Italic page numbers refer to illustrations.
“Ackrite” (Dr. Dre), 132
Adler, Bill, 70
“Adventures on the Wheels of Steel” (Grandmaster Flash), 52, 53, 158n42
aesthetics, 54, 85, 98, 99, 109, 110, 155n50; African-American culture and, 7–8; backing tracks and, 67; of G-funk, 114, 115; identity and, 86; poetics of identity and, 4; politics and, 55, 85; of producers and DJs, 12, 13; race and, 10, 51
affirmative action, state bans on, 137, 176n69
African Americans, 5, 7, 60, 69; black popular culture, 111–12; black science fiction, 109; Great Migration, 111; in post–civil rights America, 78; in Southern California, 88, 89, 97; in urban ghettos, 8, 98; War on Drugs and, 90–91; white rappers and, 134
Afrika Bambaataa, 40, 44, 59, 158n45; electronic technologies and, 60–61; electro rap and, 92
Afrocentric discourse, 80, 109
Afro-futurism, 106, 109, 111, 112
Ahlerich, Milt, 169n41
Aiello, Danny, 1
“Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” (McFadden and Whtiehead), 42
Akai drum machine, 95
Akai MPC sampling devices, 67, 103
All Dyrections, 28
“Amen Brother” (the Winstons), 93, 94, 95, 103
AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (Ice Cube), 168n28
anthropology, cultural, 6–7
Anti-Drug Abuse Act (1986), 90
“Apache” (Incredible Bongo Band), 32, 59, 167n29, 187n23
Apocalypse 91 (Public Enemy), 51
Arabian Prince, 92
Armstrong, Edward G., 126, 135–36
Arrested Development, 81
Audubon Ballroom (Harlem) recordings, 44
authenticity, 5, 6, 16, 86, 117, 144, 149; black subjectivity as marker of, 130; East Coast–West Coast feud and, 118; gangsta, 112; gender and class as mediators of racial authenticity, 136, 145; hip hop authenticity, 10, 124; racially based standards of, 14, 119, 126, 148
automobile: “automotive flash,” 111; as defining symbol of Los Angeles, 88–89, 96; freedom and mobility enabled by, 102, 108; as instrument of segregation, 89, 90, 112
Babe Ruth, 25
backing tracks (beats), 51, 63
Baker, Arthur, 61
“Bang Bang” (Dr. Dre), 132
Baraka, Imamu Amiri (Leroi Jones), 7–8, 80
Bass, Mark and Jeff, 121, 172n28
Bataan, Joe, 42
b-boying (breakdancing), 5
Beastie Boys, 69, 119, 122, 127
beat juggling, 38
Bee Gees, 44
BET (cable television station), 144
Biggie Smalls. See Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls)
“Big Poppa” (Notorious B.I.G.), 151n2
Billboard magazine, 19, 22, 41, 44, 99; disco backlash and, 45; Rap Singles chart, 125; on success of rap music, 118
Biz Markie, 81
Blackbyrds, The, 28
“Blackbyrds Theme” (The Blackbyrds), 28
“black music,” 7–8, 15; academic study of, 80, 166n95; rap as, 19; visual metaphors used in speaking about, 9–10; whiteness and, 118, 134
“Black Music and Musicians” (Strobert class at Adelphi U.), 166n95
blackness, 3, 15, 78, 119, 141, 148; authenticity and, 10; of Caucasian rappers, 10; presumed blackness of rap genre, 46; rap musicians seeking to own, 48; as threat, 71; varied meaning and significance of, 143; white identity and, 141–42
Black Noise (Rose), 52, 54, 162n21
“bling,” 117
blues, 110
Blues People (Baraka), 7
Boas, Franz, 6–7
Bomb Squad, 2, 51, 52, 55, 75, 161n7; looping aesthetic of, 76, 93; N.W.A. and, 93, 168n28. See also Public Enemy
“Bongo Rock” (Incredible Bongo Band), 25
“Boyz-N-the-Hood” (N.W.A.), 92, 93
Brasilia Records, 42
breakbeats (“breaks”), 12, 47, 58, 69, 76, 81; defined, 156n18; discovery and sale of breakbeat records, 25, 167n24; in Grandmaster Flash’s Audubon Ballroom performance, 27–35, 29, 30; isolation and repetition of, 24, 149; looping of, 26, 62, 68, 149; producers and, 24; Public Enemy and, 52, 53, 72; shaping of racial perceptions and, 13
breakdancing, 5
“Breaks, The” (Kurtis Blow), 40
