Whether along race, class, or generational lines, hip-hop music\nhas been a source of controversy since the beats got too big and\nthe voices too loud for the block parties that spawned them.\nAmerica has condemned and commended this music and the culture that\ninspires it. Dubbed \“the Hip-Hop Intellectual\” by critics and fans\nfor his pioneering explorations of rap music in the academy and\nbeyond, Michael Eric Dyson tackles the most compelling and\ncontroversial dimensions of hip-hop culture.

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\“Know What I Mean?\” addresses the creative expression of\ndegraded youth; the vexed gender relations that have made rap music\na lightning rod for pundits; the commercial explosion that has made\nan art form a victim of its success; and the political elements\nthat have been submerged in the most popular form of hip hops.

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