Lexington Books
Pages: 172
Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-1-66690-826-8 • Hardback • August 2023 • $95.00 • (£73.00)
978-1-66690-827-5 • eBook • August 2023 • $45.00 • (£35.00)
Frederick W. Gooding, Jr. is associate history professor and the Dr. Ronald E. Moore endowed professor of humanities at Texas Christian University.
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Beat Goes On
Chapter 1: Hip Hop, Explained
Chapter 2: Down by Law
Chapter 3: The Drum Speaks
Chapter 4: The Power of Griots
Chapter 5: Sound Reasoning
Chapter 6: Gather Round: Understanding the Cypher
Chapter 7: Dancing with the Ancestors
Chapter 8: The Magic of Musical Ubuntu
Conclusion: And You Don’t Stop…
Bibliography
About the Author
Frederick Gooding’s Hip Hop-inspired accessible writing style allows readers to grasp one of his central points—that framing Hip Hop inside of his concept of the Great Black Vibration is a beautifully engaging way to understand the music’s African origins, its U.S. cultural specificities, and its travel around the globe.
— RaShelle Peck, Borough of Manhattan Community College
While so many continue to talk about what Hip Hop isn’t, Gooding draws attention to what it is: a sonic tool for Black expression, community building, intercultural exchange, alternative pedagogy, and a counter to the destructive forces of the “Unholy Trinity.” In breaking down rap to its very first compound, he calls back to African philosophies and practices to present Hip Hoppers as the griots of modern times.
— Adolphus Belk Jr., Winthrop University