Bigger Than Hop Hop, I am truly blown away by the insight and energy put into this new non-fiction work. I really enjoy the innovative interviews Asante conducts with the "Ghetto" and "Hip-Hop" and the call to action for 'Artivists' by any medium necessary. Unlike anything I've read so far about the corporate controlled hip hop industry, the book explores the break away from that fakeness by a new generation. And there is so much music I need to hear now after reading the myriad of quotations and excerpts included in this book. The photos are great too! A must read!!

2 comments about Hip Hop Speaks to Children with CD: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat (A Poetry Speaks Experience).

1. Hip hop is more than gangsta rap. Hip hop is rhythm. Hip hop has soul. Hip hop will be here forever. Giovanni captures the essence of hip hop in this collection of "poetry with a beat". The poems are skillfully illustrated. There are over 30 performances recited by the poet on the accompanying CD. The poets include: A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, Sugarhill Gang, James Berry, Queen Latifah, Nikki Grimes, Jill Scott, Mos Def, Common, Gwendolyn Brooks, and many more. Young and old alike will identify with the poems that flow like lyrics on top of beats that will make you groove. A few favorite poems are: Dat Dere, The Rosa Parks, and Hip Hop Rules the World. There are also a few excerpts from some of our favorite rappers.
   
   This is definitely a book for everyone. There are more than 50 poems written by 42 different poets along with 30 performances on the CD. Share your past with your kids, by giving your children the opportunity to hear real lyrics and experience poetry at its finest. This promises to be the BEST Children's books of the YEAR!
   
   Deltareviewer



2. Credit Sourcebooks Jabberwocky with knowing a good thing when they see it. When Poetry Speaks to Children came out it was a brilliant collection of poems for kids with an accompanying CD of poets, both alive and deceased, reading their poetry straight out. And in this day and age if you put out a book of poems for kids then it shouldn't be that much more difficult to put out a book of hip hop and rap as well. Or, as the new collection Hip Hop Speaks to Children calls it, "poetry with a beat." Collected by the eminently skilled and knowledgeable Nikki Giovanni (activist, poet, multi-award winner, etc.) the book establishes a rock solid connection for kids between the rhythms they hear on their radios and MP3 players and the poetry they encounter in books. Drawing upon both history and contemporary stars (and with an accompanying CD to boot), Giovanni's collection is the best book of its kind for a younger readership/listenership at this time.
   
   In the introduction to this book "Stories in Rhythm", Nikki Giovanni writes, "Thirty years ago, kids invented a new sound. They took old music, added their own new poetry, and found a way to have their creative voices heard. The Hip Hop Nation was born, sharing a courageous story of their hopes and promise with the world. And is the world evermore glad." Right from the start Nikki Giovanni is looking parents, librarians, teachers, and other skeptical adults in the eye and saying that this is important. This matters. This is art. The introduction sweeps through the African and African-American history that led to contemporary Hip Hop. Everything from caps to the Harlem Renaissance to hamboning. Contemporary rap videos with their gold chains and loose ladies? Forget `em. That's not the real stuff. The raps found in this book have history, humor, and a delicious awareness of the feel of a word. 51 poems/speeches/raps find their way into this collection with an accompanying CD of some of the hip hop, and an in-depth series of small biographies of all the performers.
   
   Watch someone page through the book and make note of their little reactions. How they offer a little "Hmft!" of surprise when they hit the Kanye West selection (a pity THAT's not on the CD). If they're a librarian they might coo to finally get to hear Calef Brown (an author/illustrator of whom I'm particularly fond) laying down a track to "Funky Snowman". And certainly kids of my generation will do a double take when they get to the selection from "Rapper's Delight". Plucking out "selections" is how the book gets around a lot of the lines in some songs that might be seen as not entirely kid-friendly. But I don't think there's anyone out there who's gonna object to "i dont mean to brag i dont mean to boast / but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast." The beauty of the selection is how it works in contemporary names with historical ones. You might turn the page and find yourself getting down to a little Mos Def right before dwelling on some Langston Hughes. It's not just hip hop artists or poets of the past either. There are people like contemporary poet and children's author Charles R. Smith whole tackles his own poem "Allow Me to Introduce Myself" on the CD. And I was relieved to find that Ms. Giovanni includes a couple of her own near the end as well.
   
   The selections in here are great too. I've heard artist Ashley Bryan do Eloise Greenfield's "Things" and it's a poem that rings resoundingly in the ear. A great way to begin any collection, I can tell you. Then to follow it directly up with Jacqueline Woodson's "Hip Hop Rules the World", a poem that links the beat with the fact that it really IS poetry, that's keen. Really, the pairings here can be inspired. Who else would think to put Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool" alongside Claude McKay's "If We Must Die". Both discuss our mortality, one as a disregard for life and one as a full-throttle objection against death. No one has come up with a truly great Harlem Renaissance compendium for children yet, but if they did they might want to take a page out of Hip Hope Speaks to Children so as to determine which selections to choose.
   
   The selected performers are ideal and really there was only one gap that I could see. I was a little surprised not to see any poems or raps by Sonia Sanchez in this book, truth be told. Hip Hop certainly owes as much to Ms. Sanchez's raw energy and eclectic beats as it does to any Young MC or Tribe Called Quest. Particularly when you take into account Ms. Giovanni's history with Sanchez, it seems a funny omission in an otherwise encompassing collection. Other missing raps are fine by me. I half-wondered when picking this book up for the first time whether or not Will Smith's "Parents Just Don't Understand" would make the cut. Then I remembered the line about the girl in his car moving her hand slowly up his thigh and... riiiiight.
   
