Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)M.K. Asante Jr. is a gem. His book It's Bigger Than Hip Hop is one of the most in depth investigative books from our own community in quite some time. Asante's writing style is reminiscent of the great James Baldwin. The ancestors are watching and speak through Asante.
Hip Hop has become one of the most financially successful music genres of an entire century. Hip Hop reaches all ages, classes, races and countries. However, the image of Hip Hop that has spread in our communities and worldwide has changed over the years from its underground message of unity to consumerism/materialism by any means necessary. We have lost control of our own music yet when considering other black music genres from the past; blues, jazz, R &B we have never `owned' our music. History repeats itself. In retrospect, Ray Charles and Prince, to name a few, understood the need for us to own our lyrics, music, distribution houses, etc... (ex. When Prince wrote slave on his head to get out of a music contract and own his music).
Almost 40 years after the Civil Rights Movement and where are we? We integrated yet we never asked once what will happen to us after integration? We never had a plan. If considering that the former African-American segregated communities were small nations how is it that once we gained our `independence' we did not have a well thought out plan? Asante's book addresses some of those issues post-Civil Rights, post hip-hop. Every chapter needs to be read and analyzed in classrooms but specifically read between parent and child. This book needs to get in the hands of every African (Latinos too)
in the U.S., the rest of the Diaspora and Africa to fully understand our current state of affairs.
Chapter Glimpses:
Chapter 2: Keepin' It Real vs. Reel, The Truth about Commercialized Hip Hop artists (Not really hood at all but rather came from the middle class and two parents' home, ex. ODB) But why would ODB or any other artist sell their soul like that?
Chapter 3: What's Really Hood? A Conversation with the African-American Ghetto? This will be a classic in literature. A one on one interview with Asante and Hip Hop.
Chapter 5: It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: Time Line (1965 -1991) A historical time line that puts politics, hip hop, our history in perspective.
Chapter 6: Old White Men (or, Who Owns Hip Hop) Who really owns Hip Hop? Viacom? Bald Head Israeli's? Discusses Mos Def's underground never aired classic "The Rape Over".
Chapter 7: Beyond Jena: Free `Em All.Assata Shakur, Political Prisoners, Slave working Prisoners.
Chapter 8: FTP, F' the Police. Cameras on our blocks, police brutality. Interview with Dead Prez.
Chapter 9: Universal Language: Black and Brown. Common Struggles. Immortal Technique.
Chapter 10: Two Sets of Notes: Asante suggests to students to take two sets of notes, theirs and ours.
Chapter 12: (State Property) The linguistics of Clothes. State Property Brand Beanie Sigel. Marketing death and eternal imprisonment to black boys/men.French philosopher Focault. The history of the prison.
Chapter 13: Conquering the division. Middle class vs. Underclass, Elders vs. Youth. Are we saying the same thing but not getting through to each other?
Chapter 14: A Lesson Before Dying: A Phone Interview with Hip Hop. Final Interview with Asante and Hip Hop
Click Here to see more reviews about: It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post-Hip-Hop Generation
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