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A review by h2oetry
Signifying Rappers: Rap and Race in the Urban Present by David Foster Wallace, Mark Costello
4.0
M. Costello and D.F. Wallace wrote this sampler on rap before the genre exploded, and, as they wrote, "If you're reading this in print it's already dated.(71)"
They pass the written mic back and forth throughout the book with short essays propelling the narrative, with "M." for Mark and "D" for David. Sometimes they respond in a footnote to the other's essay. Those familiar with either author can glean the distinct voices offered.
Although both M.C. [i(pu)nitials intended?] & D.F.W. seem to have let this work whisper in the background of their more popular or accessible offerings, you really get the sense in reading the book that it was a highly interesting topic to them. They address the obvious questions of "intellectual yuppie love" w/r/t rap with self-reflective digressions, but I was pleased with many of the arrived conclusions.
"It's at the distinctively pop-cultural bregma where common-sense polarities like art vs. politics, medium vs. message, center vs. margin conjoined and must cohabit that even an enthusiastic white establishment-cog's try at some 'objective aesthetic appreciation' of rap runs aground."
Again, this was written in the 1989-1990 era. Keep in mind this was before Snoop and Dre, B.I.G. and 2Pac, or NaS and Wu-Tang were commonplace rappers. Dr. Dre was still in N.W.A. and Tupac was in Digital Underground. LL Cool J is still in his heyday, as are the Beastie Boys(who are pretty severely dismissed almost altogether, which I disagreed with for the most part). Public Enemy(a longtime favorite group of mine) is mentioned often, as does Schooly D, whose track "Signifying Rapper" is dissected and essentially glorified, not the least of which is the title of the treatise. Run DMC, Def Jam, Erik B. and Rakim also get mentioned.
"Ironies abound, of course, as ironies must when cash and art do lunch" ... "Walk This Way" is an unwanted reunion of 80s black street music with part of its rich heritage, as that heritage has been mined and mongrelized by Show Biz. If this is desegregation, then shopping malls hold treasure."
They also discuss DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince, which is a highlight in the book for a few reasons. First, it mentions a sampling of the "I Dream of Jeanie" theme song, and juxtaposes an episode of that show which was syndicated on the night of the Tampa Riots, offering a po-mo imagining of the actual riot spilling out into the episode, exposing the stark truths and falsities of entertainment and Real Life. Secondly, it has a few throwaway sentences about the group having a TV show, which is funny because that actually happened, and Will Smith is more famous than "I Dream of Jeanie" nowadays.
"If the formal constraints outlined throughout this sampler are what help limit and define the rap genre's possibilities, it's usually 'content' issues — the musical mugging of classical precursors, or the wearying self-consciousness of the rap itself — that best alienate mainstreams, help keep this riparian genre so insulated, dammed, not-for-, fresh."
Parts of the book are really dated, but that is to be expected. Again, this was perhaps the first lengthy analysis of rap to get some sort of traction. Yes, it was written by Ivy League-educated white yuppies. But don't cast stones unless you read it. There are shortcomings to the book, but it is worth the read overall.
It isn't very easy to find a copy -- it has long been out of print. My local library has it, luckily. But since you read all the way to the bottom of this review, here is a link in which you can read the sampler in toto:
http://openlibrary.org/books/OL1870835M/Signifying_rappers/borrow
They pass the written mic back and forth throughout the book with short essays propelling the narrative, with "M." for Mark and "D" for David. Sometimes they respond in a footnote to the other's essay. Those familiar with either author can glean the distinct voices offered.
Although both M.C. [i(pu)nitials intended?] & D.F.W. seem to have let this work whisper in the background of their more popular or accessible offerings, you really get the sense in reading the book that it was a highly interesting topic to them. They address the obvious questions of "intellectual yuppie love" w/r/t rap with self-reflective digressions, but I was pleased with many of the arrived conclusions.
"It's at the distinctively pop-cultural bregma where common-sense polarities like art vs. politics, medium vs. message, center vs. margin conjoined and must cohabit that even an enthusiastic white establishment-cog's try at some 'objective aesthetic appreciation' of rap runs aground."
Again, this was written in the 1989-1990 era. Keep in mind this was before Snoop and Dre, B.I.G. and 2Pac, or NaS and Wu-Tang were commonplace rappers. Dr. Dre was still in N.W.A. and Tupac was in Digital Underground. LL Cool J is still in his heyday, as are the Beastie Boys(who are pretty severely dismissed almost altogether, which I disagreed with for the most part). Public Enemy(a longtime favorite group of mine) is mentioned often, as does Schooly D, whose track "Signifying Rapper" is dissected and essentially glorified, not the least of which is the title of the treatise. Run DMC, Def Jam, Erik B. and Rakim also get mentioned.
"Ironies abound, of course, as ironies must when cash and art do lunch" ... "Walk This Way" is an unwanted reunion of 80s black street music with part of its rich heritage, as that heritage has been mined and mongrelized by Show Biz. If this is desegregation, then shopping malls hold treasure."
They also discuss DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince, which is a highlight in the book for a few reasons. First, it mentions a sampling of the "I Dream of Jeanie" theme song, and juxtaposes an episode of that show which was syndicated on the night of the Tampa Riots, offering a po-mo imagining of the actual riot spilling out into the episode, exposing the stark truths and falsities of entertainment and Real Life. Secondly, it has a few throwaway sentences about the group having a TV show, which is funny because that actually happened, and Will Smith is more famous than "I Dream of Jeanie" nowadays.
"If the formal constraints outlined throughout this sampler are what help limit and define the rap genre's possibilities, it's usually 'content' issues — the musical mugging of classical precursors, or the wearying self-consciousness of the rap itself — that best alienate mainstreams, help keep this riparian genre so insulated, dammed, not-for-, fresh."
Parts of the book are really dated, but that is to be expected. Again, this was perhaps the first lengthy analysis of rap to get some sort of traction. Yes, it was written by Ivy League-educated white yuppies. But don't cast stones unless you read it. There are shortcomings to the book, but it is worth the read overall.
It isn't very easy to find a copy -- it has long been out of print. My local library has it, luckily. But since you read all the way to the bottom of this review, here is a link in which you can read the sampler in toto:
http://openlibrary.org/books/OL1870835M/Signifying_rappers/borrow