"What is Hip-Hop?" In order to answer this question, author Andrew J. Rausch interviewed 24 individuals whose creative expressions are intimately associated with the world of hip-hop music and culture. Those interviewed include emcees, DJs, producers, graffiti artists, poets, and journalists. Topics of these conversations cover the careers of each of these people and their contributions/affiliations with hip-hop, as well as their views on different trends within the music. Intended as a celebration of hip-hop music and culture, this collection of interviews ranges from the up-and-coming (Akrobatik, Rob Kelly) to the legendary (Chuck D, Big Daddy Kane). Also interviewed are Eric B., Black Sheep Dres, Chip Fu, Michael Cirelli, Daddy-O, DJ JS-1, dream hampton, Kokane, Kool Keith, Kool Rock Ski, Keith Murray, 9th Wonder, Paradime, R.A. the Rugged Man, Sadat X, Shock G, Special Ed, Spinderella, Sticky Fingaz, and Young MC. Because many of these artists worked and performed in the so-called "golden age" of hip-hop, they offer insights on the merits and problems of what hip-hop has grown into today. From their candid observations, the reader will understand how each of these men and women have contributed to the culture and how each, in his or her own way, can rightly answer "I AM hip-hop."

About the Author
Andrew J. Rausch is the author or coauthor of several books on popular culture, including Turning Points in Film History (2004), Making Movies with Orson Welles (Scarecrow, 2008), Reflections on Blaxploitation (Scarecrow, 2009), and The Films of Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro (Scarecrow, 2010).

Reviews
Readers who share that "initial excitement for hip-hop" will no doubt find much of value in I Am Hip-Hop. * Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association *
This book is more of a recollection of early innovators, musicians, poets, and music groups within the hip-hop culture, than a reference work on hip-hop. The author interviews and discusses 25 influences and major figures within this music genre, including Chip Fu, Daddy-O, dream hampton, Kool Keith, Paradime, Sadat X, and Spinderella, among many others. Each interview includes the questions asked along with the answers, and a discography of that artist. For those who are interested in personal recollections of early hip-hop artists and their opinions related to various topics within this musical genre, this book would be of interest. * American Reference Books Annual *



Book Information
ISBN 9780810877917
Author Andrew J. Rausch
Format Hardback
Page Count 230
Imprint Scarecrow Press
Publisher Scarecrow Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 149mm * 21mm