Beats Rhymes & Life: What We Love and Hate About Hip-Hop

Our generation made hip-hop. But hip-hop also made us. Why are suburban kids referring to their subdivision as “block”? Why has the pimp become a figure of male power? Why has dodging the feds become an act of honor long after one has made millions as a legitimate artist? What happens when fantasy does more harm than reality?—From the Introduction

Hip-hop culture has been in the mainstream for years. Suburban teens take their fashion cues from Jay-Z and expect to have Three 6 Mafia play thei...