Bridge Wars, 73
“Bring the Noise” (Public Enemy), 50, 71–72, 76
Bronx, 25, 58; first hip hop DJs in, 76; hip hop parties in relation to disco, 158n45; Jackson Housing Projects recordings, 31, 35, 44; South Bronx, 12, 24, 52
Brooklyn Dreams, 28
Brooks, Garth, 118
Brother D, 162n32
Brown, James, 2, 25, 93, 131, 158n45; as conductor of his band, 80; songs sampled in Public Enemy’s “Rebel Without a Pause,” 75, 75, 76
Bush, George H. W., 114
Byrd, Bobby, 73
call-and-response, 22, 57, 133
Campbell, Clive. See Kool Herc, DJ
Casanova Fly (Grandmaster Caz), 23
Cenac, Wyatt, 115–16
C’est Chic (Chic), 45
Chang, Jeff, 4, 39, 59, 78, 100
“Check Out the Radio” (Spectrum City), 53
Cheeba, Eddie, 156n13
Chinese American rap, 144–48
“Chinese Chicken” (Duke Williams and the Extremes), 28
Ching, Barbara, 134
Chip, MC, 91
chopping, 72, 77, 164n71, 165n84
Chronic, The (Dr. Dre), 15, 85, 99–102, 106, 111; album cover, 101; culture of conspicuous consumption and, 115–17; G-funk aesthetic and, 169n48
Chubb Rock, 76
Chuck D, 1, 2, 76, 78; in Bomb Squad, 161n7; gangsta rap viewed by, 87; on hip hop records, 19; on influence of Public Enemy on N.W.A., 93; lyrics by, 49, 50, 52, 55; sonic aesthetics of Public Enemy and, 12; in Spectrum City, 53
civil rights, 72, 78, 112, 120
classical music, Western, 12
class identity, 136, 138, 141, 175n66
Clinton, Bill, 129
Clinton, George, 106, 131; Afro-futurism of, 109, 112, 170n66; Dr. Funkenstein character of, 108–9, 110, 170nn58,66
clubs, 25, 63, 65, 92; disco, 41, 44, 69; in New York, 22, 35; relation of rap to disco and, 158n45
Cold Crush Brothers, 23, 165n76
“color-blindness,” 8, 16, 138, 148
Common, 6
Compton, California (the Hub City), 86, 87, 113, 116; as confrontation and contestation, 96–99, 97, 98; freeways and, 88; as spread-out ghetto, 167n10
Connerly, Ward, 137
conservative (right-wing) backlash, 139–40, 142
Considine, J. D., 70
“cool,” race and meaning of, 120
Costa Vargas, João, 98
“Countdown” (Def Squad), 174n46
“Countdown to Armageddon” (Public Enemy), 76
crack cocaine “epidemic,” 8, 70, 87, 90–91, 168n37
Craig, Larry, 116
criminal justice system, 8
culture wars, 139
Dahl, Steve, 158–59n54, 159n61
Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The (TV show), 115–16
dance parties, 24
“dance soul,” 41
Davy DMX, 95
“Day the Niggaz Took Over, The” (Dr. Dre), 169n48
Death Row Records, 99, 100, 102
Def Jam Records, 49, 69–70, 71, 118
DeForest, Calvert, 65
Def Squad, 174n46
deindustrialization, 88, 120, 134
De La Soul, 6, 81, 126, 173n43
Denby, David, 140–41
Detroit, city of, 121–22, 124; automobile culture of, 88; deindustrialization in, 134; 8 Mile movie and, 137–39; racial divide in, 119
difference, 6–7, 9, 20, 147, 149, 153n33
Digable Planets, 166n99
disco, 15, 20, 21–22, 34, 60; backlash against, 42–45, 69–70, 158–59n54, 159n61; perceived decadence of, 69, 105; rap’s relation to, 40–46; sexual ambiguity associated with, 105; vocal inflections from, 63
DJs (disc jockeys), 11, 12, 48, 61; breakbeats (“breaks”) and, 77, 79, 80, 87; in the Bronx, 14; disco and, 41, 43, 44; in early hip hop, 15, 34; expressive priorities of, 27; Filipino American, 5, 152n19; live performances of, 13, 22; looping of breakbeats, 53, 62; producers and, 23–24; “rapping DJs,” 44, 46; record collections of, 25
“D.J. Style” (Mr. Q), 42
DMC World DJ Championships, 158n42
DMX (rapper), 118
DMX drum machines, 61, 62, 67, 69, 73, 74
Doggystyle (Snoop Doggy Dogg), 15, 117
“Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” (Jackson), 42
Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee film, 1989), 1–3, 151–52n8
Douglas, Frederick, 7
Downstairs Records, 167n24