   One of the highpoints of any Sourcebooks' title is the accompanying CD. The audible element to the book is integral to the enjoyment. Literature can be an entirely visual experience but poetry, rhyme, and rhythm are best enjoyed when the ears get in on the action as well. The book will say what the track selection is for each poem featured on the disc, which is ideal for both teachers and kid readers alike.
   
   I've discussed books by this company with other librarians in the past and we've all agreed that the only problem with Sourcebooks' titles are the illustrations. They're serviceable, no doubt. Get the job done, they do. But while the illustrators they got for this book are perfectly nice, they don't match the text. You may be reading the sharpest minds and pens of the 20th and 20th century, but they are paired with pictures that are merely nice, not extraordinary. I don't blame the artists necessarily because maybe this isn't indicative of their best work. The problem is that it should be. For future publications I do hope the Sourcebooks put as much effort into the art as the poetry/raps. The pictures here are more reminiscent of an illustrated elementary school Reading textbook than a groundbreaking book for kids.
   
   As rap and hip hop slowly gains acceptance into the school and reading curriculum (I don't think it hurts matters any that the generations that grew up with it is now teaching our children) we need more books that kids can relate to. There are high school teachers sharing Tupac's poems with the students, which is certainly a nice enough start. But I think that it will be books like these that make the most impact in schools and at home. This is a great collection, woven together by an expert, and crafted with the best possible accompanying CD. Purchase of this book isn't optional. It's obligatory. And I, for one, am looking forward to more.

5 comments about She.

1. Saul Williams is one of the most gifted poets I've ever read or listened to, and I wish he were more widely known! I strongly recommend any poetry or poetry slam lover to watch Slam, a film Williams starred in. After hearing the emotively passionate poetry read by Williams, anyone reading the poetry in She can practically hear him recite the poems while reading them. Williams's audio cd, Amethyst Rock Star, contains a few of the poems in She, allowing us to actually hear him read his poems! In his performances his accentuation of his literary devices, themes, patterns, and word play brings life to the lyrics. The cadence of the poems is so strong, however, the cd isn't necessary to fall in step with his writing just by reading it. Saul pours out lines revealing every feeling of guilt, insecurity, tenderness, or sensitivity, allowing any reader or listener the privilege to view his scars. She is Willliams's tribute to women, and though he maintains his male perspective of women, female readers may be surprized by his understanding of the fair sex.



2. I've always been a fan of Saul Williams...eversince Slam.
   
   This book continues in his quest to paint pictures with his words, but on a "love" level.
   
   I loved it.
   
   Also recommended: "I"m Bored with Christianity" by Derrick Engoy



3. Really though, Saul Williams is one of the great modern poets. He has been an integral part of bringing that poetic voice back to the masses. Poetry is a lost art form in this modern world and it is wonderful to see, hear, and yes feel the wonder of the written and spoken word. If you have been looking for a good introduction to Saul or Slam poetry this book is it.



4. The book came in excellent condition, but I was under the impression that it came with the accompanying spoken word CD. So I was pretty bummed about that.



5. buy this for your mother, brother, father, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, grandparents, teacher, girlfriend, boyfriend, priest, or politician. roll it up and put it in your back pocket and show it to everyone you encounter. you don't have to, but you'll want to.

No comments about Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization.

4 comments about Signifying Rappers: Rap and Race in the Urban Present.

1. costello and wallace examine rap culture and rappers as they influence our society. although at times it seems like they are being narrow minded, this book examines what shapes society and how society can react to these things. the book goes well beyond merely rap music and examines how society is influenced and how it influences. anyone who reads this and sees it as simply a look at rap music is missing the entire point of the book.



2. David Foster Wallace and Mark Costello are too cute by half in this book, and it is horribly out of date. (Just to give an idea, A Tribe Called Quest, who were considered an elder statesman group when they broke up two years ago, had not yet released an album when this book was published.) But most of the analysis of rap's place within popular culture remains somehow applicable to the current scene if you are willing to do a bunch of critical work along the same lines and ignore the dumber flights of fancy. Still a fun book to read and a fun book to debate. Not to be missed if you remember when LL Cool J was good and you have read anything by a master of postmodern philosophy.



3. i am actually doing a report on rap and selected this book expecting some insight...i was surprised. it seems like some of this was even just put here to take up space; i was dissapointed, expecting something better from costello. a point of view not needed in most situations. of course, ten years ago it might have been close to adequate--now it seems totally inadequate to use in my report.



4. Yes this book is outdated, and yes this book is wordy, but thats what makes it so great. This is an exploration of two nerdy white guys resting on the cusp of what we now know was an cultural explosion, and one which they seem to have known, though at the time it had nothing to do with them that it soon would have eveything to do with them and us too. Furthermore some of the forecasting that they do is so right on its scary..
   These guys are taliking agbout NWA like its current because it was current! Take this book as an opportunity to view one of those rare historical accounts that happens before the storm and seems to have something good to say about why it started raining in the first place..

1 comments about Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop.

1. Most books on hip hop fall into the music category: not so TOTAL CHAOS: THE ART AND AESTHETICS OF HIP-HOP, compiled and edited by Jeff Chang whose contributors informatively and thoughtful consider the evolution, presence, and impact of hip-hop as a cultural expression and social commentary. From its commercial world to its cultural and artistic roots, TOTAL CHAOS offers students of sociology an excellent survey that runs the gamut from gender issues to artistic conflicts within the hiphop environment. The anthology includes interviews, first-person experience and analysis yet is lively enough for the general-interest library, as well.