Hip-Hop from the Grassroots

[IntrinsicCadence]

I'm thinking about the possibility of putting together a book, and think some of you all may be interested in being a part of it.

There is a lot of hip-hop literature out there, and much of it is real good (i.e. Jeff Chang, Tricia Rose, Adam Mansbach, William Upski Wimsatt are just a few authors I've read who've dropped some real good shit), but I feel like one thing that is missing in the realm of hip-hop literature is a real grassroots expression of what hip-hop means to the hearts of hip-hop heads that live and exist within the culture, highlighting the diversity of what hip-hop means through the lens of varying eyes.

What I want to put together is a collection of essays written by true hip-hop heads who express themselves well, heads like you and I who make up the foundation of what hip-hop is. My thought for this was sparked by a book I'm reading right now by Jeff Chang called The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop. In this book Jeff Chang collects together a bunch of essays, interviews, poems, etc that all highlight how hip-hop has influenced other arts (like theater, dance, film, photography, etc). In this book I feel like the diversity of perspectives really brings out a whole new dimension of overstanding as to how hip-hop is permeating society is a really positive way.

I think a similarly organized book focused on the diversity of perspectives that exist among those of us who live and breath hip-hop on the day to day could also do a lot to showcase how influential and positive this force of hip-hop can be.

I'd love to hear some ideas from all you related to this. I'd especially be interested in what kind of themes you think would be worth focusing on in the essays/interviews/etc, cuz I want to make sure that while there is an underlying thread that connects the various pieces, that each written is unique and stands on its own, and the themes don't just bleed into each other from essay to essay.

Also, I know that among the cats on illestlyrics, there are quite a few people who have some real eloquence in how they write, so if any of you's 'd be interested in writing an essay or contributing something to this project I'm undertaking, let me know and we can consult about it further...

[QwarterZ]

cool concept brah...hopefully it turns out as good as your summary
then again, I'm just here to say good luck, although, I will give a thorough explanation when I'm NOT working

[IntrinsicCadence]

I'm uppin' this in the hope of getting some more responses.

I think there are at least a few cats who may be interested in submitting some kind of written for this

(Flip I've noted you mentioned wanting to write something like this one; Krazie Killer you've got a nice perspective and an eloquent prose voice, you interseted; Rugged, you've got a nice writing style and hip-hop has influenced you in some unique ways it seems; or some of you cats who grew up in NY or LA or Chi or Atlanta or Seattle or some of the other places where hip-hop culture is alive and well; or some of you who grew up in the boonies and you were the hip-hop community there; or shit just about anyone who has a unique perspective and a nice writing voice)