No comments about Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture: A Critical Reader.

5 comments about Yes Yes Y'All: The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hop's First Decade.

1. This beautiful book attempts to trace the formation of hip-hop culture through interviews with those who were around for the first ten years. Fricke (a curator at the Experience Music Project museum) and Ahearn (photographer and director of the seminal hop-hop film Wild Style), attempt to document the New York City scene from about 1974-84 (right up to the formation of DefJam and Run-DMC) through photos, original party flyers, and the words of the DJs, MCs, b-boys (breakdancers), graffiti artists, and promoters who were there.

   The early portion shows how DJ sound-system battles emerged in the early to mid '70s against the backdrop of a decaying Bronx, attracting youths to more or less impromptu parties in parks, streets, and playgrounds. Competition was fierce as to who had the loudest sound system and the best records, and tough security (gang members) was a necessity. One thing that gets disappointingly glossed over is how this copied what happened in Kingston, Jamaica ten years earlier. It was exactly the same: competing street sound systems, with competing DJs who would take the labels off records so spies couldn't find out what they were playing, gangs, violence-all the same. DJ Kool Herc, who lived in Jamaica until 1967, makes a fleeting reference to it, but that's all.

   For the first few years, the DJs were the "stars" of the scene, offering an alternative to disco music. But as DJs started to learn how to manipulate their turntables to extend the "beats" from a song, eventually MCing started to become more vibrant. What had initially only been calls to the crowd to keep the party's energy up evolved into more and more sophisticated catchphrases, freestyle rhymes, and soon MCs were writing and memorizing lines. Again, it's a bit puzzling that no mention is made of Jamaican"toasting" which emerged in the mid to late '60s. This was the practice of DJs who would talk and rhyme over the records they played, and soon progressed to a point where they would have instrumental versions of popular songs laid down for them to rhyme over-often in a boasting style, talking about how they were the "#1", "champion", and so on. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

   The other two legs of hip-hop culture are given somewhat less space. The material on breakdancing (aka "b-boying" to the true old-schoolers) seems to indicate that the "b-boy " crews filled a kind of competitive void left by the waning of street gang culture. And while there was some of this dancing at the parties, music was the focus, rather than the dancing-which didn't get big until the early '80s. Graffiti, on the other hand, was clearly a prominent feature of the NYC landscape from the early '70s on. But, what's most interesting here is that while the graffiti artists often went to parties and knew some of the music people, the idea that graffiti was part of a larger hip-cop culture didn't emerge until late in the game. It wasn't until the downtown Manhattan art scene started getting interested that the music, breakin', and graffiti were packaged-by the white art scene-a unified "street" culture.

   The book is lavishly put together, with tons to look at-however, the oral history structure isn't the greatest. From a historical perspective, it's great to hear all these unknown voices from the past telling about their roles, but at times it does get tedious. Especially when it comes to details on how so and so met so and so and that led the the formation of this or that. Even more so late in the book, when record companies get in the mix, and then all kinds of resentments come pouring out. There could have been a little more editing, as well as a little more context to fill in some of the gaps. For example, there are a lot of references to gangs being involved in the early scene, and shootings, and violence, but there's never any unified discussion of it. The same for the role of drugs in the scene, at one point someone (I think Spoonie Gee) talks about how everyone was totally coked up all the time, and that's something that could have been explored a little more. In any event, it's still a great book for anyone with an interest in the days of hip-hop, giving proper space and voice to all the unknowns who deserve to be known.




