- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (Sep 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0465029787
- ISBN-13: 978-0465029785
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 15.7 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,717,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Hip-Hop Generation
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Product Description
Review
"Offers a knowing primer on the state of young black Americans... The author does a superior job of depicting the hip-hop generationers' worldview and convincingly explaining why young African-Americans do not have their parents' optimism... Kitwana's analysis may be overly pessimistic, but his candid overview deserves a hearing:" Kirkus Reviews
Product Description
For black youth, can hip hop can be this generation's salvation?. Young blacks born between 1965 and 1984 belong to the first generation to have grown up in post-segregation America. Their historical significance is tremendous, but until now there has been no in-depth study of the African American youth who are making this important chapter in our nation's history. Bakari Kitwana, one of black America's sharpest young cultural critics, offers a sobering look at his generation's disproportionate incarceration and unemployment rates, as well as the collapse of its gender relations, and gives his own provocative social and political analysis. He finds the pain of his generation buried in tough, slick gangsta movies, and their voice in the lyrics of rap music, "the black person's CNN." By turns scathing, funny, and analytic, The Hip Hop Generation will stand as the testament of black youth culture at the turn of the century. With extraordinary insight and understanding, Bakari Kitwana has combined the culture and politics of his generation into a pivotal work in American studies.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
ASK ANY YOUNG BLACK AMERICAN BORN BETWEEN 1965 AND 1984 where they were on September 13, 1996, and most can tell you. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
ASK ANY YOUNG BLACK AMERICAN BORN BETWEEN 1965 AND 1984 where they were on September 13, 1996, and most can tell you. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have enjoyed reading "The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture"; Kitwana possesses a no-nonsense, yet accessible prose style reminiscent of Frantz Fanon, Chuck D, Kwame Nkrumah, and/or Malcolm X; his intellectual honesty, and thought-provoking passion for the challenges facing him/young Blacks, and all Hip-Hop generationers should make him a central figure in Hip-Hop culture for the foreseeable future. In our age of multifaceted globalization, Kitwana talks simultaneously to Rap music enthusiasts, as well as all generations, so-called races, and nations; he deserves to be mentioned alongside respected scholars of African-American culture.
Kitwana combines insider's knowledge, intellectual sophistication, and scholarship to surgically identify, discuss and evaluate what he calls the "new crises" confronting post-Civil Rights/Black Power African-American youths: be it race & gender relations, politics, employment, and Black film/music aesthetics, to name a few, nothing escapes his sharp critical gaze; Kitwana also argues for a need to "confront" these crises in African-American Culture, and offers credible beginnings of a forum of discussion.
Having said this, as far as depth of argument is concerned, Kitwana's take on the solutions to the various crises facing young Blacks in African-American Culture could be better handled; not attempting to take anything away from "The Hip-Hop Generation", I would say that it is more original in scope and directions taken than in information given the reader about Hip-Hop per se.
Coming back to my opening point about how I have enjoyed Kitwana's book, I cannot end this review without adding that I am confident it deserves to be classed as a manifesto/testament of the Hip-Hop generation; I definitely recommend the use of "The Hip-Hop Generation" as a textbook in courses on African-American Studies (post-segregation Black culture).
Respect Bakari!
Kitwana combines insider's knowledge, intellectual sophistication, and scholarship to surgically identify, discuss and evaluate what he calls the "new crises" confronting post-Civil Rights/Black Power African-American youths: be it race & gender relations, politics, employment, and Black film/music aesthetics, to name a few, nothing escapes his sharp critical gaze; Kitwana also argues for a need to "confront" these crises in African-American Culture, and offers credible beginnings of a forum of discussion.
Having said this, as far as depth of argument is concerned, Kitwana's take on the solutions to the various crises facing young Blacks in African-American Culture could be better handled; not attempting to take anything away from "The Hip-Hop Generation", I would say that it is more original in scope and directions taken than in information given the reader about Hip-Hop per se.
Coming back to my opening point about how I have enjoyed Kitwana's book, I cannot end this review without adding that I am confident it deserves to be classed as a manifesto/testament of the Hip-Hop generation; I definitely recommend the use of "The Hip-Hop Generation" as a textbook in courses on African-American Studies (post-segregation Black culture).
Respect Bakari!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book whilst on holiday as research for a 10,000 word dissertation due next april.
The points raised by katwana really makes a person think about how it could've 'gotten so bad'. Some chapters, he paints a very bleak (truthful) picture of what it's like to be young black and american.
