Celebrates hip-hop and confronts the cult of authenticity that defines its essential character. Deftly balancing an insider's love of the culture with a scholar's detached critique, the author traces hip-hop's rise as a cultural juggernaut and challenges widely held notions that hip-hop is socially dangerous - to black youth in particular.

Easily one of the most substantial and thoughtful works on the cultural politics of hip-hop. Ogbar successfully balances an insider's love of the culture with a scholar's critical eye. William Jelani Cobb, author of To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip-Hop Aesthetic ""What does it mean now to 'keep it real'? Is hip-hop ripping society apart? Ogbar shows that these questions - among the many more that rap music raises - are much more complicated than they first seem. Hip-Hop Revolution compellingly examines race, gender, authenticity, and this African American generation's quest for true democracy and liberation."" Jeff Chang, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation ""A wide-ranging and knowledgeable addition to the expanding field of hip-hop studies. Ogbar addresses many aspects of this controversial and influential cultural phenomenon: its charged gender and racial politics; its engagement with the repressive criminal justice system; its fierce investment in authenticity; its potential for political mobilization; and the music's effects on young listeners. This book is full of engaging readings, informed contextualization, and fresh ideas."" - Journal of American History ""Hip-hop mogul Shawn 'Jay Z' Carter once rapped about 'Politics as Usual,' but little has been usual since the emergence of hip-hop as a global phenomenon. As Ogbar highlights throughout his thoughtful and provocative book, hip-hop culture is on the cutting-edge of all that matters in contemporary America."" - Mark Anthony Neal, author New Black Man ""A far-reaching historical account of the social, cultural and political influences of hiphop past and present. Ogbar probes deeply into the roots and realities of hiphop's image, its 'keeping it real' mantra, and its rebellious reputation.... An important book that offers insight into how hiphop is involved in shaping the future and how forces have attempted to co-opt its most powerful voices."" - Marcyliena Morgan, director, Hiphop Archive, Stanford University, and author of Language, Discourse, and Power in African American Culture ""This is a primer for those wanting to delineate hip-hop's salient debates, making it a solid resource for undergraduate classes."" - H-Net Book Reviews