Rap Music and Culture

by Kate Burns (Editor)

Overview

The primary source writings in this anthology have been selected to provide your readers with a broad range of viewpoints on rap music and culture. Students are encouraged to see the validity of divergent opinions, so that they may understand the topics of discussion inclusively. An important question about the topic is presented in each chapter, such as "Does rap culture perpetuate violence?" and the viewpoints that follow are organized based on their response to the question. Fact boxes summarize important information for researchers, and an extensive bibliography is included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780737739657
Publisher:	Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Publication date:	08/30/2008
Series:	Current Controversies Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	15 - 17 Years

About the Author

B01

Table of Contents

Foreword     11
Introduction     14
Is Rap Culture a Significant American Cultural Movement?
Overview: Rap Culture Is an American Social Movement   Todd Boyd     19
Yes: Rap Culture Is a Significant American Cultural Movement
Hip-Hop Graffiti Is a Significant American Art Form   Janice Rahn     32
Hip-Hop Dance Is a Significant American Art Form   Carla Stalling Huntington     43
Rap Music Foregrounds African American History, Hope, and Unity   Melbourne S. Cummings   Abhik Roy     48
No: Rap Culture Is Not a Significant American Cultural Movement
Rap Culture's Influence on American Life Is Negative   Rebecca Hagelin     54
Hip-Hop Offers Nothing Uplifting to African American Culture   John H. McWhorter     58
Does Rap Culture Provide a Positive Outlet for Young People?
Overview: The Emergence of the Hip-Hop Generation   Bakari Kitwana     72
Yes: Rap Culture Provides a Positive Outlet for Young People
Some Rap Music Promotes Political Empowerment for Minority Youth   Yvonne Bynoe     80
Teens Identify with the Broken Homes Portrayed in Rap Music   Mary Eberstadt     88
No: Rap Culture Is Not a Constructive Medium for Young People
Young People Should Not Emulate Rappers   Canadian Press     99
Violent Rap Lyrics Encourage Youth Violence   Brent Morrison     102
Is Rap Music Harmful to Women?
Chapter Preface     106
Rap Music Encourages Violence Against African American Women   Ewuare Osayande     108
Chicano Rap Is Hyper-Masculine and Misogynist   Pancho McFarland     120
Women and Men Need to Take a Stand Against Misogynist Rap   Jenee Osterheldt     128
Sexism Is Pervasive Throughout Culture   Edward Rhymes     133
Women Can Be Empowered by Rap Music   Layli Phillips   Kerri Reddick-Morgan   Dionne Patricia Stephens     139
Some Rap Music Is Respectful of Women   Lornet Turnbull     143
Does Rap Culture Perpetuate Violence?
Overview: The Complex Debate About Violence and Rap Culture   Michael Eric Dyson   John McCain   John Kerry   Hilary Rosen     147
Rap Musicians Associated with Violence Should Be Banned$dAssociated Press     158
Rap Listeners Are Prone to Violence$dPacific Institute for Research and Evaluation     162
Stereotypes of Violent Rap Musicians Are Inaccurate   Sarah Benson     165
Violent Rap Lyrics Are Not a Significant Contributor to Violent Behavior   Pat Stack      173
Organizations to Contact     177
Bibliography     181
Index     185

Editorial Reviews

Gr 9 Up

This is a well-organized, thoughtful examination of hip-hop culture in its many permutations. A timely and perceptive definition in the introduction defines hip-hop as an African-American urban youth culture and distinguishes it from rap. Burns explains that the culture originally consisted of four components: "rapping, DJ-ing, breakdancing, and graffiti art," providing a context for the essays that follow. Consisting of writings by scholars, journalists, and researchers, the chapters cover dance, graffiti art, and hip-hop as a social and political movement, as an extension of traditional Afrocentric cultural forms, and as a destructive force that endorses violence against women, gang affiliation, and crime. This text provides a history, a dissection, and a critique of the culture. A fairly extensive list of organizations to contact for additional information is included.-Carol Jones Collins, Columbia High School, Maplewood, NJ

School Library Journal

Review: Rap Music and Culture "...These titles will be a great resource for current events, history, and speech classes and debate teams. Highly Recommended."—Library Media Connection, August-September 2004

From the Publisher