As a brit with family ties in the US, i found this book to be a great read and recomend it to anyone with an interest of hip-hop as a culture and as a movement. This book will also become a valuable source to anyone studying culture/media/African-American Studies etc.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
11 reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Sad, but true commentary
28 May 2002
Format:Hardcover
Being that I was born in 1964 myself (thus my title), I can truly relate to what Mr. Kitwana laments about the lack of direction of the "hip-hop" generation and destructive courses that it is taking. I read this last night and it is an articulation of some of the concerns that I have (especially where he takes the youth to task for glorifying the likes of Tupac Shakur and Mike Tyson). How can anyone get anywhere with these kinds of people as "heroes?"
You voice needs to be heard, Bro. Kitwana. We have already lost one generation (two if you count the "Superfly" generation of the 70s who inspired/misled the hiphoppers), so we need to mentor the next one carefully before we lose another.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Bakari Kitwana's No-Nonsense Rap on Hip-Hop
29 Jun 2003
Format:Paperback
I have enjoyed reading "The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture" very much; Kitwana possesses a no-nonsense yet accessible prose style reminiscent of Frantz Fanon, Chuck D, Kwame Nkrumah, and/or the James Baldwin of "The Fire Next Time"; his intellectual honesty, and thought-provoking passion for the challenges facing him/young Blacks and all Hip-Hop generationers should make him a central figure in Hip-Hop culture for the foreseeable future. In our age of multifaceted globalization, Kitwana talks simultaneously to Rap music enthusiasts, and all generations, races, and nations; he deserves to be mentioned alongside respected scholars of African-American culture. I would definitely recommend the use of "The Hip-Hop Generation" as a textbook in courses on African-American Studies (post-segregation Black culture).
Having said this, as far as depth of argument is concerned Bakari Kitwana's informative and overall brilliant "The Hip-Hop Generation " is an unfinished work; I believe that his take on the SOLUTIONS to the various CRISES facing young Blacks in African-American Culture remains wanting.
To start with Kitwana combines insider's knowledge, intellectual sophistication, and scholarship to surgically identify, discuss and evaluate what he calls the "new crises" confronting post-Civil Rights/Black Power African-American youths. Be it race & gender relations, politics, employment, and Black film/music aesthetics, to name a few, nothing escapes Kitwana's sharp critical gaze. I wish though that Kitwana could muster a similar strength in the second half of his book where he deals with "confronting" these crises in African-American Culture. What is more, Kitwana the author's (understandable?) bias against financially powerful Hip-Hop generationers and simultaneous (unhelpful!) implicit support of the politically and culturally radical-separatist elements of the same generation weakens his argument about building a viable UNITED political & cultural FRONT.
"The Hip-Hop Generation" is more original in scope, and the directions it takes, than in the information given the reader about Hip-Hop per se; it still is a work in progress that cannot yet be classed as a manifesto or testament of the Hip-Hop generation: future revised/expanded editions might make this happen.
Having said this, as far as depth of argument is concerned Bakari Kitwana's informative and overall brilliant "The Hip-Hop Generation " is an unfinished work; I believe that his take on the SOLUTIONS to the various CRISES facing young Blacks in African-American Culture remains wanting.
To start with Kitwana combines insider's knowledge, intellectual sophistication, and scholarship to surgically identify, discuss and evaluate what he calls the "new crises" confronting post-Civil Rights/Black Power African-American youths. Be it race & gender relations, politics, employment, and Black film/music aesthetics, to name a few, nothing escapes Kitwana's sharp critical gaze. I wish though that Kitwana could muster a similar strength in the second half of his book where he deals with "confronting" these crises in African-American Culture. What is more, Kitwana the author's (understandable?) bias against financially powerful Hip-Hop generationers and simultaneous (unhelpful!) implicit support of the politically and culturally radical-separatist elements of the same generation weakens his argument about building a viable UNITED political & cultural FRONT.
"The Hip-Hop Generation" is more original in scope, and the directions it takes, than in the information given the reader about Hip-Hop per se; it still is a work in progress that cannot yet be classed as a manifesto or testament of the Hip-Hop generation: future revised/expanded editions might make this happen.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Add to "What You Should Read" List
27 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback
This is one of the best books for the Hip Hop generation out in circulation. His nononsense views are understandable and shed light on many current issues in society. I think everyone, parent, teacher, community leader, and political assosciate should read this book.
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