2. I got the coolest book this passed Christmas, entitled ýYes! Yes! Yall! The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hopýs First Decade ý by Jim Fricke. This book focuses on Hip-Hop, and Black culture in America through oral history. Black urban culture gave birth to hip-hop and is the source of influence for todayýs American culture. ýYes! Yes! Yall!ý is a true period piece focusing on the growth of a new artistic movement. The book is very clear and is written as if youýre really listening to someone talk about Hip-Hopýs old school beginnings. This was a relaxing book to read, and very simplistic in form. As I was reading I felt as if I was sitting in a recreation center or classroom listening to the forefathers, and mothers of this great Black music culture.
   The book starts by panting a picture of New Yorkýs inner city in the early 1970ýs to the mid 80ýs. Each chapter focuses on all four elements of Hip-Hop, such as: d.j-ing, brake dancing, emceeing/rhyming or raping, and graffiti art. Looking at some of the old photos of B-boys and girls break dancing, the airbrushed clothing, party flyers, and old record jackets was very nostalgic.
   The book highlights the fact that the whole subculture came out of unequal systematic conditions in the late 1970ýs into the 80ýs. This is a real honest approach to the history of the newest, and highly co-modified cultures. Itýs filled with first hand accounts, stories of back stage antics, tours, emcee battles, dance battles, club fights, and groupies.
   In chapter two titled, ýThe Forefathersý, many people interviewed gave his or her respects to the godfather of Hip-Hop (d.j Kool Herc). They would talk about how d.j Kool Herc would play all the best brake beats at that time. D.j Kool Herc was Jamaica borne and his homeland would be the source that inspired his d.jing style.
   Kool Herc was the one who coined the term B-boy/B-girl, because boys and girls that would dance to brakes of different songs. The brake was the favorite part of the song, it was known as the get down part of the record. The other reason for calling the party people B-boys and girls was because they were all from Brooklyn also known as the ýBoogie Down Bronxý.
   Kool Hrec changed and revolutionized the whole music form, once he started toasting, what we call rapping or rhyming today. Toasting started in the Jamaican dance halls, or yard parties. The Selecta or D.j would chant out two or three bare rhymes to get the crowd hyped. Herc added the style toasting from his homeland, and the New York street style of d.jing, to cerate his own style. Thus giving birth to a new sound and genre of music.
   ýYes! Yes! Yall!ý lastly focuses on the gangs, graffiti, emceeing, and brake dancing and how they intertwine within hip-hop and black culture. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in finding more information on the history of Hip-Hop and how it stems from Black culture.



3. Anyone into Hip Hop must own this book. It's a seminal work. Like Toop's The Rap Attack or Nelson George's Hip Hop America...it must be owned. The most detailed Old School study ever and great visuals.



4. I am the original King LaBrue out of the camp of Kool Herc and the Herculoids. Before there was Sugar Hill and 50 Cent, there was King LaBrue--to this day still represents true hip-hop. I plan to write my own account of the true pioneers that should be respected for dedication and commitment for all these years.



5. As many other people, I consider myself a fan of true hip-hop but as they say, you must know where it came from before you can see where it is headed. This book perfectly recollected the beginning of hip-hop, breakdancing and DJ'ing that many of us have grown to know and love. It also has tons of pictures that also capture the essence of Hip Hop in its infancy! Definitely a collector's item!

2 comments about American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV Text & Audio CDs.

1. This book is designed to be an introductory college-level text for courses about Popular Music in America. It's good overall, but not great.
   
   The book begins with the initial "split" in America between "Classical" and "Popular" music in the nineteenth century, with minstrel shows and brass band music. The following chapters cover social dance and jazz, Tin Pan Alley, "race" records and "hillbilly" music, swing, postwar era music, Rock `n' Roll, the British Invasion, the 1960s, the 1970s, outside influences on 70s music (reggae, punk, funk, progressive country, etc.), the 1980s and MTV, and the rise of "alternative" music.
   
   There are some great aspects about this textbook. First the prose is well-written, informative, entertaining, and thorough from a social/cultural standpoint. The book does not make any significant omissions, which is not easy considering all the subject matter which must be covered. Also, with two CDs included with the book price, the textbook does provide a good value. This is a nice feature.
   
   I was able to find some serious drawbacks to the book, however. The book seems to focus more on the cultural aspects and less on the musical aspects of each section. The analyses of the musical tracks on the included CDs are too fluffy. It is likely that students will not get enough from the book to understand why the music is so special. Also, while 2 CDs may seem like a lot of music, it is really inadequate to chronicle the history of jazz, blues, musical theater, rock `n' roll, alternative rock, and so on.
   
