Description
Book SynopsisConsiders the political expression of rap artists within the historical tradition of black nationalism. Interweaving songs and personal interviews with hip-hop artists and activists, Cheney links late 20th-century hip-hop nationalists with their 19th-century spiritual forebears.
Trade Review“.[A] must read for anyone interested in the problems of gender and politics in rap music. Charise Cheney combines an historian’s insight with an expansive knowledge of hip-hop culture to produce this remarkable study of the rise of artists influenced by black nationalismthe self-proclaimed raptivists. Cheney dives head-on into the contentious debates regarding the articulations of masculinity and black nationalism in rap, and how these reflect black Americans’ age-old desire for power and authority. A vital contribution. -- Jane Rhodes,author of Framing the Black Panthers: The Spectacular Rise of a Black Power Icon
A lively, unique, and often revisionist perspective on the sexual politics of hip-hop culture. -- William L. Van Deburg, author of New Day in Babylon: The Black Power Movement and American Culture, 1965–1975
A provocative analysis that no one will be able to ignore. A compelling challenge to consider the ways that patriarchy has influenced the movement for black self-determination. * Choice, Highly Recommended *
A study of rap singers of the 1980s and 90s that sets their political expression in the context of the racial and sexual politics of black nationalism since the early 19th century. * The Chronicle *
In her book, Cheney tries to dispel the notion that all rap music is about sex, violence and bling. . . . The book is insightfulparticularly to white Americans who don't get the appeal of Louis Farrakhan or to older African-Americans whose knowledge of black music stops at Smokey Robinson. After reading this book, both groups might at least be tempted to sample some Public Enemy music. * The San Luis Obispo Tribune *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1 From the Revolutionary War to the "Revolutionary Generation": Some Introductory Thoughts on Rap Music, Black Nationalism, and the Golden Age of Rap Nationalism 2 "We Men Ain't We?" Mas(k)ulinity and the Gendered Politics of Black Nationalism 3 Brothers Gonna Work It Out: The Popular/Political Culture of Rap Music 4 Ladies First? De?ning Manhood in the Golden Age of Rap Nationalism5 Representin' God: Masculinity and the Use of the Bible in Rap Nationalism 6 Be True to the Game: Final Re?ections on the Politics and Practices of the Hip-Hop Nation Notes Selected Bibliography Index About the Author
