Perry examines the art, politics, and culture of hip hop, offering readings of the song lyrics of many hip hop artists, including Ice Cube, Public Enemy, De La Soul, KRS-One, Outkast, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim, Biggie Smalls, Nas, Method Man, Lauryn Hill, and Foxy Brown Focuses on the socially relevant aspects of Hip Hop music: its treatment of the identity of the black subject in a white society, new definitions of blackness and its commercialization. Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1(8) 1 Hip Hop's Mama: Originalism and Identity in the Music 9(29) 2 My Mic Sound Nice: Art, Community, and Consciousness 38(20) 3 Stinging Like Tabasco: Structure and Format in Hip Hop Compositions 58(44) 4 The Glorious Outlaw: Hip Hop Narratives, American Law, and the Court of Public Opinion 102(15) 5 B-Boys, Players, and Preachers: Reading Masculinity 117(38) 6 The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto: Negotiating Spaces for Women 155(36) 7 Bling Bling...and Going Pop: Consumerism and Co-optation in Hip Hop 191(14) Notes 205(18) Index 223