Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap

by Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar

In the world of hip-hop, "keeping it real" has always been a primary goal--and realness takes on special meaning as rappers mold their images for street cred and increasingly measure authenticity by ghetto-centric notions of "Who's badder?"

In this groundbreaking book, Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar celebrates hip-hop and confronts the cult of authenticity that defines its essential character--that dictates how performers walk, talk, and express themselves artistically and also influences the consumer market. Hip-Hop Revolution is a balanced cultural history that looks past negative stereotypes of hip-hop as a monolith of hedonistic, unthinking noise to reveal its evolving positive role within American society.

A writer who's personally encountered many of hip-hop's icons, Ogbar traces hip-hop's rise as a cultural juggernaut, focusing on how it negotiates its own sense of identity. He especially explores the lyrical world of rap as artists struggle to define what realness means in an art where class, race, and gender are central to expressions of authenticity-and how this realness is articulated in a society dominated by gendered and racialized stereotypes.

Ogbar also explores problematic black images, including minstrelsy, hip-hop's social milieu, and the artists' own historical and political awareness. Ranging across the rap spectrum from the conscious hip-hop of Mos Def to the gangsta rap of 50 Cent to the "underground" sounds of Jurassic 5 and the Roots, he tracks the ongoing quest for a unique and credible voice to show how complex, contested, and malleable these codes of authenticity are. Most important, Ogbar persuasively challenges widely held notions that hip-hop is socially dangerous--to black youths in particular--by addressing the ways in which rappers critically view the popularity of crime-focused lyrics, the antisocial messages of their peers, and the volatile politics of the word "nigga."

Hip-Hop Revolution deftly balances an insider's love of the culture with a scholar's detached critique, exploring popular myths about black educational attainment, civic engagement, crime, and sexuality. By cutting to the bone of a lifestyle that many outsiders find threatening, Ogbar makes hip-hop realer than it's ever been before.

Genres: Music, Hip Hop, Politics, Nonfiction, History, Art, Pop Culture

248 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2007

About the author

Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar is associate professor of history and director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut. He is author of Black Power: Radical Politics and African American Identity and edited the volume The Civil Rights Movement: Problems in American Civilization.

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both a very good primer and refresher on the history of Hip-Hop in the U.S. Having grown up with a lot of this music in the background, it was fun to read an informative history and background the artists, songs and lyrics that comprise this genre. He covers a lot of ground and demonstrates the complexity of Hip-Hop as well as its strengths and controveries that have characterized it since it went mainstream in the late 80's. It would be ideal if Professor Ogbar could do a follow-up to this to capture the Obama era as well as how social media has played a role in Hip-Hop's influence and evolution over the past decade.

[Chi Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly new territory is being explored here, but I think his analysis of race and identity in hip hop is one of the better takes I've read.

[Douglass Gaking · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is oxymoronically both a concise and comprehensive discussion of how hip-hop music fits into American history and culture. It discusses the history of minstrel shows and how rap culture fits into that context. It gets into rap's obsession with authenticity and how different artists define authenticity. It also delves into the criminal justice system and how it gets discussed in hip-hop lyrics as well as art and magazines. It also addresses how the genre has influenced issues like crime, education, voting. It is very well written, includes plenty of evidence, so my copy is packed with bookmarked sections that I plan to go back to for reference. With the many discussions of various artists, albums, and tracks that address different issues, I was able to find some new ideas of music I could incorporate into my general music class.

[Aaron D'Zurilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar's exploration of hip-hop history and culture is an essential read for hip-hop and rap scholars, however, not all of the material is as succinctly conveyed or relevant as in other similar monographs.

One of the inherent disadvantages of writing a historical piece of an ongoing cultural movement is the risk of being outdated, and unfortunately many of the elements within "Hip-Hop Revolution" have not stood the test of time. While this is not the fault of Ogbar, there are figures and elements within the story of hip-hop culture which are, in hindsight, sorely overlooked, or, conversely, over-indulged in discussion. For example, at the time of publishing, 2007, Kanye West was simply a new artist on the scene and is treated as a peripheral figure within "Hip-Hop Revolution". In hindsight, a new era of rap was brewing alongside other briefly mentioned artists like Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco and Nicki Minaj. On the opposite end, a figure such as 50-Cent receives much attention within the work. With hindsight, we know understand 50-Cent's musical influence as, while important to the history of rap culture, a temporary draw within the time before and during the publishing of "Hip-Hop Revolution". To reiterate, this is not the fault of Ogbar, but it does frame the contributions of the book in a pre-modern fashion.

Two of the biggest positives of "Hip-Hop Revolution", and why it should be required reading for hip-hop scholars, are the connections drawn between minstrel shows and exploration of Latinx contributions in the rap genre. For the former, the entire first chapter draws historical connections between the white audiences of minstrel shows to the present exploitations by white executives and listeners in hip-hop. For the former, Ogbar weaves the analysis of Latinx contributions to hip-hop culture in ways which I have not yet seen in similar monographs, and it should be applauded.

The two biggest positives, however, aide in highlighting some of the biggest faults, which is the structure of some chapters. The two previous elements, which are well executed portions of the text, feel dis-lodged next to some of the other less-focused content. There is nothing necessarily "wrong" within the text, or out of place within a discussion of hip-hop history. What there is, however, is a muddling of tangents which do not result in a clear thesis in each section. Some chapters, such as Chapter 5 on the prison industrial complex, focuses much of it's attention on Ice Cube and his musical development. While the argument is sound, it was not evident that the chapter was to be argued through the lens of a main/singular case study, with the chapter feeling underwhelming.

In summary, Ogbar's text is a great piece of historical and sociological analysis in the pantheon of hip-hop studies, and should be considered alongside other great monographs within similar areas. This comes, however, with a big asterisk, as it succeeds in some areas and underwhelms in others. Either way, it is an informative companion piece to any hip-hop scholar's journey, but just understand the context of the work before jumping in.

[Swagmaster09 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, good selection of subjects and a nice balance between case-study's. Only thing I'd say, is that there's lots of time spent talking about the distinction between gangsterrappers and conscious rappers, and about the way other essentialistic definitions of what it means to be an authentic rap artist came about. Whilst those themes are of course crucial for this book, I would have liked to read more about the diversity in different subgenres of rap - that should be beneath the surface - as well.

[Ron Maskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Started off a bit slow for me but certainly picked up steam. Well thought out although his wording gets kind of clunky overall there is a flow to it. It does read like someone's thesis defense and a strong one at that.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for class;

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.1

[Roger Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid cultural history of hip hop. It is well researched with helpful thematic material highlighted and organized so that both those familiar with the genre and cultural products and those new to the study can find useful information.