   There was one minor aspect of the book which also cropped up repeatedly. The authors seemed a little too eager to inject race into every nook and cranny. Obviously, racism is a central issue American popular music and deserves a healthy focus. The book, however, includes racism related not just to singers and performers, but record companies, disc jockeys, and more. I found it extraneous in some parts.
   
   This textbook is very strong, but I would probably recommend And the Beat Goes On by Michael Campbell. With that series, one can order a 5-CD set, and the textbook, while shorter, has more in-depth musical analysis. This textbook is very close in quality overall, and is more up-to-date.



2. American Popular Music is a book that is easy to read and is very useful when wanting to learn more about Music History. I would recommend this book for people who would like to brush up on their music skills and who want to learn more about different music that has developed over the years.

3 comments about Nuthin' but a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap (Popular Cultures, Everyday Lives).

1. The author explores the genesis and maturation of Los Angeles-based gangsta music and culture during the post-Civil Rights era. She ties the genesis of gangsta to the time when the U.S. manufacturing economy shifted to a service based economy, urban areas were neglected and the neoconservative policies of the Reagan/Bush era redistributed the nation's wealth to a small group at the top. Theoretically this wealth would then "trickle down" and I suppose it did, though in the form of low paying, dead end service jobs for those who used to be skilled and semiskilled laborers. Her study ends in 1996, where the centrist policies of the Clinton administration did little to ameliorate the problems of which gangstas rap, and classic gangsta artists are mellowing. (And not coincidentally, the year Tupac Shakur, a child of Black Power parents, died in a drive-by shooting.)
   
   The generation of young black men coming of age in places like Compton during this time saw only social immobility in the Land of Opportunity, so they created their own opportunities on their own terms. The irony, as she points out, is that gangsta is both a commentary on and child of the rampant free-market 1980's and `90s: ruthless, exploitative, unabashedly commercial, individualistic, hustling. (So is it really any surprise that here in the 21st century, Lee Iacocca gets jiggy with Snoop Dog for Chrysler commercials?)
   
   This is an interesting interdisciplinary study of gangsta's texts and contexts, its academic commentators and its diverse opponents. While neither defending nor dismissing gangsta as the latest incarnation of the minstrel show stereotypes (like Stanley Crouch and others ) she demonstrates that it is rife with black archetypes which participate in some very old expressive repertoires. And she looks forward beyond 1996 by mentioning "Barbershop" in which Ice Cube's character has learned the value of community and non-materialism.
   
   Those unfamiliar with the jargon of cultural studies might find themselves confused on occasion (I admit I did) but will also find that things clarify themselves with further reading. I recommend this for anyone interested in African American music and cultural studies.



2. After perusing this book at the local library, with its sympathetic eye to the prolifetation and glorification of hip-hop as a viable "culture", I can't help but think of something Hermann Goering once said: "Whenever I hear the word 'culture', I reach for my revolver". Decadent, apologetic propoganda in its worst form, disguised as credible academics, truly pathetic.



3. This encyclopaedic examination of "gangsta rap" culture states that the "movement" is a viable culture not only in the nation but within black society. I've been mistaken - I was convinced that the dumb spelling, childish slogans, ridiculous speech and obsession with obscenities was simply a marketing device. I now know that talking, writing and acting like semi-literate folks "normal". The author takes it further: It is to be admired and praised as simply another expression of black/street culture.
   
   This "culture" reinforces every stereotype - uneducated, violent, obscene, criminal, lazy, irresponsible. The author asserts that gangsta rap genuinely describes the contemporary black experience for large numbers of folks. If so, the future is bleak indeed. We've all seen white & Latino kids trying to identify - rapping the words, dressing childishly, talking in that unintelligible shortcut speech accompanied by hilariously absurd hand gestures. Yet one knows it's an act. No one, especially black Americans, take them seriously. At any time they can re-enter modern society - lose the attitude, change to adult clothes adn speak normally. Those in the "gangsta" world may not have this option and that is sad. (The author would probably disagree.)
   
