Blurb:

A full glossary of terms is included at the beginning which defines and describes certain terms specific to Hip Hop culture. There are extended references and explanations for some terms which will help the reader best position how and why these terms are used throughout the book, particularly in excerpts from interviews and quotations. Three examples of such terms follow:


DOPE: used by all Hip Hop heads, meaning ‘cool’. This word is metaphorical in origin and relates to the slang for street drugs, and so evolved as cool or good quality Hip Hop practice gets you high. Ice-T’s I’m Your Pusher (Sire, 1988) explicitly describes this metaphor and its usage in Hip Hop.


HIP HOP: the culture, within which four key elements exist, which can act in relation or independent to one another. The words ‘Hip Hop’ are capitalized; it is a proper name and identifiable culture to which one can belong, and in the view of the author has no different or less value to positioning oneself within a race or aligning oneself to a country.


HIP HOP HEADS or HEADS: a global term for follower, devotee, practitioner, activist or any person with a deep engagement in one or more element of Hip Hop culture. The term ‘head’ is used throughout this book.