Dr. Dre, 4, 9, 122, 143, 148, 168n28; beat making by, 103–4, 169n47; Bomb Squad and, 93, 95; cultural climate of post-riot Los Angeles, 15; electro rap and, 92; Eminem and, 125, 128, 129, 134, 146, 172–73n28; fans and critics of, 86; “G-funk” and, 99–102, 169n48; neoliberal capitalism and, 115–17; N.W.A. and, 85, 99, 114; P-Funk’s “Mothership Connection” and, 106–12; “post-soul” politics and, 114–15; rearticulation of gangsta identity, 119; suburban home of, 116, 171n85
drum machines, 11, 15, 59, 161n14; in electro rap, 92; “new school aesthetic” and, 60–64; Public Enemy and, 79; rap engagement with rock and, 67, 68, 69, 70
Du Bois, W. E. B., 7
Duke Williams and the Extremes, 28
Duran Duran, 46
Dynamic Corvettes, 28
Eazy-Duz-It (Eazy-E), 93
Echlin, Hobey, 133
Echols, Alice, 45
“Ego Trippin’ (Part Two)” (De La Soul), 126
8 Mile (film, 2002), 119, 137–39, 145
Eminem, 4, 9, 10, 119, 120, 148–49; “crisis of whiteness” and, 121–24; debut of, 15–16; Jin compared with, 143–44, 146, 147–48; nasal delivery of rapping, 133, 174n51; racially based standards of authenticity and, 14; rearticulation of race and, 136–42; self-deprecating humor of, 134, 174n53; signifying whiteness, 124–36; working-class anxiety and, 134, 176n66
E-mu sampler-sequencers, 73, 165n73
Ensonique Mirage sampler-sequencer, 77, 165n73
“Eric B Is President” (Marl), 73
“Every Breath You Take” (the Police), 13
Fab Five Freddy, 116
Fairlight synthesizer, 61
“Fatbackin’” (Fatback Band), 28, 29
Fear of a Black Planet (Public Enemy), 51
feminism, 120
“Fight For Your Right (To Party)” (Beastie Boys), 126
“Fight the Power” (Public Enemy), 1–3, 9, 11, 55, 56, 151n4
Fletcher, Ed “Duke Bootee,” 57, 58, 60
Ford, Robert, Jr., 44
France, 5
Frank, Thomas, 139
freestyling, 37, 140, 144, 146
“Fuck the Police” (N.W.A.), 169n41
Fulton, Will, 67
funk, 25, 27, 34, 60, 135, 158n45
“Funky Drummer” (Brown), 56, 75, 75, 93, 95, 103
Funky Four Plus One More, 42
“Funky Music Is the Thing” (Dynamic Corvettes), 28
gangsta rap, 6, 14, 15, 85–86; birth of, 92; black experience of Los Angeles geography and, 86–91, 90; depoliticization of, 86; media reviews of, 116; neoliberal materialism and, 113–17, 171n80; reimagined by Dr. Dre, 105, 106; Stagger Lee folk tales and, 110
Gary G-Wiz, 161n7
“Gas Face, The” (3rd Bass), 124
Gates, Daryl, 168n37
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr., 140
Gaynor, Gloria, 45
genres, 9, 14, 25; DJs’ use of pre-existing records and, 34; rap from genre-less to new genre, 35–40; shared cultural values and genre identity, 43–44
George, Nelson, 58
Get Rich or Die Tryin’; (50 Cent), 112
“G-funk” (gangsta funk), 15, 86, 99–106, 169n48; Afro-futurism and, 111; “post-soul” sensibility and, 113, 114
Gibbons, Suzie, 50
“Gimme the Loot” (Notorious B.I.G.), 151n2
Giroux, Henry A., 137
“Give It Up or Turn It Loose” (Brown), 25
“Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” (Parliament-Funkadelic), 106
Goldstein, Richard, 139–40
“Good Times” (Chic), 11, 15, 37, 40, 45; instrumental break from, 36; MCs rapping over, 38; rap singles based on, 42
Gordon, Steve, 20–22, 21, 46, 132, 155n9
Grandmaster Caz (Casanova Fly), 23
Grandmaster Flash, 15, 19, 40, 148, 156n13, 158n45; Armory (Jamaica, Queens) performance, 38, 39, 41; Audubon Ballroom (Harlem) performance, 27–35, 41, 73; “beat box” routine, 61, 63; climactic moments in breaks, 26, 31, 167n29; on “Gold Rush of 1975,” 167n24; on influence of disco DJs, 41; quick mix theory and, 31, 34; Robinson and “The Message,” 57; tapes as “first album,” 44; on transition from live performance to recorded songs, 160n75
Grandmaster Flash and the Four MCs, 27, 31–35