   We get a tremendous amount of data supporting his thesis. Sadly, he may be correct. Gangsta rap dumbs down culture, offering a childish simplicity without complexity. Musicians cannot read, play or compose, entertainment is mindless, language is replaced with childish babble. "Western" values of education, thrift, hard work, morality, family and planning have been replaced by "street knowledge", living for the moment, criminal "heroes", gangs and an incredible ignorance of the modern world - from science to history to politics. It is a devestating indictment that is punctuated by the success of immigrants who adoped "Western" values and have flourished despite the many obstacles.
   
   The question is not who can rap the baddest, has more street cred, sells more CDs, has better drugs or wears more bling. No, the question should be: Who will teach the children, heal the sick, fix the lights, repair the roads, deliver the mail, run the internet or produce BET? These basic societal functions are, of course, the ones that require so-called "Western" values. If we all lived the way the "heroes" do, where would we be then? No one in their right mind would choose this lifestyle for their child or family - it's a cultural death wish. This is an uneasy book, one that disturbs and leaves one depressed for the future.

5 comments about Check It While I Wreck It: Black Womanhood, Hip-Hop Culture, and the Public Sphere.

1. Throughout the history of Hip-Hop, its relationship with women (particularly Black women) and feminism has been strained. Though there have been a few success stories regarding women on the scene and behind the scenes of the Hip-Hop movement, women's place in it have been, for the most part, invisible, degrading, and kept to a minimum. In Gwendolyn's Pough's exciting new book, Check It While I Wreck It, the assistant professor of women's studies at the University of Minnesota examines the dysfunctional relationship between Black women, feminism, and Hip Hop.
   
   The book commences with a history of Black women in the public sphere who have contributed to the betterment of African-Americans such as Angela Davis, the historical Black clubwomen, and women who were trailblazers in the blues music industry. Pough reveals how Black women laid the foundation for future successes for the entire race. Pough writes "Black women were major players through Reconstruction, the civil rights movement, and the Black Power movement." In fact, because of their exclusion, the author even suggests a re-writing of history.
   
   Later the author gives us a more recent history of women's contributions to the arts and Hop, including Sylvia Robinson, the label owner of Sugar Hill Records, break dancer Baby Love, and female rapper Roxanne Shante. The book gives major props to Grammy-winner Queen Latifah, Sista Soulja, MC Lyte, and poet Jessica Care Moore.
   
   Pough also critiques the products of popular culture such as movies like Boyz N The Hood and Just Another Girl on the IRT, books such as Sista Soulja's The Coldest Winter Ever and Omar Tyree's Flyy Girl, and of course rap records such as L.L. Cool J's I Need Love, and Latifah's U.N.I.T.Y.
   
   The book is best when examining the problems that exist between women and Hip-Hop, from the objectification of women in music videos to the acts of hyper-sexual rappers such as Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown. Pough writes "Today, in addition to the old images of the sexually promiscuous Black women...we have the bitches, hos, stunts, hoochies, pigeons, chickenheads, and baby mamas put forth by Black men rappers. The need to struggle against stereotyped images is still present." Let's hope this book will keep the discussion that invokes change alive.
   
   "Check It While I Wreck" is a thoroughly researched, erudite, and culturally relevant work that is virtually impossible to put down. Reminiscent of the writings of bell hooks, this scholarly work in feminist theory and Hip-Hop culture is destined to be an instant classic taught in college lecture halls across the country.



2. When hip hop made its debut onto the urban scene in the 1970s, most saw it as a fad that would eventually fade into oblivion. Some thirty years later this culture, essentially born from urban decay, with its eclectic mix of rap music, poetry, dance, dress and attitude, has become universal.
   
   In her new book CHECK IT WHILE I WRECK IT, Gwendolyn Pough, assistant Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Minnesota, highlights some of the contributions of noted female rappers to hip hop and explores their impact on the evolution of the genre.
   
