And It Don't Stop The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years [Paperback]

In September 1979, there was a cosmic shift that went unnoticed by the majority of mainstream America. This shift was triggered by the release of the Sugarhill Gang's single,Rapper's Delight. Not only did it usher rap music into the mainstream's consciousness, it brought us the word hip-hop. And It Don't Stop, edited by the award winning journalist Raquel Cepeda, with a foreword from Nelson George is a collection of the best articles the hip-hop generation has produced. It captures the indelible moments in hip-hop's history since 1979 and will be the centerpiece of the twenty-fifth-anniversary celebration.

This book epitomizes the media's response by taking the reader on an engaging and critical journey, including the very first pieces written about hip-hop for publications likeTheVillage Voice--controversial articles that created rifts between church and state, the artist and journalist, and articles that recorded the rise and tragic fall of the art form's appointed heroes, such as Tupac Shakur, Eazy-E, and the Notorious B.I.G. The list of contributors includes Toure, Kevin Powell, dream hampton, Harry Allen, Cheo Hodari Coker, Greg Tate, Bill Adler, Hilton Als, Danyel Smith, and Joan Morgan.

Hip Hop is the voice of the communtity and its child, Hip Hop journalism, adds a new element to the mix in another medium that goes way beyond the music industry to become a true organ of news.And It Don't Stopis essential reading. It captures the extraordinary eruptions of word, image and sound that Hip Hop inspired and, in itself, continues the process of self-definition and community empowerment that has characterized the movement from the earliest days to the present. Raquel Cepeda knew how to pick them. The articles she has chosen are a distillation of the significant events, personalities, conflicts and philosophies that together shape the revolutionary impact of Hip Hop on the world. Henry Chalfant, co-author ofl£5