Other People's Property
A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America
Ratings1
Average rating3.5
15
A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America
Ratings1
Average rating3.5
Over the last quarter-century hip-hop has grown from an esoteric form of African-American expression to become the dominant form of American popular culture. This is not the first time that black music has been appreciated, adopted, and adapted by white audiences, but Jason Tanz, a white boy who grew up in the suburban Northwest, says that hip-hop's journey through white America provides a unique window to examine the racial dissonance that has become a fact of our national life. In such culture-sharing Tanz sees white Americans struggling with their identity, and wrestling (often unsuccessfully) with the legacy of race. Tanz conducts interviews with fans, artists, producers, and promoters, including some of hip-hop's most legendary figures. He travels across the country, visiting "nerdcore" rappers in Seattle, a group of would-be gangstas in an insulated suburb, a break-dancing class in an upper-crust Tap Academy; and many more.--From publisher description.
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It's interesting to read about whiteness in hip-hop and its impact in social, commercial, cultural, and political aspects from Tanz's point of view, since he's a white, obsessive male hip-hop fan. It's not a casual or comforting read, one that is pretty insightful and highlights from different perspectives in the hip-hop community and those who are out of it and instead are in offshoots of the genre. Although much has changed since its initial publication in 2007, “Other People's Property” is a proper telling of race's impact in hip-hop and it's definitely an introduction for a much larger and more in depth book on the topic.
