This is only going to appeal if you are very serious about hip hop culture and specifically, the music and creative style of Nas. Red, White, And Black: The Story Of Black And White People In America And How To Prevent That Story From Becoming Red. Felt the book was a tad over-intellectualised in parts and some of the writers strayed a little too far off topic. Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2010. has been added to your Cart. So, the writing styles, the content, the quality of writing, shifts from chapter to chapter so that despite being a book. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. For instance, Nas’s jazz-based influence from his father, Olu Dara, is commonly and repeatedly cited. Nas is a classic hip-hop fixture, and Illmatic is essentially the album that rookie emcees wish they could achieve. Red, White, and Black: No Justice, No Peace: The Story of Black and White People in... 100 Questions and Answers About East Asian Cultures: An introductory cultural compe... Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream, Though not an overwhelming chart success when released in 1994, Nas’ album Illmatic has long been hailed as a hip-hop masterpiece, whose sales steadily climbed until in 2001 it attained platinum status (i.e., one million-copy U.S. sales). I suggest this book to any die hard "true"' fans of hip hop. Born To Use Mics is a literary remix of Nas’ landmark album Illmatic, bringing together an eclectic group of some of hip-hop’s most seminal writers, journalists, and filmmakers as they offer up unique and fresh perspectives on the lasting significance of Nas’ brilliant debut album. Please try your request again later. The result is a brilliant engagement with and commentary upon one of the most incisive sets of songs ever laid down … Be the first to ask a question about Born to Use Mics. It breaks down illmatic's message, track by track, and explains its sociological relevance via Dyson's eloquent delivery (though his writing only appears in an essay on 'One Love', making this a collection. I love thinking deeply about pop culture, and this book is a great example of that. Big Drinks 12. Born To Use Mics: Reading Nas’s Illmatic (New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2010, pp.320) Born to Use Mics is a novel intellectual endeavor that brings a newfound literary and scholarly esteem to the rap album. Though I fully appreciated how deep many of the writers went, I felt that this book's weakest aspect was that it flexed its academic prowess with some overkill at times, losing the reader that merely wanted reaffirmation as to why illmatic was so dope. If you like Nas, this is a must read. So, the writing styles, the content, the quality of writing, shifts from chapter to chapter so that despite being a book about one subject it feels disjointed and lacking in unity. Any thing related to nas is already legendary. If it isn't, steer clear... this was worth reading love Nasir Jones <3, "It (Illmatic) made it about where hip hop was at that point and where it might go", Read by ACRL Member of the Week Kimberley Bugg. Some authors had a lot of great insight to offer about Nas, and Illmatic, others found ways to relate it/him to their lives, or a cause that was important to them; sometimes, however they did this at the expense of saying almost anything at all about the music itself. 1986 (Remix) (Feat. I recommend it to anyone who appreciates an analytical approach to hip hop. Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. Sellers, and parts of this i really, really loved the concept of this i really it. 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