Bomb the Suburbs : Graffiti, Race, Freight-Hopping and the Search for Hip-Hop's Moral Center

Should graffiti writers organize to tear up the cities, or should they really be bombing the ‘burbs? That’s the question posed by William Upski Wimsatt in his seminal foray into the world of hip-hop, rap, and street art, and the culture and politics that surround it. But to say that the book deals only with taggers and hip-hop is selling it short. Taking on a broad range of topics, including suburban sprawl, racial identity, and youth activism, Wimsatt (a graffiti artist himself) uses a kaleidoscopic approach that combines stories, cartoons, interviews, disses, parodies, and original research to challenge the suburban mindset wherever it’s found: suburbs and corporate headquarters, inner cities and housing projects, even in hip-hop itself. Funny, provocative, and painfully honest, __Bomb the Suburbs__ encourages readers to expand their social boundaries and explore the vibrant, chaotic world that exists beyond their comfort zones. CONTENTS 5 SUBWAY SCHOLAR 8 OUR MOST ABUSED PHRASES 13 RAP MUSIC’S IDENTITY CRISIS 15 WHY DO YOU WANT TO BOMB THE SUBURBS? 17 THEY’RE SAYING TECS, WE’RE SAYING TECHNOLOGY 20 “WE USE WORDS LIKE MACKADOCIOUS” 28 IN DEFENSE OF WIGGERS 34 AREN’T YOU IN THE WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD? 37 HADN’T I JUST BEEN A SPECIAL WHITE BOY? 43 A JOB OPENING IN CLEVELAND 48 MESSAGE TO MARIO: WEAR YOUR MASK 52 OUT OVER THE STAIRWELL 54 DEAR STEVEN, HIP- HOP IS NOT A WAY OF LIFE 55 IF GRAFFITI WAS RAP... 59 DEAR KOZAK: THE RULES OF GRAFFITI* 60 CONFESSIONS OF A SUPER-GROUPIE 64 LETTERS TO VICTOR 72 FAKING THE CONVERSATION 86 THE CHICAGO SYNDROME 88 HOW NOT TO BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF 91 RENEGADES OF HIP-HOP 99 THE COOLEST JOB IN THE WORLD 102 THE URBAN FRONTIER 108 WARP’S LEGACY AND MY STUPID ONE 113 WHY CHICAGO IS THE ONLY PLACE THAT HAS ALL-CITY HIP-HOP MEETINGS 120 SHANE, 38, THE GREAT AMERICAN HOMESTEADER 122 THEY DON’T TAKE MASTERCARD AND THEY DON’T TAKE AMERICAN EXPRESS 125 THE TRULY ILLMATIC 127 THE CITY THAT REVIVED BREAKDANCING 129 “YOU CAN’T HITCHHIKE TODAY” 132 THEY’LL KNIFE YOU IN YOUR SLEEP 135 RIDE FROM A BLACK WOMAN 137 STATIONS ON THE NATIONAL SUBWAY 140 BOMB THE SUBURBS 148 SUCKERS DON’T LAST A MINUTE: GOOD RHYME, BAD THEORY 151 HIP-HOP IS SUPPOSED TO ELIMINATE ITSELF 153 MINISTER FARRAKHAN, MEET THE BEASTIE BOYS 161 IN SEARCH OF HIP- HOP’S MORAL CENTER 163 WHY THIS BOOK IS SO DOPE 166 BOMBING THE SYSTEM 170

Should graffiti writers organize to tear up the cities, or should they really be bombing the ‘burbs? That’s the question posed by William Upski Wimsatt in his seminal foray into the world of hip-hop, rap, and street art, and the culture and politics that surround it. But to say that the book deals only with taggers and hip-hop is selling it short. Taking on a broad range of topics, including suburban sprawl, racial identity, and youth activism, Wimsatt (a graffiti artist himself) uses a kaleidoscopic approach that combines stories, cartoons, interviews, disses, parodies, and original research to challenge the suburban mindset wherever it’s found: suburbs and corporate headquarters, inner cities and housing projects, even in hip-hop itself. Funny, provocative, and painfully honest, Bomb the Suburbs encourages readers to expand their social boundaries and explore the vibrant, chaotic world that exists beyond their comfort zones.

"A mix of storytelling, journalism, and original research on a broad range of topics like suburban sprawl, hip-hop culture, wiggers, youth activism, graffiti, and Chicago, Bomb the Suburbs asks, "Should graffiti writers organize to tear up the cities, or should they really be bombing the suburbs?" But to think that this book deals only with graffiti and hip-hop is selling it short. From the role of white kids, to gangsta rap, to journalism, to breakdancing, freight-hopping, black intellectuals and graffiti, through a kaleidoscopic approach of stories, cartoons, interviews, disses, parodies, and research, Wimsatt challenges the suburban mindset wherever it is found, in suburbs and corporate headquarters, but also in cities, housing projects, even within hip-hop itself."--Jacket A seminal evaluation of the world of hip-hop, rap, and street art also features an analysis of the culture and politics surrounding it, in an anniversary edition of an underground classic that addresses a broad range of topics including suburban sprawl, racial identity, and youth activism. Original.