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, 9, 34, 40, 119, 167n28; breakbeats and musical ideal of, 58; breakup of, 162n33
“Great Balls of Fire” (Lewis), 70
“Grunt, Pt. 1, The” (the J.B.’s), 75–76, 75, 77, 95
Hall, Daryl, 173n43
Harlem World (club), 165n76
Harrington, Richard, 71, 86–87
Harrison, Anthony Kwame, 152–53n21
Harvey, David, 113
“Heaven and Hell Is On Earth” (20th Century Steel Band), 32–33
Heller, Bill, 20
Heller, Jerry, 91–92, 93, 99, 126, 169n41
“Here Comes That Sound Again” (Love De-Luxe), 35–36
Hess, Mickey, 125
Himes, Geoffrey, 59–60
hip hop: authenticity and, 10, 124; breakbeat sampling culture of, 76, 81; defined, 4; East Coast, 118, 124, 130, 167n10, 172n17; ethnic diversity of, 5; “genre-less” early days of, 66; integrated into mass communications network, 118; live hip hop versus recorded rap, 39, 40; mainstreaming of, 120; origins of, 25; peak year (1988), 166n100; “poetics of identity” and, 4; politically engaged, 49; pre-1979 remnants, 34; respect based on skill and artistry, 141, 176n77; “rupture” in, 31; West Coast, 91, 92, 118, 130
Hip-Hop Wars, The (Rose), 54
Hip-Hop Years, The: Close to the Edge (documentary film, 1999), 156n20
Hoffman, Daniel G., 111
“Hold It Now, Hit It” (Beastie Boys), 69
Holly, Buddy, 65
Holman, Michael, 158n45
Honey Drippers, 78
hookish slang, 23
horror films, 136
“Hot Pants Road” (the J.B.’s), 55, 56
“How Much Is That Doggie in the Window” (Page), 70
“How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise?” (Brother D), 162n32
Hudson, Ronnie, 95
“I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” (Hall and Oates), 173n43
“I Can’t Stop It” (John Davis and the Monster Orchestra), 28
Ice Cube, 85, 92, 95, 101, 168n28
“Ice Ice Baby” (Vanilla Ice), 124
Ice-T, 116
identity, racial, 16, 45, 119, 143, 146, 149
“I Got The . . .” (Siffre), 130, 131, 174n46
“I Know You Got Soul” (Byrd), 73
“I Know You Got Soul” (Eric B and Rakim), 74, 74, 75, 76, 77
improvisation, 144
Imus, Don, 139–40
Incredible Bongo Band, 25, 32, 167n23
Infinite (Eminem), 15, 120, 121, 123, 137, 143
“I Ran Iran” (Lampell), 162n32
“It’s Got To Be Real” (Lynn), 41, 42
“It’s Like That” (Run-D.M.C.), 11, 63
“It’s Tricky” (Run-D.M.C.), 68
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Public Enemy), 49–50, 51, 71–72
“I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You” (Haywood), 102–3, 104
“I Will Survive” (Gaynor), 45
James, Bob, 69, 164n55, 167n30
Jam Master Jay, 66, 68, 75, 163n51
“Jam Master Jay” (Run-D.M.C.), 63
Japan, 5
Jardim, Gary, 63–64
jazz, 7, 10, 34, 122, 125, 166n99
Jazzy 4 MCs, 42
“Jealousy Woes” (Eminem), 121
Jim Crow segregation, 7
jive talk, 47
Jocko, 42
John Davis and the Monster Orchestra, 28
Jones, Pete, 41
Jones, Stan “The Guitar Man,” 94, 103
“Just Don’t Give a Fuck” (Eminem), 135
Kallberg, Jeffrey, 43–44
Katz, Mark, 26
KDAY (radio station), 93
Kelley, Robin D. G., 85, 90, 110, 116, 136
Keyes, Cheryl, 8
Kid Creole, 29–30, 31, 32, 33, 58, 167n28
King, Rodney, 117
“King of Rock” (Run-D.M.C.), 65
King of Rock (Run-D.M.C.), 164n63
“King Tim III (Personality Jock)” (Fatback Band), 155n12
Kitwana, Bakari, 141
Knack, the, 68
Knight, Suge, 99
Kool Herc, DJ, 12, 24–25, 26, 40, 44, 156n20, 158n45, 167n23
Korea, South, 5
Kraftwerk, 61
Kramer, Joey, 67
Krims, Adam, 4, 117, 122, 154n49, 155n50, 166n6
Kriss Kross, 128
KRS-One, 73
Lampell, David, 162n32
“Learn Chinese” (Jin), 146, 147, 148, 177n9
Leave It to Beaver (TV show), 129, 173n40
Lee, Pamela Anderson, 128
Lee, Spike, 1, 2, 3, 151–52n8, 152n15
Leland, John, 63
“Let Me Ride” (Dr. Dre), 99, 101–2, 105, 106; “Mothership Connection” and music video of, 106, 107–8, 108–12; music video of, 115; race sounded as black neoliberalism, 113, 114, 115
