Somebody Scream!: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power

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Macmillan, Mar 17, 2009 - Music - 320 pages

"A strong and timely book for the new day in hip-hop. Don't miss it!"—Cornel West

For many African Americans of a certain demographic the sixties and seventies were the golden age of political movements. The Civil Rights movement segued into the Black Power movement which begat the Black Arts movement. Fast forward to 1979 and the release of Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." With the onset of the Reagan years, we begin to see the unraveling of many of the advances fought for in the previous decades. Much of this occurred in the absence of credible, long-term leadership in the black community. Young blacks disillusioned with politics and feeling society no longer cared or looked out for their concerns started rapping with each other about their plight, becoming their own leaders on the battlefield of culture and birthing Hip-Hop in the process. In Somebody Scream, Marcus Reeves explores hip-hop music and its politics. Looking at ten artists that have impacted rap—from Run-DMC (Black Pop in a B-Boy Stance) to Eminem (Vanilla Nice)—and puts their music and celebrity in a larger socio-political context. In doing so, he tells the story of hip hop's rise from New York-based musical form to commercial music revolution to unifying expression for a post-black power generation.

 

Contents

Postnationalism and the Black Culture Shuffle
3
Rap Redefines the Voice of Americas
21
RunD M C
39
Public Enemy
63
N W A
93
SaltNPepa
117
Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg
137
Tupac Shakur
155
JayZ
203
DMX
223
Eminem
245
Keep On To the Break of Dawn
269
Notes
279
Bibliography
287
Acknowledgments
297
Copyright

The Notorious B I G and Sean Puffy Combs
177

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About the author (2009)

Marcus Reeves has covered youth culture and politics for over fifteen years, in publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Vibe, and The Source. He is the author of Somebody Scream! Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power.

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