   Dr. Pough explains the phenomena of "bringing wreck" a catch phrase often used in hip hop circles, as a form of praise, to describe "skill and greatness." The author uses this terminology to ascribe to the ways in which various female rappers; from the lyrically raunchy Foxy Brown and Lil Kim to the socially conscious Queen Latifah and Lauren Hill have brought "wreck" to the world of hip hop by causing "disruptions which somehow shifted the way black people were viewed in the society at large." The author further expounds on the theory that the hip hop culture has the power to "affect change and bring wreck in a meaningful way" and exhorts female rappers to recognize the tremendous possibilities of hip hop and use it as a force for good.
   
   CHECK IT WHILE I WRECK IT is a thought-provoking, enlightening read which affords all readers a window into the world of an often misunderstood, yet extremely popular culture. At the core of this book is the author's call for female rappers to continue to "bring wreck" to the hip hop world, as they strive to carve their own niche in this essentially male dominated culture.
   
   Reviewed by Autumn
   of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers



3. "Wave ya hands in the air and shake`em like you just don't care." These are words often used to hype the crowd for hip-hop concerts around the country. I found myself singing the same tune as I read this remarkable tribute to African American culture, hip-hop and feminism. Pough does an exceptional job of researching the roots of black women in the hip-hop phenomena, which has swept the world and become embedded in its very foundation. The hip-hop culture is broken down and explained through the lens of black women detailing how it has changed and how women are viewed. She traces the rhetoric of women in all hip-hop genres: urban literature, rap & soul music, development of the spoken word, and black film. The essence of the title, Pough explains is how black women bring "wreck" which is a form of praise to describe the "skill and greatness" of the lyrics.
   
   Do you know the great women of hip-hop? You should take the time to sit down with this account of rap legends - Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Yo Yo, Salt-N-Pepa and many more. You will learn about Sylvia Robinson, the owner of Sugar Hill Records, break-dancer Baby Love, and poet lyricist Jessica Care Moore and Sista Soulja. Pough uses the work and dedication of these women to help readers understand how women are portrayed in hip-hop. She reaches back to Sojourner Truth preaching black power and equal rights use then leaps forward to Queen Latifah performing socially conscious rap and Salt-N-Pepa exuding sexuality in their breakout lyrics. From the stereotypical roles of "mammy" to the present day images of "chickenhead", black women have used rap music to outline their life, reconfigure their identities, and breakdown the historical stereotypes and negative images that male rappers have constructed.
   
   Pough has provided the world with a well-researched, provocative account of hip-hop culture and the women who have added to its success. Readers can relive the development of hip-hop and sing the songs, remember the films, dances and slang made popular starting from the early 1970's to the present. This is a must-have book for every hip-hop lover, feminist, or African American studies student/department. The issues discussed in this book will provide hours of discussion for anyone who reads it. Pough has brought "wreck" to the area of academia.
   Reviewed by M. Bruner for Loose Leaves Book Review



4. Unfortunately I must disagree with the other reviewers in that Pough's book is a history of women in hip hop. It is actually much more than that. Check It While I Wreck It is mainly a discussion of black women in the public sphere and questions how black women are portrayed not only in hip hop culture but in black culture. The author asks the reader to review some of the things we as women love so much about hip hop and ask how much these things have influenced today's young women. She gives her own reasons of why women have a hard time breaking into the hip hop culture and engages in the age-old question: can black women uplift themselves and embrace their own culture without the emmasculation of black men. With that said, if you are looking for a history of women in hip hop, this may not be your best source. However, if you looking for a study of black womanhood as a culture and its evolution, this would be a great choice.



5. Gwendolyn Pough has done something that many would have never thought could be done she wrote a delicate yet interesting academic book on an era that many seem to think will faze out hip hop has been with us for three decades or more hip hop has continue to thrive even when things that had nothing to do with it where use it against it but Ms. Pough takes it even farther she takes it to a point where most will tell you don't exist she breaks it down and tell you how woman yes I said it woman not just any woman but black woman step in and made their selves known in hip hop even though other hip hop scholars deny that ever being.
   