“Let’s Dance [Make Your Body Move]” (West Street Mob), 56
Lewis, Jerry Lee, 70
Lewis, Terry, 158n51
Licensed to Ill (Beastie Boys), 69, 70, 126
Lieb, Michael, 170n58
Lieder, German, 11
“Lies” (Spectrum City), 53
Lil Wayne, 111
Linn LM-1 drum machine, 61
“Living for the City” (Wonder), 59
Living Legends, 176n1
“locomotive wail,” 111
Los Angeles, 14, 15, 119; geography of South L.A., 86–91, 90, 99, 106, 108; “G-funk” in post-riot L.A., 99–102; LAPD (police department), 90–91, 96–98, 102, 117, 168n37; Los Angeles Uprising (1992), 85, 117
“Louder Than a Bomb” (Public Enemy), 76
Lovebug Starski, 42
Love De-Luxe, 35
“Love in Perfect Harmony” (Fatback Band), 155n12
Lucky Luciano, 145
Lynyrd Skynyrd, 140
Macola Records, 91
Madonna, 46
“Main Theme from Star Wars” (Matthews), 28
Manson, Marilyn, 129
marijuana, 100, 102, 113, 128, 177n9
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, 122
Marshall Mathers LP, The (Eminem), 121, 135, 143
masculinity, 114, 136, 144, 145, 146, 176n1
Master P, 118
Mathers, Marshall, III. See Eminem
Matthews, David, 28
McCarthy, Cameron, 119
McCord, Mark, 39
McFadden and Whitehead, 42
MC Lyte, 81
“MC Rock” (Jazzy 4 MCs), 42
MCs (Masters of Ceremonies, emcees), 11, 35, 48, 155n49; elaborate routines of, 26, 53; freestyle battles between, 144; hip hop as “disco” and, 43; live performances of, 22; as new kind of performers, 46; New York MCs as trendsetters, 91; unencumbered freedom of, 37–38; violent personas of, 102; white, 122, 134
Melle Mel, 29, 31, 32, 38, 167n28; on Grandmaster Flash as “king of the disco mix,” 41; “The Message” and, 57
“merry-go-round,” 24, 25, 156n20
“Message, The” (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), 57–60, 61, 63, 76, 119, 162n33
“Message to the Grassroots” (Malcolm X speech), 72
“Mexican, The” (Babe Ruth), 25
Miami bass, 61
“Microphone Fiend” (Eric B. & Rakim), 11
mimetic devices, 59
misogyny, 86, 92, 116, 126, 128, 135–36
Miyakawa, Felicia, 109
Mohammed, Elijah, 110, 111, 112
“Mothership Connection (Star Child)” (Parliament-Funkadelic), 106, 108–12
“Mr. Chin” (Yellowman), 147
Mr. Q, 42
MTV (Music Television), 66, 124, 134
Murphy, Eddie, 120
“Music, Harmony and Rhythm” (Brooklyn Dreams), 28–29, 29, 30, 31, 32, 36
music videos, 12, 66–67, 115, 125–26
“My Adidas” (Run-D.M.C.), 68
“My Name Is” (Eminem), 4, 16, 120, 125–26, 135, 144; backing track, 132; cover of, 127; Dr. Dre’s production on, 133; faces of whiteness in, 127–28; Jin’s “Learn Chinese” compared with, 147; music video of, 126, 128–30; rearticulation of race and, 139; rhythmic foundation of, 131–32, 131
“My Sharona” (the Knack), 68
nationalism, 49, 79, 80, 143, 162n28
Nation of Islam, 49, 78, 110–11
Neal, Mark Anthony, 8
“Never Too Fat” (Eminem), 121
“New Style, The” (Beastie Boys), 69
New York City, 8, 57, 122, 145; Armory in Jamaica, Queens, 38, 39, 41; Audubon Ballroom (Harlem), 41, 44; black discos in, 19; clubs, 22, 35; influence of NYC sound on Eminem, 122–23; MCs as trendsetters in rap music, 91; NYPD (police department), 59; radio in, 63; underground hip hop culture, 40. See also Bronx
New Yorker magazine, 140
New York Times, 2, 3, 46, 49, 128; “The Message” reviewed in, 60; on Public Enemy, 79; on rap’s similarities with rock, 70
Niggaz4Life (N.W.A.), 98–99, 115
Nine Inch Nails, 128
“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” (Beastie Boys), 69, 126
Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls), 13, 118, 130, 151n2
“Numbers” (Kraftwerk), 61
Nunn, Bill, 1
“Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” (Dr. Dre), 4, 99, 101, 102; beats in, 103; bossa nova pattern in, 103, 104; music video of, 115; P-Funk’s “Mothership Connection” and, 110, 170n56; race sounded as black neoliberalism, 113, 115; rhythmic foundation of, 131; synthesizers in, 104–6, 104
N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit Attitudes), 6, 9, 81, 117, 148, 167n10; Compton as central part of identity, 86, 93; end of, 99; “incendiary” music of, 168n29; LAPD as adversaries of, 96–98, 169n38; musical representation of urban space, 87; New York influences on, 91–93
N.W.A. and the Posse (N.W.A.), 91–92
Oates, John, 173n43
Obama, Barack, 141
Obasogie, Osagie, 153n33
Oberheim DMX drum machines. See DMX drum machines
“100 Miles and Running” (N.W.A.), 99, 126
106 & Park (cable TV show), 144, 146
“On Top Of It” (All Dyrections), 28
“Open Mic” (Eminem), 121
Page, Patti, 70
Palmer, Robert, 46, 60, 70, 163n53, 164n63
Pareles, Jon, 49–50, 51, 60, 76, 81, 128, 161n4
Parliament-Funkadelic, 95, 106, 108–12, 114, 131, 170n52
parody, 46, 126, 154n46; defined, 126; Eminem’s parody of whiteness, 14, 16, 125, 126, 127–30, 132, 142; P-Funk mythology and, 110, 112; “Take My Rap” as, 20
party jam culture, 57
Paul, Prince, 173n43
“Paul Revere” (Beastie Boys), 69
People Under the Stairs, 176n1
Perez, Rosie, 1
“Peter Piper” (Run-D.M.C.), 68–69, 164n55
Phifer, Mekhi, 140
Philadelphia International Records, 104
“Planet Rock” (Afrika Bambaataa), 59, 60–61, 92
Police, the (band), 13
police brutality, 85
“Pop Goes the Weasel” (3rd Bass), 124
“Posse In Effect” (Beastie Boys), 69
post-civil rights politics, 8, 13, 78
Postmodern Geographies (Soja), 87, 90
postmodern interpretive model, 154n46
Pratt, Ray, 137
Premier, 123
Priority Records, 93
producers, 12, 13, 15, 39; breakbeats (“breaks”) and, 79; connoisseurship of, 103; DJs replaced with studio musicians by, 23–24; drum machines and, 61–62
Profile Records, 67
promoters, 43
“Proud to Be Black” (Run-D.M.C.), 68
“P.S.K. (What Does It Mean?)” (Schoolly D), 92
Public Enemy, 1–4, 9, 148, 152nn11,15; African American music theory and, 80, 166n95; analyzed by scholars, 51, 161n8; beats used by, 11–12; blackness of, 10; as “Black punk rock,” 71; “incendiary” music of, 3, 10, 168n29; militant blackness of, 95, 143; revolutionizing of the break, 52, 71–81; rise to fame, 6; S1Ws (dancing security unit), 49; sonic collages of, 52, 53; stylistic evolution of rap and, 52–55; “too black, too strong” musical style, 14, 72. See also Bomb Squad
“Public Enemy: Rap with a Fist in the Air” (Pareles, NYT article), 49–51, 50, 161n4
Puerto Ricans, 5
Puff Daddy, 13
Queen, 124
Queen Latifah, 81
quick mix theory, 26, 27, 31, 34, 52, 62
Quik, DJ, 116
Quinn, Eithne, 90, 112–13, 114
race, 5, 78, 86, 136; racial formation, 6–10, 153n24; rearticulation of, 136–42; sounding of, 50. See also blackness; identity, racial; whiteness
racial profiling, 85
racism, 3, 7, 88, 138, 141, 146
Radano, Ronald, 8, 50, 118, 119, 154n39
radio, 23, 39, 121, 156n13; airplay for gangsta rap, 105; all-disco stations, 44; disco backlash and, 45; discrete units for airplay, 40; music videos and, 125–26
Rahiem, 167n28
“Raising Hell” (Run-D.M.C.), 68
Raising Hell (Run-D.M.C.), 65, 67–68, 69, 70, 164n55
Ramsey, Guthrie, Jr., 8
rap music: birth of, 14; as “black music,” 7; commercial success of, 118; disco backlash and, 40–46; “disco rap,” 53, 57, 58, 64; end of first wave, 61; established as new genre, 35–40; hip hop in relation to, 4; history of, 151n2; identity made audible by, 20; mainstreaming of, 70, 120; making meaning in, 11–16; media reviews of, 46, 49, 71; as paradigm for identity, 9; party-oriented, 57; politically engaged, 51, 57–58, 162n28; presumed blackness of, 46; race of actors and spectators, 9; racial identity and, 27, 60; and rap nationalism, 49, 162n28; as “street music,” 63, 97, 97, 163n47; underground versus corporate, 176n1
