Hip Hop Culture
Here is an attractive volume that covers the history and elements of "Hip Hop Culture" (the author uses capital letters to distinguish between Hip Hop Culture and hip-hop, the musical genre also known as rap) from its beginnings in the sixties through mid-2005. The first section of the book consists of a series of four essays, for example, "Issues in Hip Hop," which has subsections on "Can East Coast Hip Hop and West Coast Hip Hop Coexist?"; "Has Hip Hop Misrepresented Women?"; and other topics. The essays are followed by a year-by-year chronology. The longest section in the book contains  biographical sketches--a page or so for each influential person or group, fromAfrika BambaataathroughX-Ecutioners.Chuck D and Flava Flav don't have their own biographies, but they are in the entry for Public Enemy. Similarly, Lil' Kim and Lil' Romeo are not treated in separate entries but are mentioned in the text and can be found through the index. A few women, such as Missy Elliott and Salt-n-Pepa, rate their own biographies. Other chapters list data (for example, percentage of dollars spent, listeners by age and ethnicity); awards; selected organizations (the DJ Project, Universal Zulu Nation); and annotated print and nonprint resources, including documentaries and commercial releases such as "Save the Last Dance" and "Don't Be a Menace." Appendixes list the 30 most-influential hip-hop albums and the 50 most-influential singles, starting with "Rapper's Delight." A glossary of terms and a thorough index round out the volume.The author is editor of theJournal of Popular Music Studiesand an assistant professor of music and African American studies. His style is somewhat scholarly despite the subject's popularity.Even with some questions about who or what the author has included, this will be used in reference collections; larger libraries will want a circulating copy, too. Its information mix complements the strictlyA-Z Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture(Greenwood, 2005).Susan GoodenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved