Build: The Power of Hip Hop Diplomacy in a Divided World

by Mark Katz

Since 2001, the U.S. Department of State has been sending hip hop artists abroad to perform and teach as goodwill ambassadors. There are good reasons for hip hop is known and loved across the globe, acknowledged and appreciated as a product of American culture. Hip hop has from its beginning been a means of creating community through artistic collaboration, fostering what hip hop artists call building .

A timely study of U.S. diplomacy, The Power of Hip Hop Diplomacy in a Divided World reveals the power of art to bridge cultural divides, facilitate understanding, and express and heal trauma. Yet power is never single-edged, and the story of hip hop diplomacy is deeply fraught. Drawing from nearly 150 interviews with hip hop artists, diplomats, and others in more than 30 countries, Build explores the inescapable tensions and ambiguities in the relationship between art and the state, revealing the ethical complexities that lurk behind what might seem mere goodwill tours. Author Mark Katz makes the case that hip hop, at its best, can promote positive, productive international relations between people and nations. A U.S.-born art form that has become a voice of struggle and celebration worldwide, hip hop has the power to build global community when it is so desperately needed.

Cover Sylvester Shonhiwa, aka Bboy Sly, Harare, Zimbabwe, February 2015. Photograph by Paul Rockower.

Genres: Music

252 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2019

Reviews

[Deidre Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Build: The Power of Hip Hop Diplomacy in a Divided World", is a true testament of how cultural diplomacy through hip hop, can transform the minds and lives of those who are open to experiencing its power for themselves. Dr. Katz has definitely captured the true essence of what it means to give the best parts of ourselves to our fellow man in exchange for theirs and he's done this through the Next Level Program. There is an element of wonderment, coupled with a knowing of just how important each participants contributions to both the genre of hip hop and the cultural exchanges within it is...that makes reading this book a must! The beautiful cover, the images of men and women from diverse backgrounds and disciplines draw you into the text in a way that only an artist can. With his latest book, Mark Katz continues to remind us that he is most certainly an artist who knows how to capture just how precious music, humanity and understanding is. Well done Dr. Katz, well done!

~Deidre D.S.SENSE Smith

[Chi Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://scratchedvinyl.com/reviews/mar...

[Bill Rand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look into a world that I did not even know existed.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good insights, but the book’s structure felt repetitive.

[DanTresOmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a personal connection to this book so my review is clearly biased.

Katz provides a brief overview of the State Dept's cultural exchange program. He goes over the pros and cons.

[Amanda Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the US program of sending hip hop artists to other countries as cultural ambassadors. I think the author did a great job of showing both sides of the coin (the positive impacts and the challenges). It also touched on some interesting cultural, historical, racial, religious, and international issues.