Hip-Hop and Philosophy: Rhyme 2 Reason (Popular Culture and Philosophy, 16)

Is there too much violence in hip-hop music? What’s the difference between Kimberly Jones and the artist Lil' Kim? Is hip-hop culture a "black" thing? Is it okay for N.W.A. to call themselves niggaz and for Dave Chappelle to call everybody bitches? These witty, provocative essays ponder these and other thorny questions, linking the searing cultural issues implicit — and often explicit — in hip-hop to the weighty matters examined by the great philosophers of the past. The book shows that rap classics by Lauryn Hill, OutKast, and the Notorious B.I.G. can help uncover the meanings of love articulated in Plato's Symposium; that Rakim, 2Pac, and Nas can shed light on the conception of God's essence expressed in St. Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica; and explores the connection between Run-D.M.C., Snoop Dogg, and Hegel. Hip-Hop and Philosophy proves that rhyme and reason, far from being incompatible, can be mixed and mastered to contemplate life's most profound mysteries. Should We Stop All The Violence In Hip Hop? Does Po-po Wield Legit Authority In The Hood? Where Does The Real Kimberly Jones End And The Persona Lil' Kim Begin? Is Hip-hop Culture A Black Thang? Is It Unethical For N.w.a. To Call Themselves Niggaz And For Dave Chappelle To Call Everybody Bitches? Is Dead Prez Revolutionary And Gangsta? Yes, Krs-one And Bdp, The Crew Assembled Here Are Philosophers! Believe That. In Hip Hop And Philosophy, This Almighty Posse Is Droppin' Science By Moving From Rhyme To Reason. They Give Props To Great Philosophers And Peep Philosophical Problems Through Hip-hop Lenses While Staying True To The Spirit Of The Culture. They Show And Prove That Rap Classics By Lauryn Hill, Outkast, And The Notorious B.i.g. Can Help Us Uncover The Meaning Of Love Articulated In Plato's Symposium. We See How Run-d.m.c., Snoop Dogg, And Jay-z Can Teach Us About Self-consciousness And The Dialectic In Hegel's Phenomenology Of Spirit. And We Learn That Rakim, 2pac, And 50 Cent Knowledge Us On The Conception Of God's Essence Expressed In Aquinas's Summa Theologica. These Philosophers Delight In Showing Us How A Love For Rhymes Over Beats And For Pure Reason, Far From Being Incompatible, Can Be Mastered And Mixed To Contemplate Life's Most Profound Mysteries. Book Jacket.--jacket. Disk 1. Da Mysteries: God, Love, And Knowledge -- Yo! It Ain't No Mystery: Who Is God? / Derrick Darby -- Ain't (just) 'bout Da Booty: Funky Reflections On Love / Tommie Shelby -- You Perceive With Your Mind: Knowledge And Perception / Mitchell S. Green -- Disk 2. What's Beef? Ruminations On Violence -- Y'all Niggaz Better Recognize: Hip Hop's Dialectical Struggle For Recognition / John P. Pittman -- Rap Aesthetics: Violence And The Art Of Keeping It Real / Richard Shusterman -- F**k Tha Police [state]: Rap, Warfare, And The Leviathan / Joy James -- Disk 3. That's How I'm Livin': Authenticity, Blackness, And Sexuality -- Does Hip Hop Belong To Me? The Philosophy Of Race And Culture / Paul C. Taylor -- Queen Bees And Big Pimps: Sex And Sexuality In Hip Hop / Kathryn T. Gines -- Grown Folks' Business: The Problem Of Maturity In Hip Hop / Lewis Gordon -- Disk 4. Word Up! Language, Meaning, And Ethics -- Knowshatumsayin'? How Hip-hop Lyrics Mean / Stephen Lester Thompson -- Girl Got 99 Problems: Is Hip Hop One? / Sarah Mcgrath, Lidet Tilahun -- For All My Niggaz And Bitches: Ethics And Eptithets / J. Angelo Corlett -- Disk 5. Fight The Power: Political Philosophy 'n The Hood -- Microphone Commandos: Rap Music And Political Philosophy / Bill E. Lawson -- Halfway Revolution: From That Gangsta Hobbes To Radical Liberals / Lionel K. Mcpherson -- Criminal-justice Minded: Retribution, Punishment, And Authority / Erin I. Kelly -- Gettin' Dis'd And Gettin' Paid: Rectifying Injustice / Rodney C. Roberts -- After ... Word! The Philosophy Of The Hip-hop Battle / Marcyliena Morgan. Edited By Derrick Darby And Tommie Shelby. Includes Bibliographical References, Discography (p. 213-216), And Index. Contents Foreword - R.K. Stratman Mile Zero Introduction: When Your Life Revolves around Harleys - Bernard E. Rollin T H E R I D E FIRST LEG: 100 Miles 1. Zen and the Art of Harley Riding - Graham Priest 2. Christ in a Sidecar: An Ontology of Suicide Machines - Randall E. Auxier 3. The Biker Bar and the Coffee House: A Paean to the Postmodern Pagans - Randall E. Auxier 4. What Can Marx and Hegel Tell Us about Social Divisions among Bikers? - Jonathan Goldstein SECOND LEG: 200 Miles 5. What Are a Bunch of Motorcycles Doing in an Art Museum? - Bernard E. Rollin 6. Motorcycling, Nihilism, and the Price of Cool - Alan R. Pratt 7. Harleys as Freedom Machines: Myth or Fantasy? - Fred Feldman 8. From Spare Part to High Art: The Aesthetics of Motorcycles - Craig Bourne THIRD LEG: 300 Miles 9. Easy Rider and the Life of Harleys - Graham Harman 10. “It’s My Own Damn Head”: Ethics, Freedom, and Helmet Laws - Bernard E. Rollin 11. Riding Your Harley Back into Nature: Hobbes, Rousseau, and the Paradox of Biker Identity - Steven E. Alford LAST LEG: 400 Miles 12. Leather-Clad: Eroticism, Fetishism, and other -isms in Biker Fashion - Suzanne Ferriss 13. The Wild One, She-Devilson Wheels, and “Motorcycle Syndrome”: Foucault and Biker Images - Gary L. Kieffner 14. Riding along the Way: A Dao of Riding - David Jones Contributors’ Dream Machines Index "Whad up G?" This is how young godz stepped to older godz hack in the day in my old hood, Queensbridge.