   Gwendolyn takes you back to the days when working the turntables was a way to perform, rapping was a way to be heard, graffiti was a way to be seen because the state didn't want to have a performing arts curriculum so the black youth found away to allow their culture to thrive without the help of those who were educated to teach them these things they didn't need anyone to tell them what was the correct note or the proper way to do a dance the generation of that time was determine to make something of their selves and to say that this culture as Ms. Pough considers Hip Hop continues to grow so does other aspects of it from Rap to the Urban gear we see not only is it baggy jeans anymore we now see our young black brothers sharply dress in a three piece suite courtesy of Sean "P Diddy" Combs, brothers are wearing GRILLZ in their mouth because of Nelly, and last but surely not least women artist aren't afraid to take the stage because they have seen Missy, McLyte, Mary J Blidge, Queen Latifah, TLC, Salt N Pepper those ladies before them do it and they are determine to do it their selves I mean if you look at it Missy Elliott she is doing big things from producing to running her very own company. You can't tell me that hip hop has not arrived and that the black woman didn't help it arrive I mean woman are playing important roles in hip hop movies I know you all saw Brown Sugar where Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan are representatives of hip hop she is a part of it just as much as he is but no man will ever tell you hip hop is represent like it is black and white / man and female but Gwendolyn Pough has no problem telling you the truth behind the culture we know as Hip Hop.
   
   After reading the book I sat back for a moment and really thought of what Ms. Pough said and her book now for me it was easy to accept as a young black woman working in the hip hop industry as a radio personality I see it all the time some black female artist trying to go up against whatever fella that's on the corner rapping its nothing to see a sister battling it out to maintain her place in the game they will get raunchy with their words and say something that you wouldn't expect but they will do what it takes to stand with the fellas because they know what its like to be in the male world of hip hop. So I stand give Ms Pough a applause for her dedication and hard work to make today's world understand that woman have a place in every culture even hip hop.

5 comments about Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey.

1. Covering a subject as broad as this is difficult and most readers will take exception somewhere since the author deals with such a subjective subject. However, I enjoyed both the exhaustive research and obvious passion that went into this work. It's a must, not only for DJs, but for any fan of music made for the dancefloor.



2. Written by two former editors of Mixmag (the magazine bible of club culture and dance music), this 400-page book provides a deep, well-researched history of the club DJ. It follows the evolution of the live performance DJ from a human record changer, to a macro mixer of individual platters, to a micro mixer of record segments and sounds, to a full-fledged music producer. In doing so the authors document the impact that DJs had on the music itself, first in selecting what they played, later in demanding what they needed, and lastly in creating what they wanted.
   
   Although the book opens with a short chapter on radio DJs (all of twenty-one pages), this story is about the club DJ's rise to musicianship. The book charts the live DJ's beginnings as a record spinner in large halls, follows the DJ-fueled Northern Soul scene in the UK, threads in the revolutionary work of Jamaican DJ sound systems, and returns to the US for a lengthy exposition on disco, hip-hop, house and beyond.
   
   The disco chapters, though at times devolving into discussion that's more of the music than the DJs, are among the book's most interesting. They explore the movement's organic New York roots, contrasting them sharply to the genre's publicly refuted commercial apogee. One might argue with their contention that the "disco sucks" backlash was a homophobic reaction (particularly when they do such a good job of describing the commercial overexposure that led to disco's mainstream repudiation), but their descriptions of the era's seminal underground clubs and DJs bring context to disco that was completely lost in its mainstream incarnation.
   
   Two chapters on hip hop show both its evolutionary and revolutionary forward steps, with the DJ becoming a producer and musician. Fresh interviews with the major players are skillfully woven into a compelling narrative of the genre's birth and growth. Club music's transitions between house, techno, garage and other variants are layered with reporting on the stage-setting cultural environments and geographic movements of key players. These latter chapters read more as anthropological catalogs than the you-are-there accounts of disco, so while they're informative, they're a bit dry.
   
