Native Tongues: An African Hip-hop reader

Native Tongues reminds the world that Africa is not a country. This diverse anthology draws readers attention to the fact that African hip-hop is rich, multi-layered and incisive in its engagement with postcolonial issues in the age of Empire. – Adam Haupt, author of Stealing Empire: P2P, Intellectual Property & Hip-Hop Subversion Native Tongues brings together critical and new writings on rap and hip-hop in Africa. It explores the influence of hip-hop on the continent and brings to light the pressing issues that are echoed in the lyrics and images displayed by youth from the townships of South Africa to the streets of Bamako. Readers will learn about hip-hop s ever expanding reach as an art form and socio-cultural force that shapes youth culture and affects social change by providing African youth with alternative spaces to be creative, voice their opinions, and empower one another. Much of the book centers on issues of cultural imperialism, the integrity of local cultures, corporate culture, local economies, trasnnationalism, identity formation, and more. Native Tongues is a central resource for understanding the evolution and influence of one of the most creative and enduring elements of global popular culture. It is a must read for anyone who is at all interested in hip-hop culture and has much to offer students of anthropology, history, cultural studies, sociology, media studies, and Black Studies.