Wow! eBook
Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic: 0
Author(s): Michael Eric Dyson
- Publisher: Civitas Books
- Publication Date: 29 Dec. 2009
- Language: English
- Print length: 320 pages
- ISBN-10: 0465002110
- ISBN-13: 9780465002115
Book Description
At the age of nineteen, Nasir Nas” Jones began recording tracks for his debut album,and changed the music world forever. Released in 1994, Illmatic was hailed as an instant masterpiece and has proven one of the most influential albums in hip-hop history. With its close attention to beats and lyricism, and riveting first-person explorations of the isolation and desolation of urban poverty, Illmatic was pivotal in the evolution of the genre. In Born to Use Mics , Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai have brought together renowned writers and critics including Mark Anthony Neal, Marc Lamont Hill, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., and many others to confront Illmatic song by song, with each scholar assessing an individual track from the album. The result is a brilliant engagement with and commentary upon one of the most incisive sets of songs ever laid down on wax.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Booklist
“A vital book for readers eager to understand the history of the genre.”
“A vital book for readers eager to understand the history of the genre.”
About the Author
Michael Eric Dyson is the author of seventeen books, including Is Bill Cosby Right?, April 4, 1968, and Holler If You Hear Me. Currently University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, he lives in Washington, D.C. Sohail Daulatzai is an assistant professor in African American Studies and Film and Media Studies at the University of California, Irvine. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
