| Rap Music and Street Consciousness Contributor(s): Keyes, Cheryl L. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0252072014 ISBN-13: 9780252072017 Publisher: University of Illinois Press OUR PRICE: $27.72 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2004 Annotation: In this new paperback, Cheryl L. Keyes presents the first musicological history of rap, tracing the genre from its roots in West African bardic traditions, Jamaican dancehall, and African American vernacular expressions to its permeation of the cultural mainstream as a major tenet of the hip-hop lifestyle. According to Keyes, rap music is a forum that addresses the political and economic disfranchisement of black youths and other groups, fosters ethnic pride, and displays cultural values and aesthetics. By blending popular culture with folklore and ethnomusicology, Keyes offers a nuanced portrait of the artists, themes, and varying styles reflective of urban life and street consciousness, gathered from ethnographic research done in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, and London. Keyes's vivid and wide-ranging analysis covers the emergence and personas of female rappers and white rappers, the legal repercussions of technological advancements such as electronic mixing and digital sampling, the advent of rap music videos, and the existence of gangsta rap, Southern rap, acid rap, and dance-centered rap subgenres. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Music | Genres & Styles - Rap & Hip Hop - Music | History & Criticism - General |
| Dewey: 782.421 |
| LCCN: 2002000252 |
| Series: Music in American Life (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.85" H x 6.02" W x 9.08" (1.19 lbs) 302 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - African American |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In this first musicological history of rap music, Cheryl L. Keyes traces the genre's history from its roots in West African bardic traditions, the Jamaican dancehall tradition, and African American vernacular expressions to its permeation of the cultural mainstream as a major tenet of hip-hop lifestyle and culture. Rap music, according to Keyes, addresses the political and economic disfranchisement of black youths and other groups, fosters ethnic pride, and displays culture values and aesthetics. Blending popular culture with folklore and ethnomusicology, Keyes offers a nuanced portrait of the artists, themes, and varying styles reflective of urban life and street consciousness. Her analysis draws on music, lives, politics, and interests of figures ranging from Afrika Bambaataa, the "godfather of hip-hop," to early artists like Grandmaster Flash, to crossover pioneers like LL Cool J, De La Soul, and Public Enemy, to megastars like Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. At the same time, Keyes delves into the impact of the rapper-turned mogul phenomenon, the rise of Death Row Records, and the East Coast-West Coast tensions of the Nineties. |