   A good deal of the text devolves into a history of the music, leaving the DJs temporarily on the sideline. But given the intimate intertwining of DJs and music, and the reciprocal impact they had on each other, this is probably unavoidable. Unless you're an avid dance music fan, some of the authors' points, hinged upon references to specific songs, will fail to resonate.
   
   The authors make a compelling argument for the DJ at the center of the vortex that created disco and morphed it into house, techno, acid house and more. Unlike music that was a product of artists, record companies and radio, dance music is a product of dancers, clubs, DJs and producers, with the latter two categories merging more and more over time. The added element of geographical isolation is shown to have had a major impact on numerous scenes (northern UK, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Europe) and the development of their respective musics, and the commercial needs for starless music created a vacuum into which DJs could step.
   
   Though this is very well written, though there are nits to pick. Their anti-academic disclaimer is unnecessarily reactionary, and not even particularly true given the amount of original research they conducted. Their text on drug influences ignores numerous earlier drug/music interactions, such as in jazz and rock. Their lack of detail on radio DJs is a reasonable choice, but one not explained by the book's title or subhead. Their geography is UK/US-centric, and limited in the US mostly to New York, Chicago and Detroit. Whether or not those three cities were host to the only innovations worth reporting upon is questionable.
   
   Structurally the book follows a linear timelines through the disco era, but later chapters have timelines that overlap. For the unschooled, it's difficult to really see how innovations in different places were influencing each other. The book's appendices include priceless club charts that provide useful guidance in assembling a soundtrack but it's unclear where these charts came from.
   
   Quibbles aside, this is a great read for anyone who wants to learn about the DJ's critical role in the development of dance music. For disco, in particular, the DJ booth point provides an excellent view into the scene's true history. Brewster and Broughton write lively, engaging copy and have based it on thorough original research. Highly recommended! [©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]



3. The only thing that kept me reading this book was that it contained information I didn't know. I found that skimming helped reduce the groaning and eye-rolling caused by poor organization of the material. Much of it was just fine, but parts of the book are difficult to read because the authors couldn't devise a smooth transition from one chapter to another. Other than that minor complaint, this is a great book!



4. The book has an extensive history of the life of the DJ. Anybody interested in the profession or what it takes to be a DJ, should at least read it. You'll be surprised at what you find.



5. This book is yet another goldmine of anecdotes for dance fans. It will also be educational for lovers of any type of music. The author goes through the music scenes in many countries and genres, from the WWII era when the disc jockey had to cobble together his own setup of speakers, to the Northern Soul scene when obsessive music lovers would drive for hours just to reach a place that would play a few new tracks that night, and so on up to our own day. Ever since Thomas Edison started messing around with really big earphones, there's been a story ready to hatch. Dip in and enjoy.

No comments about Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap (CultureAmerica).

4 comments about Pimps Up, Ho's Down: Hip Hop's Hold on Young Black Women.

1. Dr. Sharpley-Whiting has contributed a necessary and extremely timely analysis to the surface-level discussions surrounding hip hop and its impact on young black women. The exploration of complex contradictions within hip hop music and culture is both scholarly and sincere. This book is a necessary read, as it departs from the easy criticism of lyrics to the difficult and largely un-had conversations regarding sexual abuse, constructions of beauty, and the relationship between hip hop and the flourishing sex tourism industry. I learned about the prophetic warnings and relevance of Franz Fanon, I laughed about the similar and stark realities I share with the writer, and I learned, once again, that I love and am hip hop--contradictions and all!



