"There is no magic more powerful than music" ~ African Proverb In his debut poetry collection, E.Stanley Richardson captures the visual eclectic voice and expression of the "everyday" African American experience in a style and rhythm reminiscent of the "Black Arts Movement" "Hip Hop Is Dead - Long Live Hip Hop, The Birth, Death And Resurrection Of Hip Hop Activism" is a unique lyrical blend of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, Soul and "Hip Hop" poetry that testifies to the transcendent Ancestral Power and influence of African American music, its historical relationship to "social struggle" and to the "colonial mechanisms" within the dominant oppressive culture that conspire to appropriate, suppress, distort and control radical progressive African American music and art. This is poetry that speaks! It summons us all to creative social and political action, while simultaneously asking a divine question, "How Sacred Is The Music?" ~ Long Live Hip Hop

Hip hop is remarkably self-critical as a genre. In lyrics, rappers continue to debate the definition of hip hop and question where the line between underground artist and mainstream crossover is drawn, who owns the culture and who runs the industry, and most importantly, how to remain true to the culture's roots while also seeking fame and fortune. The tension between the desires to preserve hip hop's original culture and to create commercially successful music promotes a lyrical war of words between mainstream and underground artists that keeps hip hop very much alive today. In response to criticisms that hip hop has suffered or died in its transition to the mainstream, this book seeks to highlight and examine the ongoing dialogue among rap artists whose work describes their own careers. Proclamations of hip hop's death have flooded the airwaves. The issue may have reached its boiling point in Nas's 2006 album Hip Hop is Dead. Nas's album is driven by nostalgia for a mythically pure moment in hip hop's history, when the music was motivated by artistic passion, instead of base commercialism. In the course of this same album, however, Nas himself brags about making money for his particular record label. These and similar contradictions are emblematic of the complex forces underlying the dialogue that keeps hip hop a vital element of our culture. Is Hip Hop Dead? seeks to illuminate the origins of hip hop nostalgia and examine how artists maintain control of their music and culture in the face of corporate record companies, government censorship, and the standardization of the rap image. Many hip hop artists, both mainstream and underground, use their lyrics to engage in a complex dialogue about rhyme skills versus record sales, and commercialism versus culture. This ongoing dialogue invigorates hip hop and provides a common ground upon which we can reconsider many of the developments in the industry over the past 20 years. Building from black traditions that value knowledge gained from personal experience, rappers emphasize the importance of street knowledge and its role in forging a career in the music business. Lyrics adopt models of the self-made man narrative, yet reject the trajectories of white Americans like Benjamin Franklin who espoused values of prudence, diligence, and delayed gratification. Hip hop's narratives instead promote a more immediately viable gratification through crime and extend this criminal mentality to their work in the music business. Through the lens of hip hop, and the threats to hip hop culture, author Mickey Hess is able to confront a range of important issues, including race, class, criminality, authenticity, the media, and personal identity.

The story of how hip-hop created, and came to dominate, the twenty-first century. In Dead Precedents, Roy Christopher traces the story of how hip-hop invented the twenty-first century. Emerging alongside cyberpunk in the 1980s, the hallmarks of hip-hop - allusion, self-reference, the use of new technologies, sampling, the cutting and splicing of language and sound - would come to define the culture of the new millennium. Taking in the groundbreaking work of DJs and MCs, alongside writers like Dick and Gibson, as well as graffiti and DIY culture, Dead Precedents is a counter-culture history of the twentieth century, showcasing hip-hop's role in the creation of the world we now live in.

In It's Bigger Than Hip Hop, M. K. Asante, Jr. looks at the rise of a generation that sees beyond the smoke and mirrors of corporate-manufactured hip hop and is building a movement that will change not only the face of pop culture, but the world. Asante, a young firebrand poet, professor, filmmaker, and activist who represents this movement, uses hip hop as a springboard for a larger discussion about the urgent social and political issues affecting the post-hip-hop generation, a new wave of youth searching for an understanding of itself outside the self-destructive, corporate hip-hop monopoly. Through insightful anecdotes, scholarship, personal encounters, and conversations with youth across the globe as well as icons such as Chuck D and Maya Angelou, Asante illuminates a shift that can be felt in the crowded spoken-word joints in post-Katrina New Orleans, seen in the rise of youth-led organizations committed to social justice, and heard around the world chanting "It's bigger than hip hop."

A pioneering expert in the study of hip-hop explains why the music matters--and why the battles surrounding it are so very fierce.

Welcome to the evolution of the industry of Hip Hop. Join the journey into the culture.....

I Mix What I Like is a study of the hip-hop mixtape as a tool of emancipatory journalism. Looking at colonialism, the media, education, intellectual property, and popular culture Jared Ball examines the ways in which the grassroots history of the rap music mixtape can encourage new forms of political organization and struggle.

