Review
The Vinyl Ain't Final, is the latest attempt in the still growing field of hip hop studies to widen the scope of these discussions, amplifying this deep concern for the political to a global context. It is an insightful but largely humourless book, and therein lies the problem. If the exercise of deploring the bullet riddled 50 Cent's perforation as a marketing hook seems tired in a local context, consider what happens when we take these irresolvable questions to the world's stage. This book flits back and forth between Tanzanian national politics and local 'bongo flava' rappers with ease. (Hua Hsu, The Wire )
This book explores hip hop as a global phenomenon' begins the blurb -reassuring if you're unfortunate enough to reside in those far off places where the residue of Grandmaster Flash's leather pants hasn't yet arrived. (Hip Hop connection )
The early chapters of the book show how at street level a combination of low economic status, poor education and a racist criminal justice system keeps young talented MCs excluded from the music business. Success stories like artist 50 Cent with his thug to riches story emerge as the exception to the rule. Meanwhile at the top end, even the strong visibility of black entrepreneurship is still beholden to their larger, white owned major labels and distributors. In spite of this, for so many young people in the US, hip hop remains a creative postive force. Among the appalling homicide rates of Oakland and the Bay Area, we find a culturally diverse hip hop scene. In Hawaii - as in so many places around the world, hip hop provides the language of resistance for native Hawaiins fighting for self determination. (Miriam Zadik Gold, Socialist Review )
This book explores hip hop as a global phenomenon' begins the blurb -reassuring if you're unfortunate enough to reside in those far off places where the residue of Grandmaster Flash's leather pants hasn't yet arrived. (Hip Hop connection )
The early chapters of the book show how at street level a combination of low economic status, poor education and a racist criminal justice system keeps young talented MCs excluded from the music business. Success stories like artist 50 Cent with his thug to riches story emerge as the exception to the rule. Meanwhile at the top end, even the strong visibility of black entrepreneurship is still beholden to their larger, white owned major labels and distributors. In spite of this, for so many young people in the US, hip hop remains a creative postive force. Among the appalling homicide rates of Oakland and the Bay Area, we find a culturally diverse hip hop scene. In Hawaii - as in so many places around the world, hip hop provides the language of resistance for native Hawaiins fighting for self determination. (Miriam Zadik Gold, Socialist Review )
Product Description
In the preface of The Vinyl Ain’t Final, Robin Kelley exclaims ‘Hip Hop is Dead! Long Live Hip Hop’, and the rest of the contributors in this edited volume respond by providing critical perspectives that bridge the gap between American-orientated hip hop and its global reach.
From the front lines of hip hop culture and music in the USA, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Hawaii, Tanzania, Cuba, Samoa and South Africa, academics, poets, practitioners, journalists, and political commentators explore hip hop -- both as a culture and as a commodity. From the political economy of the South African music industry to the cultural resistance forged by Afro-Asian hip hop, this potent mix of contributors provides a unique critical insight into the implications of hip hop globally and locally. Indispensable for fans of hip hop culture and music, this book will also appeal to anyone interested in cultural production, cultural politics and the implications of the huge variety of forms hip hop encompasses.
From the front lines of hip hop culture and music in the USA, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Hawaii, Tanzania, Cuba, Samoa and South Africa, academics, poets, practitioners, journalists, and political commentators explore hip hop -- both as a culture and as a commodity. From the political economy of the South African music industry to the cultural resistance forged by Afro-Asian hip hop, this potent mix of contributors provides a unique critical insight into the implications of hip hop globally and locally. Indispensable for fans of hip hop culture and music, this book will also appeal to anyone interested in cultural production, cultural politics and the implications of the huge variety of forms hip hop encompasses.
About the Author
Dipa Basu is and Associate Professor of Sociology and Black Studies at Pitzer College, Claremont, California. Her recent publications include 'Sociology of the Color Line' in Peter Ratcliffe, ed. The Politics of Social Science Research: Race, Ethnicity and Social Change (Palgrave Press, 2001).
Sidney Lemelle is an Associate Professor of Black Studies at Pomona College, Claremont, California. He has co-edited with Robin D.G Kelley, Imagining Home: Class, Culture and Nationalism in the African Diaspora (Verso, 1994).
Sidney Lemelle is an Associate Professor of Black Studies at Pomona College, Claremont, California. He has co-edited with Robin D.G Kelley, Imagining Home: Class, Culture and Nationalism in the African Diaspora (Verso, 1994).
