When noted rapper Eminem commanded his audience's attention in his
2000 megahit release "The Real Slim Shady" and queried in the
lyrics, "Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?," the authors
took the question seriously and began to search for the "real slim
shady" among the fabric of contemporary capitalism. The result of
this research is this book, which explores how a dominant culture
incorporates some dimensions of a subculture--in this case hip
hop--and uses it to perpetuate dimensions of social stratification
within a society. Essentially, this book critically examines how
the values of a dominant culture and the controlling images it
reproduces, impact issues of racial diversity, class distinctions,
and gender stereotypes. Authors Dave Ramsaran and Simona Hill are
two sociologists who have sought to understand the contradictory
nature of contemporary social phenomenon. Hip hop that is brought
into the mainstream by contemporary media serves several purposes.
First, it greatly enhances corporate profits. Second, it repackages
old dimensions of inequality, including racial stereotyping and the
sexist contempt for women. Third, the glorification of violence,
the idealization of excessive consumption, and the promotion of
hypersexual black masculinity serve to reinforce the privilege of
dominant groups. Hip hop that challenges these stereotypes and
cultural notions is pushed into the underground. The intent of the
book is to uncover this process of moving from cultural questioning
to cultural appropriation and reinforcement of structural
inequality. Despite the existence of other works on hip hop in
fields such as ethnomusicology, anthropology, political science,
communications studies and Black Studies, there is a dearth in the
contributions from a sociological perspective. Studies have been
done which look at the emergence of hip hop from its roots in the
African-American community, as well as on the contributions of some
of the major artists in the field. However, little work has been
done on trying to locate the emergence of hip hop and hip hop
culture within the context of capitalist development in the United
States. The book shows how racial, gender, and ethnic stereotypes
are reformulated through different media. The book critically
analyzes two prominent archetypal images of the gangsta male and
the wanksta feminist who can be either male or female. The analysis
shows that hip hop outside of mainstream media has remained true to
its radical traditions. Moreover, as hip hop has gone beyond the
confines of the United States, that same radical tradition remains
a key component in the hip hop diaspora and in hip hop's
cross-cultural expressions. Hip Hop and Inequality: Searching for
the "Real" Slim Shady is an important book for understanding how
systems of inequality work and how they are perpetuated. It will be
of immense value to professors and students in sociology,
anthropology, political science, women's studies, popular culture,
and media studies. Written in an accessible language, it will also
appeal to an audience outside academia and will certainly speak to
those who may or may not realize that hip hop has a profound impact
on modern society.
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