“Rap-O, Clap-O” (Bataan), 42
“Rapper’s Delight” (Sugarhill Gang), 4, 11, 21, 25, 37–38, 160n73; backing track, 36, 37, 40; based on Chic’s “Good Times,” 42; breakbeats (“breaks”) in, 80; disco and, 19, 43, 44; establishment of rap as new genre and, 22, 35, 46; as hip hop’s original sin, 39; influence on subsequent rap, 40; rap as individual songs and, 53; recording session for, 23; Robinson’s arrangement for, 35, 36, 42
“Rappin’ and Rockin’ the House” (Funky Four Plus One More), 42
“Rap Rips Up the Charts” (Smith), 118
Ready to Die (Notorious B.I.G.), 151n2
“reality rap,” 122
“Real Nigga” (Jay-Z), 6
“Real People” (Common), 6
“Real Slim Shady, The” (Eminem), 135
“Rebel Without a Pause” (Public Enemy), 4, 15, 50, 51, 93; layers of sound in, 76; one-measure breaks looped in, 75; racial formation and, 79; sampling/sequencing in, 77
Rest Is History, The (Jin), 146
reverse troping, 109
“Rhapazooty in Blue” (Sicle Cell & Rhapazooty), 42
“Rhymin and Stealin” (Beastie Boys), 69
“Rhythm Talk” (Jocko), 42
Robie, John, 61
Robinson, Sylvia, 42, 47, 57, 60; “The Message” and, 57, 162n33; “Rapper’s Delight” and, 15, 23, 35, 39, 40; underground market and, 44
Rock, Chris, 120
rock and roll, 5, 25, 34; African-American roots of, 70; directly engaged in rap, 65–71, 77, 163nn51–53; as “white” genre, 45, 65, 124–25, 159n61
“Rock Box” (Run-D.M.C.), 65
“Rock ’n’ Roll Dude” (Chubb Rock), 76
Roland TR-808 drum machine, 61, 74, 93, 94, 95, 163n42
Romney, Mitt, 116
Rose, Tricia, 8, 13, 54, 148; on “backspinning,” 52; on “rap-related violence,” 71; on “rupture” in hip hop, 31, 96
Roxanne Wars, 73
Rubin, Rick, 61–62, 67, 68, 69, 74
Ruff Ryders Entertainment, 145
Run-D.M.C., 9, 11, 92; drum machines and, 61, 62–64, 72, 77; gang fights at Long Beach concert by, 71; “new school aesthetic” of, 61; rock music engaged by, 65–71
Ruthless Records, 92, 99, 169n41
Rux, Carl Hancock, 142
Saddler, Joseph. See Grandmaster Flash
Sadler, Eric “Vietnam,” 161n7
sampling, 12–13, 74–75, 154n46; cutting and looping practices of South Bronx DJs and, 52; digital, 51; early technologies of, 55, 57; “golden age of hip hop sampling,” 54; master rights (“mechanical royalties”) and, 94; “parody” and, 130; Public Enemy’s use of, 51, 52, 79; technology of, 15
sampling-sequencing devices, 73, 77, 164–65n73
San Francisco Bay Area, 5, 152n21
Sanneh, Kelefah, 11
Saturday Night Fever (film, 1977), 44
“Say No Go” (De La Soul), 173n43
Schloss, Joseph, 4–5, 152n17, 154n46, 176n77; on breaks, 156n18; ethnography of hip hop producers, 13, 52; on looping, 73; on sampling as “parody,” 130, 173n43
Schoolly D, 92
scratching, 37, 69, 75, 92, 95, 161n14
Sermon, Erik, 6
Shan, MC, 73
Shearin, Chip, 37–38
“She’s Crafty” (Beastie Boys), 69
Shocklee, Hank, 49, 52, 77, 80, 161nn7,14
Shocklee, Keith, 161n7
Sicle Cell & Rhapazooty, 42
Siffre, Labi, 130, 131, 132, 133, 174n46
signifying, 85, 111, 140, 170n66
Silverman, Tom, 62–63
Simmons, Russell, 64, 65, 69, 71
“singles,” 151n2
“Sing Sing” (Gaz), 28, 30–31, 32
Ski Beatz, 123
slavery, 7
Slim Shady LP, The (Eminem), 119, 121, 125, 133, 135, 143, 172n28
slip-cueing, 41
Small, Christopher, 137
Smith, R. J., 138
Smith, Shawnee, 118
Smith, Will, 10
Snoop Doggy Dogg, 15, 99, 104, 114, 117, 118, 130; criticized for nihilism and misogyny, 116; as protégé of Dr. Dre, 86, 126
Solomons, Jason, 151n28
son, Cuban, 27
sonic density, 80
soul music, 7, 25, 60, 122, 158n45
Source, The (magazine), 116, 160n75
South Korea, 5
Spice Girls, 128
spirituals, 111
Spoonin Gee, 160n73
“Spoonin Rap” (Spoonin Gee), 160n73
