Phat Beats, Dope Rhymes

How Aussies came to belong to the hip-hop nation.

Ian Maxwell's sophisticated story of Australia's hip-hop scene follows the lives of a small, influential group of rappers from Sydney's Westside in the early 1990s. Maxwell conveys the excitement of the scene and the struggles of the white musicians to define Australian hip-hop, showing how discourses of nationalism and community are played out in everyday life. Whether describing composition in a bedroom, confrontation in a radio studio, tagging in a subway line, or breaking in front of a stage, Maxwell evokes the intensity of feeling and the complexity of these key experiences.

Phat Beats, Dope Rhymes looks at the many practices of hip-hop--graffiti, rapping, break dancing performances, compositional process, lyrics, music, and fanzines--and captures the fluid contradictions along with the bodily pleasures that make up the scene. With acute sensitivity, Maxwell shows how these young men negotiate issues of identity by imagining themselves within an international hip-hop nation. The book is rich in detail and theoretically innovative, A glossary of terms is included.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Published: 11/10/2003
ISBN: 9780819566386
Pages: 320
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.24h x 5.86w x 0.91d

Review Citations: Library Journal 10/15/2003 pg. 72
Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2004 pg. 62 - Strongly Recommended