Desi rap
Subtitle: hip-hop and South Asian America
By: edited by Ajay Nair and Murali Balaji.
Contributors: Nair, Ajay, 1974-; Balaji, Murali, 1979-
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Lanham, MD
Language: eng
Number of pages: 188
ISBN-13: 9780739127216; 9780739127223; 9780739131367
Subjects: South Asian Americans -- Music -- Social aspects; Rap (Music) -- Social aspects -- United States
Description: "Desi Rap is a collection of essays from South Asian American activists, academics, and hip-hop artists that explores four main ideas: hip-hop as a means of expression of racial identity, class status, gender, sexuality, racism, and culture; the appropriation of Black racial identity by South Asian American consumers of hip-hop; the furthering of the discourse on race and ethnic identity in the United States through hip-hop; and the exploration of South Asian Americans' use of hip-hop as a form of social protest. Ultimately, Desi Rap is about broadening our horizons through hip-hop and embracing the South Asian American community's polycultural legacy and future."--Jacket.
Table of contents: title: My hip hop life / Vijay Prashad; title: Polyvalent voices : ethnic and racialized Desi hip hop / Nitasha Sharma; title: Hip-hop agitprop / Ajay Nair; title: B-boys and bass girls : sex, style, and mobility in Indian American youth culture / Sunaina Maira; title: How hip hop helped an Indian girl find her way home / Deepti Hajela; title: Making Brown like dat : South Asians and hip-hop / Raeshem Chopra Nijhon; title: Outcaste / Murali Balaji; title: Spoken word / Swapnil Shah; title: The disjointed artist / Chee Malabar; title: Beats, rhythm, life / D'Lo; title: Sounds from a town I love / The1shanti; title: Words from the battlefront / Utkarsh Ambudkar; title: An ear to the streets and a vibe in the basement / DJ Rekha.