"From Streets to Stardom: A Rapid-Fire Tour of Hip-Hop Evolution" Hip Hop's evolution offers a vivid voice and pictorial history of life on the streets of urban America, reaching back to the vibrant 1920s. Sprouting from the soil of struggle and determination, this cultural movement quickly unearthed a dynamic brigade of youthful African American musicians. Eager to weave their art into narratives, they brought forth a spirited, soulful style that resonated globally. From its birthplace in the South Bronx and Brooklyn of the 1970s, Rap has burgeoned to become one of the most powerful musical forces of the 21st century. In my rap history series, I decode the genre of hip hop for all audiences, from the curious beginner to the seasoned aficionado, kids, teens, and adults alike. Here's a snapshot of this volume's enlightening content: The Hip Hop vs. Rap Debate: Unravel the nuanced differences between these two often-confused terms. The Early Stirrings: Explore the formative influences that shaped Rap's history. Elements of Hip Hop Culture: Learn about the diverse components that comprise Hip Hop culture, including Breakdancing, Graffiti, Fashion, and beyond. Underground Rap's Role: Understand the critical part played by the Underground Hip Hop scene in the genre's development. Noteworthy Narratives: Revisit the greatest moments of Rap Music History that changed the course of music forever. Subgenre Spectra: Journey through a wide range of genres & subgenres like Gangsta Rap, Crunk, and more. Cultural Ripples: Witness the extensive cultural impact and societal transformations triggered by hip hop. And there's so much more! Embark on this rhythmic journey, discovering a treasure trove of history, culture, and impactful narratives. Get ready for a rapid-fire tour of hip-hop evolution! Topics: hip hop art, hip hop accessories, hip hop and other things, hip hop at the end of the world book, hip hop book, hip hop baby book, hip hop coloring book, hip hop dance, hip hop dance clothes, hip hop experience, hip hop funko pop, hip hop family tree, hip hop fashion, hip hop family tree box set, hip hop flag, hip hop for kids, hip hop gifts, hip hop kids book, hip hop kids, hip hop legends alphabet book, hip hop legends, hip hop lollipop book, hip hop magazine, hip hop magazines for inmates, hip hop men, hip hop music, hip hop quotes, hip hop queens, hip hop questions, hip hop raised me, hip hop trivia, hip hop uncensored, hip hop vinyl, auxgod hip hop, abcs of hip hop, aretes hip hop, book of rhymes the poetics of hip hop, baby hip hop, boys hip hop, clothes hip hop, cadena hip hop, coffee table books hardcover hip hop, coffee table books hip hop, dance hip hop, funko hip hop, growing up hip hop, girls hip hop, hip hop, history of hip hop, jonathan abrams history of hip hop, kids hip hop, lyrically correct game 90's to 2000 hip hop, life lessons from hip hop, lofi hip hop, now hip hop, old school hip hop, origins of hip hop, raised on hip hop, records vinyl albums hip hop, the source magazine hip hop, the gospel of hip hop, the come up book hip hop, vinyl records hip hop, vinyl hip hop, vinyl music hip hop, vinyls records albums hip hop, vinyl albums hip hop, vinyl records greatest hits hip hop, wall art hip hop, worldstar hip hop, when the beat was born dj kool herc and the creation of hip hop, rap history, rap history timeline, rap history facts, rap history book, rap history trivia, rap about history, rap america history, rap songs about history, best rap album history, rap lyrics about history, atlanta rap history, american rap history, rap song about american history, rap music facts and history, rap history battles, rap beef history, rap black history, history rap beat, rappers black history month, rap battle origin, rap beat origin, rap history class, rap censorship history, rap origin country, rappers criminal history, hip hop rap history culture, rap culture origin, rap battles of history clean, rap history detroit, rapping history definition, rap dance history, rapper's delight history, rappers dating history, rap sheet history definition, rap deep storytelling, rap music history essay, rap etymology origin, emo rap history, epic rap history, history epic rap battles, rap english origin, rap facts history, rapper future history, rap history of word, rap music history facts, rap battles from history, female rap history, french rap history, freestyle rap history, history of hip hop and rap, rap genre history, rap god history, rap grammy history, rap genius history, rap history in ghana, rap genre origin, rap greatest story ever told, rap group origin, hip hop rap history, houston rap history, rap history in america, rap in history, fastest rap in history, first rap in history, rap battles in history, best rap in history, jazz rap history, rap in the 2000s history, korean rap history, history rap lyrics, rap long history, rap story lyrics, rap story line, rap love story, rap love story song, black history rap lyrics, rap battles of history lyrics, us history rap lyrics, horrible history rap lyrics, rap history movie, rap history music, rap music history timeline, rap monster history, rapper made history, rap history name, rap name origin, rap history on this day, rap origin of word, origin story of rap, rap battles of history, epic rap of history, rap history of pop, rap poetry origin, rap history quiz, rap history questions, rap rock history, rap history show, history rap song, rap sample history, rap slang history, rap origin story, rapping history teacher, storytelling rap, storyteller rap, rap/hip hop history timeline, rap us history, story rap uk, rap music us history definition, uk rap history, underground rap history, rap us history definition, rap vs history, rap story vol 1, rap verb origin, history of rap 5, rap origin word, rap sheet word history, west coast rap history, history with rap, rap history x, rap history zulu, rap history zimbabwe, rap history zambia, history of rap music, history of rap kids book, history of rap baby book, rap history for kids, epic rap battles of history, the history of gangster rap, history of rap coffee table book, soren baker, chuck d presents this day in rap and hip-hop history, who got the camera a history of rap and reality, this day in rap and hip hop history, this day in rap history, the history of gangsta rap, history of rap, history of rap book, rap oral history

In the underground labyrinths of New York City's subway system, beneath the third rail of a long forgotten line, Saul Williams discovered scrolls of aged yellowish-brown paper rolled tightly into a can of spray paint. His quest to decipher this mystical ancient text resulted in a primal understanding of the power hip-hop has to teach us about ourselves and the universe around us. Now, for the first time, Saul Williams shares with the world the wonder revealed to him by the Dead Emcee Scrolls. I have paraded as a poet for years now. In the proc ess of parading I may have actually become one, but that's another story, another book. This book is a book that I have been waiting to finish since 1995. This is the book that finished me. The story I am about to tell may sound fantastic. It may anger some of you who have followed my work. You may feel that you have come to know me over the years, and in some cases you have, but in others...well, this is a confession.