Policing the Beats - by Lambros Fatsis

About the Book

Policing the beats exposes the long history of policing Black music from the era of colonial slavery to the present day.

Book Synopsis

A bold analysis that exposes the racist policing of Black music.

The emergence of UK drill music made headline news, portraying it as a criminal enterprise instead of recognising it as an art form. This new rap subgenre, however, is neither the first, nor the only Black music to be targeted this way.

Policing the beats rewinds the tape to demonstrate how music has been used as an instrument for policing Black people, from the era of colonial slavery to the present day, revealing the racist legal processes that make crimes out of rhymes.

This original and readable book offers the first in-depth account of the policing of Black music in Britain, highlighting the relationship between politics, culture and criminal (in)justice and inviting music lovers, scholars and activists to tune in.

From the Back Cover

The emergence of UK drill music in the 2010s made headline news, as the media rushed to blame this new rap subgenre for the rise of violent crime in Britain's major cities. But is there really a link between Black music and criminality?

In Policing the beats, Lambros Fatsis sets out to uncover the truth, providing the first in-depth historical account of how Black music has been policed in Britain. He dismantles stereotypes manufactured by the government and the media, revealing how characterising Black music as 'criminal' distracts us from racist legal penal processes that make crimes out of rhymes.

Exposing the long history of policing Black music, from the era of colonial slavery to the present day, Policing the beats offers powerful insights into the relationship between politics, culture and criminal (in)justice.

About the Author

Lambros Fatsis (aka. Boulevard Soundsystem) is a lover of Black music(s) who lectures on the history of police racism and the criminalisation of Afro-diasporic music culture at City St. George's University of London