2. Sharpley-Whiting's accessible prose style and unique insight make this a must for anyone interested in popular culture, hip hop and rap, women's issues, Black popular culture, and youth. In all my years researching the topics of rap music, hip hop culture, gender and violence, I have never encountered such a unique and much needed approach. While much has been said about the sexist and homophobic nature of rap lyrics, very little has been done to understand how our sexually repressive, yet permissive, society including rap music has negatively affected Black girls and women. Sharpley-Whiting tackles this issue from a variety of angles demonstrating how the misogyny and sexual obsession in rap music impacts girls' and women's sense of self, how sex and rendering women as sexual objects in rap music affects Black women erotic dancers, video dancers, and groupies, and related topics.



3. PIMPS UP, HO'S DOWN: HIP HOP'S HOLD ON YOUNG BLACK WOMEN offers damning evidence about hip hop's underlying racial and social prejudices, examining the politics of gender and providing a feminist's perspective and insights into black music's underlying message. One would expect - and receive - a focus on lyrics - but also scrutinized is how black women are displayed in music videos, film, TV and on the internet, making for an important analysis well suited to any college collection with strong music or social issues sections.



4. This work of T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting is an interesting dialogue on the effects of hip-hop culture on the lives of young black women. The book is a well-researched back-story on visual stimulation and power women's bodies have in hip-hop culture. The book focuses on the bodies of women as they are portrayed in videos, films, Internet, and strip clubs. It offers new thoughts to women's sexuality, pleasure, beauty, and labor outside a conservative space. The contribution of hip hop is important as it reveals motivations towards body, sex, and the realms of abuse and control. There are great facts and great resources to anyone interested in contributing to the conversation of the future of hip-hop and women.
   
   Where I begin to struggle with this book is when it focuses solely on the images of women and offering no solutions or suggestions on what can be done to help motivate change. It left me with questions of what can we do to help change future generations perception of the body, feminism/womanism, and hip-hop. I had a hard time believing that nothing could be done and that the future of hip hop would still be dominated by images of women rather than other entities such as voice, activism, or political motivation. I was hoping that there would be some motivation towards change rather than just facts.

3 comments about Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement.

1. An important discussion of the history and meaning of hip hop music and culture. Inspires academics to "get it right". Read this, watch documentaries "Style Wars" and "RIZE" and I promise you'll be throwing dance parties in your living room and writing operational definitions for "Bling".



2. While this is a writer from the world of academia, the book does a good job at presenting hip hop as a socio-political movement that has been overshadowed by hype and controversy that did not generate from the core values of the movement. Sort of like judging Christianity by looking at Jim Jones and saying he represented Christian values.....



3. This book is a cerebral discussion pertaining to a variety of issues within the world of hip-hop. The author gives the reader thorough insight into the history of hip-hop as well as pertinent information on things that are extremely important to the world of hip-hop and beyond.

5 comments about The Vibe History of Hip Hop.

1. I think you would have to have been brain dead or asleep for the past decade or so to not have noticed that hip-hop has become the single most important form of art or even communication in the world. Surpassing even the internet, I think history will remember hip-hop as the most important development made by civilization in the last half of the twentieth century. There is little doubt in my mind at least that figures like Dr Dre, 2 Pac, and Snoop Doggy Dogg will, in due course, blot out such lesser figures as (in politics) JFK, (in music) Bernstein, and (in philosophy) Derrida and Foucault who some backward-thinking people still regard as more important than the fathers of hip-hop in our culture. This book does not make my claims, which is why I give it three stars rather than five, but it is certainly an emotional and compelling history of a movement more important than civil rights, the space program, social security, and the first amendment all rolled into one.



2. Fine and well-informed history of hip-hop, the music and the culture arranged chronologically and by topic/theme. Comes with a CD (fairly inconsequential).



3. A large glossy book that outstands for its pictures. Written in a cronological manner, covers from the beginnings of the rap scene until nowadays. Very attractive to look at, but composed from a media point of view.



4. This is the first book that tells the complete history of Hip-hop. From its South Bronx roots to today's status. Recommended for everyone who want to know more about hip-hop.



5. This book tells the complete story of hip hop the photos are cool of the true pioneers in the industry Pac, Big, and it shows where hip hop first orginated to where it is today. I rate this book #1 in all hip hop literature.