Remixing the historical record: Revolutions in Hip Hop historiography

Samir Meghelli

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

While the academy has seen a flourishing of Hip Hop scholarship in recent years, thefield of History has yet to make substantial contributions to this interdisciplinary dialogue. In this article, I argue that James G. Spady's body of work on Hip Hop, which spans more than two decades, offers one of the most important sources for rethinking and rewriting the history of the cultural movement. As the largest published collection of oral history interviews with Hip Hop artists, Spady's work represents an unparalleled documentary source base, while also proposing a methodological paradigm, "hiphopography, " that empowers researchers to systematically study Hip Hop's everyday dynamics and deep historical roots. In other words, his body of work is helping remake-or, remix the historical record to more fully reflect the rich experiences and perspectives of participants in the Hip Hop cultural movement.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)94-102
Number of pages9
JournalWestern Journal of Black Studies
Volume37
Issue number2
StatePublished - 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies

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