Hip Hop around the World: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]

Front Cover
Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith, Anthony J. Fonseca
ABC-CLIO, Dec 1, 2018 - Social Science - 894 pages

This set covers all aspects of international hip hop as expressed through music, art, fashion, dance, and political activity.

Hip hop music has gone from being a marginalized genre in the late 1980s to the predominant style of music in America, the UK, Nigeria, South Africa, and other countries around the world. Hip Hop around the World includes more than 450 entries on global hip hop culture as it includes music, art, fashion, dance, social and cultural movements, organizations, and styles of hip hop. Virtually every country is represented in the text.

Most of the entries focus on music styles and notable musicians and are unique in that they discuss the sound of various hip hop styles and musical artists' lyrical content, vocal delivery, vocal ranges, and more. Many additional entries deal with dance styles, such as breakdancing or b-boying/b-girling, popping/locking, clowning, and krumping, and cultural movements, such as black nationalism, Nation of Islam, Five Percent Nation, and Universal Zulu Nation. Country entries take into account politics, history, language, authenticity, and personal and community identification. Special care is taken to draw relationships between people and entities such as mentor-apprentice, producer-musician, and more.

  • Includes contributors from a range of fields, including musicology, theater, and anthropology, giving readers a broad perspective on the genre
  • Covers hip hop in virtually every country, including countries with severely restricted hip hop activity
  • Contains comprehensive lists of record labels, films, editor-recommended videos, and more
  • Shows the influence hip hop has on many aspects of life, such as politics, fashion, dance, and art

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About the author (2018)

Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith is visiting lecturer/associate professor in the Music Department and College of Graduate and Continuing Education at Westfield State University, where she teaches World Music and Music Appreciation.

Anthony J. Fonseca is library director and associate professor at Elms College, where he teaches First Year Seminar and Rock Music and Literature.

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