Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation (2005)

Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation (2005)

It's easy to pick up bits and pieces of rap history by listening to the music. Rhymes regarding it's birth in the Bronx, the four elements (graffiti, b-boying, DJing, and MCing), Planet Rock, anti-Reagan sentiments, gang culture, government paranoia, and William Cooper are, among other things, commonly mentioned and discussed throughout the genre's history. But you'd be hard pressed to find information on the origin of these things in one place. Thankfully, in one of the most thorough narratives of the roots of hip hop culture, Jeff Chang has written an essential book in Can't Stop Won't Stop, which should serve as required reading for both those who harbor more than a passing interest the genre to those who are skeptical of it's artistic merits.

The story of hip hop as told in this book is basically a story of rises and falls. The rise of graffiti artists from the train yards to art galleries and back to the street. The rise of b-boys from block party showcases to nationwide fad to dance instructors in the suburbs. The rise of DJ's from party hosts to the backbone of hip hop to being replaced by technology. And the rise of MC's from club entertainment to hit record makers to watered down, corporate controlled culture marketing tools. Beneath all the successes are the underlying tragedies; exploitation that led to numerous beginning-of-the-end scenario's.

But along the way there was a lot to celebrate, and Jeff Chang's love for hip hop is obvious in his writing. More than just going over the history of the music, he weaves the stories of the genre's greatest innovators (DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Public Enemy, etc.) to the social and political climate that often inspired their art. It's hard to understand the motivations of such essential artists without understanding the events that inspired their creative contributions, and Chang documents these artists and others with tireless detail, exposing them as human while at the same time making them seem even more legendary.

The book is not without it's flaws though. While the first two-thirds that document the 1970's and 80's are presented vividly, it starts to lose a little bit of it's momentum towards the end when Chang gets into the 90's, straying off topic without refocusing himself on the major theme of the book. While it was interesting to read the extended chronicle of The Source and other hip hop magazines, I couldn't help but feel that more pertinent events were being ignored. The impact of The Chronic was barely given a page. There was no mention of the New York renaissance (led by A Tribe Called Quest, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Nas). And, most surprising, there was no mention of the media's grandiose portrayal of the east coast/west coast rivalry and the related story involving the careers of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.

While I understand that there were many topics beyond the scope of one book, considering the attention given to other noteworthy artists, it's a little shocking that the genre's two most memorable stars weren't given even a sentence of recognition. It's possible that Chang ignored these events because of how well documented they already are, but one can reasonably assume that this was around the period that Chang, like so many other hip hop fans, became disillusioned by the politics of the music, affecting his motivation to carefully document much of the post "golden age" days.

Another problem I have with the book is probably on a more personal level. It's essentially an issue of proper grammar, but it's an issue that sparks a larger public discussion on race. Throughout the text, Chang continually capitalizes the words "black" and "brown" when generally referring to African Americans and Hispanics, respectively. This would normally be unremarkable, except he doesn't do the same when referring to Caucasians as "white". At the least, this is an inconsistency in grammar that should've been caught and corrected by the editor, especially because of the sheer number of occurrences, as race is discussed in-depth and throughout the book. At the most, it's a passive-aggressive insult aimed at white people, though I'd have a hard time believing that was the reason either. It was probably more innocent than that, perhaps simply a "better safe than sorry" maneuver that was made because of the book's target audience. Basically, in order to squash a controversy before it has a chance to start and distract from the main point of the book, the minority groups were capitalized when identified by color to appease the large number of minorities who would surely read this book. But even this possibility has it's flaws, because by doing that it brought even more attention to the words "black" or "white" whenever they appear on a page, especially in the same sentence. They draw attention by making it obvious that they were trying to avoid it.

But I doubt even that gets to the heart of the matter. The best I can deduce is that it's meant as a compliment to minorities. Having been oppressed in America for such a long period, the least that could be done, Chang seems to hint, is to give them respect, and therefore a level of importance, through capitalization. This is kind of bullshit, though. As a black man, I personally can't help but see the gesture in somewhat of a patronizing manor. It comes off almost like a poor and useless reparation for past injustices, as if by capitalizing these general racial classifications that those groups are getting long overdue respect for their contributions to society. That after having been displayed as inferior, here was a chance to be displayed superiorly. Or perhaps it was the author's way of showing his level of respect for these minority groups and his appreciation for them having created this hip hop culture that he has grown up with and loved so much. A noble goal, if either is the case, but is this gesture the best way to do that? Isn't his contribution to the discussion of racial inequality (and how it led to the birth of hip hop) enough by having written this book to begin with?

I would entertain the possibility that I'm making way too much out of this, except that the occurrences are so numerous and so obvious that I have a hard time believing that this was a complete non-issue when this book was about to be published. In the book, Chang mentions how Public Enemy's Chuck D had been raised on James Brown's "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open The Door, I'll Get It Myself)" and other such Black Panther-like ideologies that pushed for self-sufficiency in the black community. I suppose, in a way, I agree with those ideologies when it comes to this topic. Give me an edge by treating me equally, not by giving me special treatment. I don't need to see my skin color written in caps to feel worthwhile.

But that's just my opinion. It would be interesting to hear some discussion on the topic. For this review, however, I'll say that while I enjoyed Can't Stop Won't Stop overall, this issue did act as somewhat of a distraction. Still, it's essential reading.