The Hip-Hop Underground and African American Culture - by J Peterson (Paperback)

About the Book

"In the Hip Hop Underground and African American Culture, Peterson explores a variety of 'underground' concepts at the intersections of African American literature and Hip Hop Culture. From the Underground Railroad to black holes or from kiln holes to solitary confinement, this project makes meaningful connections across multiple iterations of Black concepts of the underground. Since socially conscious Hip Hop music inherits much of its socio-political and figurative significance from the Black underground it functions as a logical recurring subject matter for this study--situated at Black cultural and conceptual crossroads"--

Book Synopsis

The underground is a multi-faceted concept in African American culture. Peterson uses Richard Wright, KRS-One, Thelonius Monk, and the tradition of the Underground Railroad to explore the manifestations and the attributes of the underground within the context of a more panoramic picture of African American expressivity within hip-hop.

Review Quotes

"The Hip-Hop Underground is an exciting and important read that leaves, as any good text does, readers with many questions and a taste for further review of the pieces of culture that those of us in black communities remember, expunge, and hold forever dear." (Andreana Clay, Journal of American History, Vol. 103, 2016)

About the Author

James Braxton Peterson is an associate professor in the Department of English and the director of Africana Studies at Lehigh University.