Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation

by Natalie Hopkinson, Natalie Y. Moore

Two smart Black women break the Tyrone code — with affection, with respect, but with no illusions.
Black men as fathers, sons, teachers, lovers, rap stars, professionals, fantasy objects, and cultural constructs — a multifaceted picture of American Black men today.
You know Tyrone. Smooth-talking, irresistible Tyrone — the swagger in his step, the sexy drawl, the poetry and rhythm in his essence — the militant revolutionary of the 1960s evolved into the pimp/thug of the hip-hop era. Tyrone is the Black man seen through the media lens, through stereotype, through the eyes of Black women. He’s "Talk Show Tyrone," all muscle and defiance, “an archetype converted to a hit single.”
In Deconstructing Tyrone, the authors, journalists Natalie Y. Moore and Natalie Hopkinson, examine Black masculinity from a variety of perspectives, looking not for consensus but for insight. With chapters on Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, on the complicated relationship between women and hip-hop, on babydaddies, on gay Black men on and off the down low, on strippers and their fathers, on Black men in the office, at school, and in jail, Deconstructing Tyrone presents a multifaceted picture of American Black men now.

Genres: Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2006

About the author

Natalie Hopkinson, a contributing editor of TheRoot.com, lectures at Georgetown University and directs the Future of the Arts and Society project as a fellow of the Interactivity Foundation. She is the author, with Natalie Y. Moore, of Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation. A former writer and editor at the Washington Post, Hopkinson has contributed to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and TheAtlantic.com and done commentary for NPR and the BBC.

Reviews

[CTEP]

Deconstructing Tyrone, by Natalie Hopkinson and Natalie Y. Moore is an examination of Black masculinity through the experiences of Black men and women of different ages, sexual orientations, and classes, and the eyes of the media, and greater American culture. Through the telling of individual stories, each chapter conveys what it means to be a Black man in the U.S. Among the perspectives given through the stories, are the that of a prominent Black politician, a homosexual Black male couple, an incarcerated Black male, and black female strippers, among others. The book also examines typically Black cultural phenomena, such as the "babydaddy" situation, and the pop culture images of rappers and "video hos."

I thought that the authors did a great job covering the topic from varied perspectives, that left the reader with a wide-ranging exposure to the variables affecting the concept of "Black masculinity," and a lot to think about. They not only told stories of Black males, but also gave insight into the the Black female experience as it relates to Black male-female relationships by discussing Black males father figures with Black females, dating and relationships with young Black females, as well as the experience of raising a Black male from a mother's perspective.

This book relates to my service in that I work with Black males on a regular basis, and have always been intrigued by the portrayal of Black males in the media, and how that translates into mainstream culture. Also, I read the book in honor of Black History Month, and would indeed reccommend it to someone who is interested in the topic.

[Adrienna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this read ..I liked the title, cover, but as I read, just didn't work for me. Could be me but wanted it to work since in the I see her group is learning about positive masculinity.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Deconstructing Tyrone, two black journalists examine black masculinity in the hip-hop generation from a variety of perspectives. With chapters on black men in politics (Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick), on the relationship between the misogynist hip-hop culture and women, on how gay men fit into the black masculinity picture, on babydaddies, on gay black men on the “down low,” and black men in the office, at school, and in jail, this book presents a multifaceted picture of American black men today.

I confess I know little about the black experience today, and I found this book to be both illuminating and inspiring. These two writers examine a complex subject with empathy, wit, and acute intelligence. They attempt to break down the myths presented in the media surrounding black masculinity, with a focus on how it effects black males, hip-hop culture, and the relationships between black men and women. I was particularly interested in how gay black men fit into this culture, and I found that fascinating, yet that is only a small part of an intricate puzzle.

This book goes beyond scrutinizing a snapshot of today’s black culture. It makes an honest attempt to understand where black masculinity as it relates to black women will evolve to in the near future.

Thoughtful and absorbing, I can highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a greater understanding of American black culture, and what directions that culture is moving.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a white woman, I don't know a whole lot/anything about what it means to be a black man. As a white woman who teaches many, many young black men, I think it's important for me to try to learn something about it.

Although the book never went QUITE as in-depth as I would like about everything (a tall order, for sure), it is a great comprehensive text. A nice overview and compilation of recent and historically significant research. I'd recommend it for an intro class on gender studies as well as African American studies.

In particular, I really loved the chapters "Boy Born Friday," which delves into the idea that militant movements like the Black Panthers may have done more harm to the black man than anyone might suppose as well as "Raising Tyrone," in which Natalie Hopkinson discusses the struggles she faces as a mother of a black son, torn between different worlds.

I think it is significant that this book was NOT written by a white person. Both authors are women (interestingly enough both named Natalie) and while I have to wonder if they should have had a black MAN writing with them for an alternate perspective, I think they did an admirable job on trying to provide balanced perspective. The book was also very wittily written.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting series of essays.
If you ever have the opportunity to see either of the Natalies/authors speak, I recommend going. I saw Natalie Moore at a conference and learned a lot. She covered Kwame Kilpatrick when he was mayor of Detroit, I'd love to have coffee with her now and hear her take on how that all ended.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason why i didn't rate this one star is because it is really hard for me to say that i dont like anything about a book. I feel that it has a great deal of information and these two women really did their research. Yet, it gets kinda boring at points. It's very documentary style like, yet they do bring up some interesting points about black men in American society.

[Jawuan Miguel Meeks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a nice expose and confirmed knowledge I already knew. The tone and voice of the book were conversational.

[j · Rating 3 out of 5]

should be 2.5. first half of the book was excellent, second half was awful.