Stare in the Darkness

Stare in the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics
TitleStare in the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics
Publication TypeMagazine
Year of Publication2011
AuthorSpence, Lester K.
Pagination245
PublisherUniversity of Minnesota Press
Place PublishedMinneapolis
Publication Languageeng
ISBN or ASIN Number816669880
Copies at the Archive1
Rap's critique of police brutality in the 1980s. The Hip Hop Political Convention. The rise (and fall) of Kwame Kilpatrick, the "hip-hop mayor" of Detroit. Barack Obama echoing the body language of Jay-Z on the campaign trail. A growing number of black activists and artists claim that rap and hip-hop are the basis of an influential new urban social movement. Simultaneously, black citizens evince concern with the effect that rap and hip-hop culture exerts on African American communities. To what extent are African American hopes and fears about hip-hop's potential political power justified? In Stare in the Darkness, Lester K. Spence answers this question with a blend of neoliberal analysis, survey data, experiements, and case studies. By considering the possibilities inherent in the most prolific and prominent activities of hip-hop politics, Stare in the Darkness reveals, in a clear and practical manner, the political manner, the political consequences of rap culture for black politics.