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Brithop Justin A. Williams (Senior Lecturer in Music, Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Bristol)

Brithop By Justin A. Williams (Senior Lecturer in Music, Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Bristol)

Summary

With the United Kingdom politically more divided than ever, author Justin A. Williams finds new hope in an often-neglected figure: the British rapper. Through themes of nationalism, history, subculture, politics, humor, and identity, Brithop offers insightful new perspectives from rappers based in Wales, Scotland, and England.

Brithop Summary

Brithop: The Politics of UK Rap in the New Century by Justin A. Williams (Senior Lecturer in Music, Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Bristol)

With ongoing debates on Scottish independence, immigration, Britain's place in the EU, multiculturalism, national identity and the specter of a past Empire complicating ethnically-defined notions of Britishness, the Kingdom seems far from United. As a cultural force that is often discussed as giving voice to the voiceless and empowering marginalized communities, hip-hop has become a space in which to explore and debate these issues-defining global community while celebrating locality. In Brithop, author Justin A. Williams finds new hope in an often-neglected figure: the British rapper. Through themes of nationalism, history, subculture, politics, humor and identity, Brithop explores multiple forms of politics in rap discourses from Wales, Scotland and England. Featuring rappers and groups such as The Streets, Goldie Lookin Chain, Akala, Lowkey, Stanley Odd, Loki, Speech Debelle, Lady Sovereign, Shadia Mansour, Shay D, Stormzy, Sleaford Mods, Riz MC and Lethal Bizzle, Williams investigates how rappers in the UK respond to the postcolonial melancholia of post-Empire Britain. Brithop shows a rich, multifaceted cultural reality reflective of both the postcolonial condition of the UK and the importance of localism within its varying cultures.

Brithop Reviews

Williams's study is thorough and insightful and serves as a good example for ethnomusicologists of critical interdisciplinary textual analysis * Simon Gall, Ethnomusicology Forum *
This book is recommended for libraries with extensive rap/hip-hop collections or collections on contemporary British history. * B. D. Singleton, California State University-San Bernardino, Choice Connect *
Williams's study is thorough and insightful and serves as a good example for ethnomusicologists of critical interdisciplinary textual analysis. He draws attention to and amplifies the voices of a critical cohort of rappers working in a vibrant, undervalued (at least by scholars) artform, giving them the academic attention that the rap scene(s) deserves. * Simon Gall, Ethnomusicology Forum *
Brithop decodes a multicultural cypher of rap voices from around the UK in an insightful, engaging, and provocative exploration of rap lyricism and political commentary. Justin A. Williams simultaneously celebrates and presents astute analysis of a diverse range of artists as they represent, challenge, chronicle, and navigate contemporary Britain. This is a hugely important step in the process of legitimising and recognising rap music's cultural, social, and intellectual worth. * Solareye, Stanley Odd/Dr, Dave Hook, Edinburgh Napier University *
A brilliant and comprehensive analysis of one of the key developments in British music during the last 30 years. Williams knows his stuff - and how to analyse it. This book is set to become a standard text. * Professor Martin Cloonan, Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, Finland *
Justin A. Williams' BRITHOP is a literal tour de force,taking readers on a journey through twenty-first century UK rap and helping them hear how British emcees use beats and rhymes to make their voices heard. With a keen ear for accents, poetic allusions, and political commentary, Williams explores a wide range of artists through the lenses of not only race, gender, and ethnicity, but also class, region, and nationality. By highlighting the vibrancy of Great Britain's multicultural popular music, BRITHOP uts two fingers up to Brexit-era nationalism and refutes narrow conceptions of citizenship and belonging. This is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding contemporary British society as well as hip-hop outside of the United States. * Loren Kajikawa, author of Sounding Race in Rap Songs *

About Justin A. Williams (Senior Lecturer in Music, Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Bristol)

Justin A. Williams is Senior Lecturer in music at the University of Bristol, UK. He is the author of Rhymin' and Stealin': Musical Borrowing in Hip- Hop (2013), editor of The Cambridge Companion to Hip- Hop (2015), and coeditor (with Katherine Williams) of The Cambridge Companion to the Singer- Songwriter (2016) and The Singer- Songwriter Handbook (2017). He has also written on crowdfunding, progressive metal, and Hamilton: An American Musical.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Introduction Rapping Back to the Postcolonial Melancholia of 21st Century Britain Chapter 2: Nationalism My England: Banal Nationalism, Discourses and Counter-narratives Chapter 3: History Rapping Postcoloniality: Akala's The Thieves Banquet and Neocolonial Critique Chapter 4: Subculture/Style Punk Aesthetics in Sleaford Mods and Lethal Bizzle Chapter 5: Politics Colonized by Wankers: Performing the Scottish Independence Debate through Hip-hop Chapter 6: Humor Stereotypes and Belonging in the Parody Videos of Goldie Lookin Chain and Bricka Bricka Chapter 7: Politics, Identity, and Belonging British Rappers of the Middle Eastern Diaspora Conclusion British Rap in the Age of Grenfell and Brexit Appendix: Ch. 5 lyrics Bibliography Index

Additional information

GOR013295896
9780190656812
0190656816
Brithop: The Politics of UK Rap in the New Century by Justin A. Williams (Senior Lecturer in Music, Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Bristol)
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Oxford University Press Inc
20201117
224
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

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