“Stay Real” (Sermon), 6
Steve Gordon and the Kosher Five, 20–22, 21, 46, 155n9
Stewart, Jon, 115–16
“Straight Outta Compton” (N.W.A.), 94, 94, 96, 101–2, 114; music video of, 96–98, 97, 98, 106, 108, 126, 169n38; “Rebel Without a Pause” compared with, 95; rhythmic foundation of, 103–4; urban space represented in, 119
Straight Outta Compton (N.W.A.), 86, 89, 115, 167n10, 169n41; album cover, 100, 100; The Chronic contrasted with, 116; encoded black experience of Los Angeles and, 86–87; as N.W.A.’s breakthrough, 91; Public Enemy’s Bomb Squad and, 93
“Streets Is Watching” (Jay-Z), 174n46
“Streets of Cairo, The” (Tin Pin Alley song, 1895), 147
Strobert, Andrei, 166n95
“Struck By Boogie Lightning,” 20
studio musicians, 12, 15, 167n23; beats arranged for MCs to rap over, 57; displaced by drum machines, 62; “Rapper’s Delight” and, 23, 36
stylistic evolution, 14, 79, 86
suburbanization, 8
“Sucker MCs” (Run-D.M.C.), 63, 64, 64, 67, 76
Sugarhill Gang, 4, 9, 19, 35; disco and, 44; as studio creation, 39; as unknowns in New York clubs, 22; verses arranged into four-measure units, 37–38
Sugar Hill Records, 13, 23, 36, 39, 57
“Super Rappin’” (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), 40
“Sweet Home Alabama” (Lynyrd Skynyrd), 140
“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (spiritual), 111
synthesizers, 59, 61, 92; melody in “The Message,” 59; Moog/Minimoog, 104, 105, 106
“Take Me to the Mardi Gras” (James), 69, 164n55, 167n30
“Take My Rap . . . Please” (Steve Gordon and the Kosher Five), 20–22, 21, 40, 42
Taninbaum, Richard, 19, 20, 21, 42
techno genre, 61
television, 118, 121, 128, 129, 144, 146, 173n40
Thompson, Fred, 116
Thompson, Robert Farris, 111
“313” (Eminem), 121
timbres, 59, 76, 103, 135; of James Brown’s scream, 80; of electric guitar, 68; of electronic instruments, 60, 67, 74; orchestral, 104–5
Tommy Boy Records, 62
Toop, David, 96
To the Extreme (Vanilla Ice), 124
“Trans-Europe Express” (Kraftwerk), 61
travel, divine technologies of, 110–11, 170n56
Tribe Called Quest, A, 6, 81, 166n99
turntables, 15, 24, 53, 165n84; electro rap and, 92; Public Enemy and, 75, 79, 161n14; and turntablism, 5; two, used together, 26
20th Century Steel Band, 32
2001 (Dr. Dre), 133
Tyrangiel, Josh, 106
“Under Pressure” (Bowie), 124
unemployment, 90
United States, 78; automobile-oriented cities, 88; crises of late 1970s, 159n61; neoliberal policies in, 113; prison population of, 8, 78
Van Winkle, Robert. See Vanilla Ice
“vibe,” of songs, 13, 130, 147
vibraslap, 103
Vince Vance and the Valiants, 159n61
violence, 86, 90, 92, 101–2, 116, 135–36, 146–47
Vox drum machine, 61
Wainwright, Rupert, 96
“Walk This Way” (Aerosmith, Run-D.M.C.), 65–68, 66, 68, 75, 76, 163nn51–53
Wang, Oliver, 145
Wax Poetics magazine, 39
WBLS (radio station), 156n13
WDAI (radio station), 159n54
Weiner, Jonah, 111–12
“We Rap More Mellow” (The Younger Generation), 42, 43
“West Coast Poplock” (Hudson), 95
West Street Mob, 56
“What They Do” (the Roots), 126, 171n80
“White America” (Eminem), 135
“white flight,” 8
whiteness, 16, 118, 119, 141; “crisis” of, 120, 121–24; inequality and, 8; signifying, 124–36, 146; visibility of, 120, 137
“Who Am I (What’s My Name?)” (Snoop Doggy Dogg), 114, 126
“Who Knew” (Eminem), 135
Wilson, Pete, 137
Winstons, the, 93
“Wit Dre Day” (Dr. Dre), 99, 126
WLUP (radio station), 159n54
Wonder, Stevie, 59
World Class Wreckin’ Cru, 92
“World Is Yours, The” (Nas), 131
Worrell, Bernie, 106
Wu-Tang Clan, 118
Xanadu & Sweet Lady, 42
“Xxplosive” (Dr. Dre), 132
Yellowman, 147
Yo! MTV Raps (TV show), 116
“You’ll Like It Too” (Funkadelic), 73, 74, 74, 95, 165nn76,84
Young, Kerwin “Sleek,” 161n7