The City of Hip-Hop positions a unique conceptualization of the history of Hip-Hop, that it was political, economic, and social forces that produced the environment for Hip-Hop to specifically grow in the geographies of New York City and its boroughs. This book argues it was the political forces of the 1970s combined with economic forces of free market capitalism and privatization of public services, neoliberalism, and the deindustrialization of major cities, that led the cultural creation of the “Boogie Down” Bronx. The City of Hip-Hop shows how Hip-Hop is a socio-political reaction which creates an alternate reality with a geographic specificity, and it is this interplay with those forces that nurtured it to become a culture force. Once those of us as fans of the culture zoom out to see such a bigger picture, a needed criticism and retelling of the culture and art of Hip-Hop emerges.

This book is essential for students, scholars, and general readers interested in urban planning, urban design, urban geography, place-making, American Studies, Cultural Studies, Black Studies, and Latin American Studies.