Customer Reviews

Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip-Hop

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After the remarks of Bill Cosby, many intellectuals and artists have been chiming in with regards to their distaste for hip hop. After Wynton Marsalis's reduction of hip hop to "ghetto minstrelsy" and John Whorter's attribution of retardation of success to Hip Hop, many have wondered what lies in store for the future of the genre. In Know What I Mean, Dyson gives evidence and background for academics to understand hip hop and offers tools for the hip hop generation to gain, as Jay-Z says, "respect and a better way to understand ourselves."

Many of the critiques stem from the expectation of hip hop to be a tangible expression of social commentary or political criticism. Fundamentally, hip hop is neither. Hip Hop is an art form containing "hyperbole, parody, kitsch, dramatic license, and double entedres." Dyson frequently argues that hip hop should be held to no higher standards towards sociological representation or politics than any other art form or institution that could also be a vehicle for social commentary or political criticism (i.e. the Church).

Dyson embarks upon a series of conversations structured within an "album concept". Two of the most frequented topics through out the five tracks are misogyny and the heterosexism of hip hop. While some of the ills of hip hop can be attributed or connected to cultural amnesia, male privilege and/or religious reflections, Dyson does not draw any parallels with the attempt to excuse or validate the presence of sexism or homophobia within rap music or hip hop culture.

Dyson has constructed his text, his speech and his career into a strong argument for hip hop and a lasting testament of the relevance and dignity of Black Culture and Urban Culture within our Global World.

I've always liked hearing Dyson's point of view on tv shows like Real Time and a few other specials I saw him on. This is the first time I've actually read his work and it was enjoyable. He always has an interesting take on hip-hop, backed up by a solid and logical argument (even on cases where I don't personally agree with him). There's frequent citing of artists' lyrics to illustrate his points and the way he frames the plight/excess/expression of MC's in a sociological context (comparing them to the Black Arts movements and linking them to Kant) makes for a good read.

Though there are a few points in the book that I flat out disagree with and believe his argument is weak/misguided, I enjoyed the vast majority of the book. A bit brisk, but insightful. I would recommend it to others and I will be reading some of Dyson's other work.

I'll be the first to tell you that Hip Hop has changed dramatically over the years. With the influx of commericalization the art form seems to have lost its originality. Dyson's represents Hip Hop to the fullest. He embraces the art form and respects the artists as lyrical geniuses. Dyson gives a brief look back with DJ Kool Herc, but remains focused on the social aspects of the music. Dyson brings up logical arguements that are in the defense of Hip Hop music.
My favourite section was the chapter dealing with "Conscious Rap". This sub-genre of Hip Hop is never praised in the media since it approaches topics that are both social and political.
Dyson is extremely candid with his assessments of music and he has many accolades from numerous artists in the Hip Hop Industry.
Consider reading "Democracy Matters" by Cornel West --- he has a great section on Hip Hop music as well

Dyson is certainly one of the most prolific cultural critics writing and speaking about matters relevant to race, identity, and equality. His work is generally deep as he tries to complicate matters that are usually oversimplified by the dominant discourse and mainstream media.

Know What I Mean is a detailed and academically vigorous critique of the social construction and political power of hip hop. He attempts to place hip hop in its proper context, demystifying the ways hip hop reflects the social spaces occupied by hip hop artists and the larger society itself. Let's not forget, for example, that misogyny is not the sole property of hip hop.

Reading as hip hop performance itself, the text breaks many of the conventions that bind books, delving into space reserved for the album/music industry. On many levels, Know What I Mean is a risk-taking and ground-breaking work that attempts to reach many different audiences, from hip hop heads to academics in ivory towers.

Dyson is a great writer. He tackles issues that most writers often shy away from. He does a great job at diving into a difficult subject and shows the importance of it to the African American culture.

Michael Eric Dyson is one of the most important observers and critics of African American Culture for my generation of scholars, and in this book "BAM"!, he has done it again. He situates his conversation about Hip-Hop Culture in an almost mind-boggling array of cultural contexts and demonstrates that not only does Hip-Hop reach beyond beats and rhymes, but it also crosses and intersects global boundaries in the same way that The Blues did a few generations ago. Do you want to know who black people are? It's in the music! Listen to our music and you will know who we are and where we come from and where we are going. You are not required to like or embrace us, but those seeking enlightenment about a people who have been a "problem" since we arrived on these shores will receive an education.

The form of the book is appealing and brilliant as Dyson arranges the book by "track" including "shout outs," "sampling," and "nods." The text reads as if you are either listening to a Hip-Hop CD or present at a performance. In fact, the entire book is a performative tour de force. BAM!

Know what I mean?

Dyson makes cogent topics that others stray away from. The insight provided in this book is informative and valid.

I truly enjoyed this cultural and generational work by Dr. Dyson. Similar to most of Dyson's books I found it hard to put down, always wanting to know more of his thoughts. There are areas in Dyson's thinking that I disagree with, but it always challenges me to provide a solid, realistic and comprehensible reason for my beliefs. I believe this book points a finger at the generational gap we have in the black community. The older generation needs to have a loving relationship with the younger generation and vice versa, only then can healing, teaching and correcting fix some of the problems within our culture. There are already outside forces that seek to divide us, we shouldn't ignorantly help those forces by causing internal division fueled by ego, hypocrisy and greed.

This book attempts to legitimize rap by having a scholarly racist (one who makes decisions based on nothing other than race) mumble his illegitimate arguments. Here are the cliff notes on chapter 1:

"our rhymes can contain violence and hatred"
"our songs can detail the drug business and our choruses can bounce with lustful intent"
(paraphrase)->"thisauthor with another viewpoint wrote a less-than-thousand-word article so his point is automatically wrong"
"I think very few people are willing to acknowledge the genius of our black children"
"as a black male, society throws you few other options [than to go to prison]"
"one of the most effective tools of social control under white supremacy is the psychological destruction of the image of the black male..."
"the unfair imprisonment of black men and women [is tragic because] ... the truth [is] that a lot of them are going there for no good reason"
"Black men want to dominate women according to their own sexual desire"
"[Black machismo] is not the result of lyrics"
"This stuff didn't start with hip hop"
"[story about pimps and hos]"
"I think technology imposes brutal confines and blunt restrictions on black life"
"the ghetto becomes a global vetting space for the successful dissemination of products from the American marketplace"
"Blackness has become a metaphorical home for people who are seeking self-definition"
"Because that's where we're from! Black people come from space. When you look at the sky, it's black. Without sunlight, forget it: it's black. In the beginning, there was darkness"
"The universe is our home because the universe's sense of home is connected to its blackness, and therefor to our blackness"


As an educated individual who does not believe in generalizing based on race, this book angers me. Race, race, race, white supremacist nation, blacks used to be slaves, race this, race that. Enough! This book is quick to accept responsibility for all the good that has come from hip-hop but deflects the blame to others, usually whites, for all of its negative impacts on American culture. This is an elementary tactic. I plan to recycle my book so that these pages get at least one chance to contain worthwhile information. Just remember, what I say does not matter--it is less than 1,000 words.