Hip Hop
What makes “Ode to Hip-Hop” such a worthy addition to the Rap Book Library is that it makes room for the contributions and trailblazing importance of artists who have been overlooked. Specifically, artists who aren’t straight men.
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Because Mindy Aloff is so deeply personal and idiosyncratic — and so dependent on what was programmed by certain theaters, in certain years — her book distorts the very topic it is intended to illuminate.
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Chronicling Stankonia is an engaging read, one that adroitly balances rigorous academic research with a deeply personal narrative about Black life and art in the post-Civil Rights Era in the South.
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The best thing about Holy Calamavote may be that it presents Run the Jewels in a live presentation of RTJ4 that rivals the atmospheric might of the record itself.
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In Only For Dolphins, Bronson serves up his usual brand of excessive escapism, but it is offset by just enough emotional depth to suggest that he is maturing as a person and an artist.
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Unpacking Felicia Angeja Viator’s work on the history of Gangsta Rap leads to some trenchant observations about American culture — past, present, and under the pandemic.
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In Limbo, Aminé’s become more reflective, yet he never loses sight his boisterous mischievousness.
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Nate Patrin’s magnificently written and wildly informative new book argues for the artistry of sampling, its potential for beauty.
Read MoreKendrick Lamar has produced a scattered album for a scattered time.
Read MorePrima Donna is a rare thing: a conceptual EP that works.
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