Hip hop and philosophy : rhyme 2 reason / edited by Derrick Darby and Tommie Shelby ; foreword by Cornel West.

Other author Darby, Derrick, 1967- editor.
Other author Shelby, Tommie, 1967- editor.
Format Book
Publication InfoChicago : Open Court, ©2005.
Descriptionxviii, 233 pages ; 23 cm.
Subjects
Rap (Music)--Social aspects.
Music and philosophy.
Hip-hop.

Cover title Hip hip & philosophy : rhyme to reason
SeriesPopular culture and philosophy ; v. 16
Popular culture and philosophy ; v. 16. ^A490194
Contents Da mysteries: God, love, and knowledge. Yo! It ain't no mystery: who is God? / Derrick Darby -- Ain't (just) 'bout da booty: funky reflections on love / Tommie Shelby -- "You perceive with your mind": knowledge and perception / Mitchell S. Green -- What's beef? Ruminations on violence. "Y'all niggaz better recognize": Hip Hop's dialectical struggle for recognition / John P. Pittman -- Rap aesthetics: violence and the art of keeping it real / Richard Shusterman -- "F**k tha police [state]": rap, warfare, and the Leviathan / Joy James -- That's how I'm livin': authenticity, blackness, and sexuality. Does Hip Hop belong to me? The philosophy of race and culture / Paul C. Taylor -- Queen bees and big pimps: sex and sexuality in Hip Hop / Kathryn T. Gines -- Grown folks' business: the problem of maturity in Hip Hop / Lewis Gordon -- Word up! Language, meaning, and ethics. Knowwhatumsayin'? How Hip-Hop lyrics mean / Stephen Lester Thompson -- Girl got 99 problems: is Hip Hop one? / Sarah McGrath, Lidet Tilahun -- "For all my niggaz and bitches": ethics and eptithets / J. Angelo Corlett -- Fight the power: political philosophy 'n the hood. Microphone commandos: rap music and political philosophy / Bill E. Lawson -- Halfway revolution: from that gangsta Hobbes to radical liberals / Lionel K. McPherson -- Criminal-justice minded: retribution, punishment, and authority / Erin I. Kelly -- Gettin' dis'd and gettin' paid: rectifying injustice / Rodney C. Roberts -- After ... word! The philosophy of the Hip-Hop battle / Marcyliena Morgan.
Abstract Should we stop all the violence in hip hop? Does po-po wield legit authority in the hood? Where does the real Kimberly Jones end and the persona Lil' Kim begin? Is hip-hop culture a "black" thang? Is it unethical for N.W.A. to call themselves niggaz and for Dave Chappelle to call everybody bitches? Is Dead Prez revolutionary and gangsta? Yes, KRS-One and BDP, the crew assembled here are philosophers. They give props to great philosophers and peep philosophical problems through hip-hop lenses while staying true to the spirit of the culture. They show and prove that rap classics by lauryn Hill, OutKast, and the Notorious B.I.G. can help us uncover the meaning of love articulated in Plato's Symposium. We see how Run-D.M.C., Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z can teach us about self-consciousness and the dialectic in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. And we learn that Rakim, 2Pac, and 50 Cent knowledge us on the conception of God's essence expressed in Aquinas's Summa Theologica. These philosophers delight in showing us how a love for rhymes over beats and for pure reason, far from being incompatible, can be mastered and mixed to contemplate life's most profound mysteries.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references, discography (pages 213-216), and index.
LCCN 2005019833
ISBN0812695895 (trade pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN9780812695892

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Music Stacks ML3918.R37 H55 2005 ✔ Available Place Hold