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OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY
By: Jason Tanz
A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America
Bloomsbury Publishing
February 2007
On Sale: February 6, 2007
272 pages
ISBN: 1596912731
EAN: 9781596912731
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
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 βFor Us, By Us.β This is not the first time that black music has been appreciated, adopted, and adapted by white audiencesβthink jazz, blues, and rockβbut Jason Tanz, a white boy who grew up in the suburban Northwest, says that hip-hopβs 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-hopβs cross-over to white America, Tanz conducts dozens of interviews with fans, artists, producers, and promoters, including some of hip-hopβs most legendary figuresβsuch as Public Enemyβs Chuck D; white rapper MC Serch; and former Yo! MTV Raps host Fab 5 Freddy. He travels across the country, visiting βnerdcoreβ rappers in Seattle, who rhyme about Star Wars conventions; a group of would-be gangstas in a suburb so insulated itβs called βthe bubbleβ; a break-dancing class at the upper-crusty New Canaan Tap Academy; and many more. Drawing on the authorβs personal experience as a white fan as well as his in-depth knowledge of hip-hopβs history, Other Peopleβs Property provides a hard-edged, thought-provoking, and humorous snapshot of the particularly American intersection of race, commerce, culture, and identity.
 Media BuzzNews and Notes - March 6, 2007
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