Scan barcode
coleycole's review
2.0
I love rap and this norton-style anthology totally misses the mark.
1) there should have been an accompanying cd, because divorcing lyrics from beat, music and delivery can change the meaning radically.
2) there should have been annotations (like in every other serious anthology), because rap needs to be taken in context (and seriously), just like poetry. it's a complicated art form that lives to refer and point and play with words -- if you don't know where those words come from, you miss out on the depth of meaning.
3) there are lots of mistakes in the lyrics (http://www.slate.com/id/2272926/pagenum/all)
4)no rappers were involved in the compiling or transcribing of the collection -- wtf. you wouldn't put together a poetry anthology without consulting some freaking poets, people!
1) there should have been an accompanying cd, because divorcing lyrics from beat, music and delivery can change the meaning radically.
2) there should have been annotations (like in every other serious anthology), because rap needs to be taken in context (and seriously), just like poetry. it's a complicated art form that lives to refer and point and play with words -- if you don't know where those words come from, you miss out on the depth of meaning.
3) there are lots of mistakes in the lyrics (http://www.slate.com/id/2272926/pagenum/all)
4)no rappers were involved in the compiling or transcribing of the collection -- wtf. you wouldn't put together a poetry anthology without consulting some freaking poets, people!
chichi27's review
2.0
This book is a fantastic idea poor in execution. It is chuck full of errors, and compiled in a way that doesn't make much sense. I'll put a more detailed review up at scratchedvinyl.com.
robk's review
3.0
While I love the concept of this anthology, I feel it is deeply flawed for a number of reasons.
1.) The performance of rap lyrics seems inseparable from the actual written word. It is different from poetry in this sense. The anthology should come with an audio companion. I realize that obtaining the rights to this quantity of music would be horrendously expensive and therefore it is impractical, but it seems incomplete. Thank goodness for youtube.
2.) The lyrics themselves should contain some annotations or footnotes. Bradley mentions in the introduction that geographical vernacular plays an important role in the interpretation of rap lyrics, but he does little to help convey the nuances of language to the reader. Perhaps the onus of interpretation falls on the reader, but to those of us who grew up in the sticks in Idaho, a little translation help would have gone a long way.
I'm not sure Bradley legitimizes the academic study of rap lyrics with this anthology. He definitely helps spur along the conversation, but I think more needs to be said. Perhaps more detail about individual artists and their impact on society/thought/style/whatever, though the short bios provided were not too shabby.
The greatest value, for me, lies in having an excellent resource to use when teaching my secondary students about the similarities between lyrics and poetry. This book could be a valuable asset to secondary teachers trying to find meaningful, important rap lyrics to stimulate the classroom learning environment during a poetry unit.
1.) The performance of rap lyrics seems inseparable from the actual written word. It is different from poetry in this sense. The anthology should come with an audio companion. I realize that obtaining the rights to this quantity of music would be horrendously expensive and therefore it is impractical, but it seems incomplete. Thank goodness for youtube.
2.) The lyrics themselves should contain some annotations or footnotes. Bradley mentions in the introduction that geographical vernacular plays an important role in the interpretation of rap lyrics, but he does little to help convey the nuances of language to the reader. Perhaps the onus of interpretation falls on the reader, but to those of us who grew up in the sticks in Idaho, a little translation help would have gone a long way.
I'm not sure Bradley legitimizes the academic study of rap lyrics with this anthology. He definitely helps spur along the conversation, but I think more needs to be said. Perhaps more detail about individual artists and their impact on society/thought/style/whatever, though the short bios provided were not too shabby.
The greatest value, for me, lies in having an excellent resource to use when teaching my secondary students about the similarities between lyrics and poetry. This book could be a valuable asset to secondary teachers trying to find meaningful, important rap lyrics to stimulate the classroom learning environment during a poetry unit.
jswanders's review
5.0
I am a huge fan of hip-hop and rap (yes they are different). So when I found out this book was coming out, I was really excited. I love the way that Bradley analyzes the different eras that shaped this genre of music. I wish more artists like Outkast, had conceded to share their lyrics with the world. Bradley has a great understanding of hip hop and rap and I am looking forward to his next book.
More...