Awards

• Commended for IndieFab awards (Anthologies) 2010

Overview

"From the school yards of the South Bronx to the tops of the Billboard charts, rap has emerged as one of the most influential musical and cultural forces of our time. In The Anthology of Rap, editors Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois explore rap as a literary form, demonstrating that rap is also a wide-reaching and vital poetic tradition born of beats and rhymes. This pioneering anthology brings together more than three hundred rap and hip-hop lyrics written over thirty years, from the ""old school"" to the ""golden age"" to the present day. Rather than aim for encyclopedic coverage, Bradley and DuBois render through examples the richness and diversity of rap's poetic tradition. They feature both classic lyrics that helped define the genre, including Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's ""The Message"" and Eric B. & Rakim's ""Microphone Fiend,"" as well as lesser-known gems like Blackalicious's ""Alphabet Aerobics"" and Jean Grae's ""Hater's Anthem."" Both a fan's guide and a resource for the uninitiated, The Anthology of Rap showcases the inventiveness and vitality of rap's lyrical art. The volume also features an overview of rap poetics and the forces that shaped each period in rap's historical development, as well as a foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and afterwords by Chuck D and Common. Enter the Anthology to experience the full range of rap's artistry and discover a rich poetic tradition hiding in plain sight."

Full Product Details

9780300141900

Table of Contents

Reviews

This thrilling (but controversial) textual monument to a thrilling (but controversial) oral tradition wrestles the genre''s greatest lyrics out of the airwaves and into cold print. . . . [It] enables something wonderful: the ability to sit in perfect silence and roll around in, for example, the lust Keatsian soundplay of Jay-Z. --Sam Anderson, New York Magazine --Sam Anderson New York Magazine

Intelligent and authentic. . . written for both the hip-hop head and the uninitiated. --;i>Philadelphia Inquirer<br> --James Johnson Philadelphia Inquirer

The authors have built a poignant collection of rhythm and rhyme. . . . For hard-core hip-hop heads, this book confirms what we have always known: that some of the most innovative writing hails from the imagination of the rapper. --Idris Goodwin, The Boston Globe --Idris Goodwin The Boston Globe

This monumental encyclopedia of rhymes is great for hip-hop newbies or longtime fans, lyric lovers and poetry devotees. It's an invaluable reference on hip-hop history spanning from Afrika Bambaataa to Kanye West. --Toure--Tour

The editors have been bold and often brilliant. . . . The Anthology of Rap is as ambitious and intelligent as anyone might want, and more enjoyable than anyone might think. . . . If you want to hear how the latter part of the twentieth century sounded, you can''t do better than this book. --Kevin Young, Bookforum --Kevin Young Bookforum

Author Information

Adam Bradley is associate professor of English at the University of Colorado and the author of Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip-Hop and Ralph Ellison in Progress. He is also co-editor of Ralph Ellison's unfinished second novel, Three Days Before the Shooting. Andrew DuBois is associate professor of English at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the author of Ashbery's Forms of Attention. He is also co-editor of Close Reading: The Reader.

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