Other People's Property: A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America

Other People's Property: A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America by Tanz, Jason. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781596912731.

Over the last quarter-century hip-hop has grown from an esoteric form of African-American expression to become the dominant form of American popular culture. Today, Snoop Dogg shills for Chrysler and white kids wear Fubu, the black-owned label whose name stands for "For Us, By Us." This is not the first time that black music has been appreciated, adopted, and adapted by white audiences―think jazz, blues, and rock―but Jason Tanz, a white boy who grew up in the suburban Northwest, says that hip-hops journey through white America provides a unique window to examine the racial dissonance that has become a fact of our national life. In such culture-sharing Tanz sees white Americans struggling with their identity, and wrestling (often unsuccessfully) with the legacy of race. To support his anecdotally driven history of hip-hops cross-over to white America, Tanz conducts dozens of interviews with fans, artists, producers, and promoters, including some of hip-hops most legendary figures―such as Public Enemys Chuck D; white rapper MC Serch; and former Yo! MTV Raps host Fab 5 Freddy. He travels across the country, visiting "nerdcore" rappers in Seattle, who rhyme about Star Wars conventions; a group of would-be gangstas in a suburb so insulated its called "the bubble"; a break-dancing class at the upper-crusty New Canaan Tap Academy; and many more. Drawing on the authors personal experience as a white fan as well as his in-depth knowledge of hip-hops history, Other Peoples Property provides a hard-edged, thought-provoking, and humorous snapshot of the particularly American intersection of race, commerce, culture, and identity.