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ISBN-10: 0814716717
ISBN-13: 9780814716717
Edition: 2008
List price: $27.00
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View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.To the Break of Dawn marks a crucial turning point in hip-hop writing. . . . By opening the discourse on hip-hops aesthetic, Cobb spearheads a new sub-genre, and perhaps a return or revolution in hip-hop aesthetics. --"Black Issues Book Review"[P]eels back the many digitized layers of hip-hop to explore the evolution of the MC, from African folkloric traditions to the global (and often hypercommercial) phenomenon it is today. --"Utne"SEE ALSO: "Pimps Up, Hos Down: Hip Hops Hold on Young Black Women" by T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting.To the Break of Dawn is smart, funny, conversational -- a book to touch off serious study of the modern MC. --"The… Austin Chronicle"Upon finishing To The Break of Dawn any objective fan will acknowledge that Cobb has done a commendable job in chronicling raps evolution and explaining its multiple influences and impact. --"City Paper"To the Break of Dawn dissects the evolution of hip hop lyricism from its most primitive beginnings to its current manifestation as a global phenomenon. Author Jelani Cobb examines issues of race, geography, genre and bravado in this overview of hip hops lyrical art. Covering words from B.I.G., Cube, Obie Trice and Pimp C, Cobb offers an intellectual and up-to-date report on hip hops most powerful element --"The Source Magazine"What makes William Jelani Cobb's To the Break of Dawn so refreshing is that it centers on what hip-hop is, rather than on what it does. Eschewing the common practice of treating rap lyrics as just another way to talk about race, politics or the self, Cobb treats them as art. His aim is ambitious: to articulate hip-hop'saesthetic principles while tracing its roots back to the ancestral poetic and musical traditions of black oral culture, from Sunday sermons to gut-bucket blues. To the Break of Dawn celebrates lyrical invention, the artists and even the particular rhymes that make hip-hop great. For the uninitiated, it is Hip-Hop 101, offering a rich overview of rap's verbal artistry. For the aficionado, it alternately affirms and challenges deeply held beliefs of what is valuable in hip-hop. --"Washington Post Book World"This book makes an important contribution to hip-hop history. . . . Cobbs writing style is engaging, and the book benefits from the legitimacy provided by the authors background: he is a former MC who grew up with the culture. --"Choice"On literally every page [Cobb] displays a tremendous command of language and history as he examines the aesthetic, stylistic, and thematic evolution of hip hop from its inception in the South Bronx to the present era. But make no mistake: this groundbreaking work is an artfully constructed and vividly written look at the artistic evolution of rap music and its relationship to earlier forms of black expression. Much of the book's pleasure also comes from Cobb's ability to freestyle serious and humorous insights-from how artists such as Tupac and Nas sometimes stepped outside the conventions of hip-hop to pen sympathetic narratives about the sexual exploitation of young women, to how LL Cool J's pioneering I Need a Beat sounded like he'd raided every entry in an SAT book. --"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)Vital stuff for hip hop fans eager to know more about their favorite cultural idioms development and underpinnings. --"Booklist"At a time when academics are just beginning to recognize hip hop as a legitimate form, William Jelani Cobb, a child of rap himself, brings an unparalleled level of understanding to the music. His historically informed yet hip-to-the-tip viewpoint roots readers in the art form rather than the hype. --Chuck DWith poetic passion and surgical precision, William Jelani Cobb's engaging exploration of the hip hop aesthetic lovingly demonstrates that, when it comes to beats and rhymes, the beauty of the (bass) god resides in the details. --Joan Morgan, author of "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roos