Hip Hop Research

Hip Hop Research to Expand Coverage [Feb. 2010 Update]

Though my initial plan to use this blog as a way of gathering sources for an annotated bibliography of book-length academic studies of hip hop is still in the works, I've decided to include relevant news in addition to information about key research papers as available.

That doesn't necessarily mean that I'll be posting more regularly, just that I'll have more to post!

Update - Feb. 2010:

Wow, this was an optimistic post, even with the mild caveat.  I'm focusing my attentions elsewhere though I am reaching out to some library publishers to get a response on a possible annotated bibliography of hip hop research.  I didn't send out a formal proposal for the project but did check in with someone who had asked that folks send initial ideas before submitting proposals.  She's passing it on to some related people.

I have to admit, when it comes to hip hop projects, you never know how folks will respond to the content.  For example, I had an agent propose a book on hip hop to the Idiot's Guide series or one of the other ones.  They definitely balked at the topic.

I have some thoughts on that but the library publishers I contacted have done reference works on hip hop before so they should have a different perspective.  I have heard that hip hop books have not done as well for publishers as many hoped so that may play a factor as well, though a reference book tends to have a different audience than a book for the general public from a major publisher.

I'll update you when I know something and hope to get back with more new books before too awfully long!

Hip Hop Research Now at 75 Academic Titles

We now have 75 book-length studies of hip hop with more to come!

Big ups to Greg Schick at World Hip Hop Market who sent me a list of hip hop books to check out. Thanks!

Book List Reaches 51 Titles

The Hip Hop Research book list now stands at 51 titles with more on the way.  I found a bunch more studies while compiling the last batch.

I'm kind of facing a dilemma regarding certain journalistic works and books of photography documenting hip hop performance and culture.  I've only added a handful of those and I'm not sure how many to add given that they're outside the realm of the annotated bibliography of academic studies.

But they're good books to know about and to have listed so I may continue with more of that though the focus will remain on monographs and collections.

I've added a book list in the right hand column.  Because of the way the blog backend works, it's my best solution for now though it will get ludicrously long for a sidebar before all is said and done.

Kind of like the categories list at ProHipHop.  That's what happens when you're on TypePad where they still don't have a useful tagging solution.

But otherwise, TypePad's new and improved service is working well for this project.

Please spread the word.  There are folks out there that will find this project of use.

Source Paper: Hip Hop Studies Collection

While earning my MLS (Online via TWU), I took a course in collection development with Dr. Lynn Akin. My class project was focused on titles for a hip hop studies collection and this is one of my core resources for my initial work on an anotated bibliography.

The paper is available as a .PDF download:
Hip Hop Studies Collection

Certain elements, such as pricing and rationale, are clearly related to the needs of a class assignment but it's a decent list of resources with a wide range of academic volumes related to hip hop research.

Contact Info for Hip Hop Research & Clyde Smith

If you want to speak with me or send me information about your research, please contact me at:
clydesmith(at)culturalresearch(dot)org

All nonacademic communication and publicity materials unrelated to academic or journalistic publications will be marked as sp@m and I will start banning you at my commercial sites.

Please send nonacademic publicity material to:
hiphoppress(at)netweed(dot)com

If you wish to send books for inclusion here and possible review at ProHipHop, please send them to me at:

Clyde Smith
514 Daniels St. #347
Raleigh, NC 27605

Working Method & Background

[Update: Hip Hop Research to Expand Coverage]

I'll begin getting posts up later this week.  They will be fairly simple featuring a book cover, when available, and links out to a couple of general resources such as WorldCat.

The idea at this stage is to develop a list of what will be included but to make that list public in a way that can be useful and, possibly, mildly entertaining.

Key initial resources will include ProHipHop's Books category and a paper I did for a collection development class a few years back while earning my MLS from Texas Woman's University. I'll be posting the paper for download for folks that might find it more immediately useful though it's clearly a class project.

I've actually been putting off this project for a while because I envisioned it as a traditional annotated bibliography that I would gradually create but wouldn't take public till a publisher was in the loop.  However, that process felt so tedious and I would like to help raise wider awareness of this emerging field so blogging a book list gives me a way to move the project forward in public while also enjoying the initial process.

I do intend to spend time with each book in order to create the annotated bibliography itself and look forward to examining the research approach of each author, especially since my previous academic training focused on interdisciplinary qualitative research.

For more about my academic background, please see Cultural Research.

For more on my hip hop web publishing, please see ProHipHop and Hip Hop Press.

And feel free to be in touch.

Clyde Smith
clydesmith(at)culturalresearch(dot)org

Towards an Annotated Bibliography of Hip Hop Research by Clyde Smith

I'm going to start posting basic info about book length hip hop research studies as preparation for a full annotated bibliography.

More soon but feel free to drop relevant research titles in the comments.

There's also the possiblity of doing something more with the site beyond my individual project so feel free to be in touch:
clydesmith(at)culturalresearch(dot)org