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Black Issues Forum 2002

Hip Hop Language: "It's all Good" or "Wack"?

Selected Resources - A Place To Begin Your Research

Key Words/Subject Headings in SAGE Library Catalog

  • African Americans and English language and slang
  • racism in language
  • African Americans and language
  • hip hop and language

Selected Books

  • Baugh, John. (1999). Out of the mouths of slaves : African American language and educational malpractice. Austin : University of Texas Press. PE3102.N42 B39 1999.
  • Kennedy, Randall. Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word. New York: Pantheon Books, 2002.
  • Morgan, Joan. (1999). When chickenheads come home to roost : my life as a hip-hop feminist New York : Simon & Schuster. E185.86 .M63 1999
  • Mufwene, Salikoko S. (1998). African-American English : structure, history, and use. New York: Routledge. PE3102.N44 A34 1998.
  • Perkins, William Eric. Droppin' science : critical essays on rap music and hip hop culture. Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 1996. ML3531 .D77 1996
  • Porter, Michael. The conspiracy to destroy black women. United States: African American Images, c2001. E185.86 .P67 2001
  • Rickford, John R. (2000) Spoken soul : the story of black English. New York : Wiley. PE3102.N42 R54 2000.
  • Smitherman, Geneva. (2000). Talkin that talk : language, culture, and education in African America.New York : Routledge. PE3102.N4 S63 2000.

Databases

These resources include fair amount of full-text materials

  • Periodical Abstracts
    • Search for individual names, for example, Chris Rock, Bill Cosby, Tupac, etc.
    • USE also n w word; nigg*; hip w hop; popular culture and language; African Americans and language; racism and language; hip w hop and blacks
    • USE also other words describing the issue
  • Electric Library- [Includes TV & Radio Transcripts and Ethnic Newswatch titles] All Full Text
    • USE - n word and Tupac and hip hop; language and debate and hip hop
    • USE also individual names, for examples Chris Rock, Tupac
    • USE also other words describing the issue
  • Ethnic Newswatch
    • USE n word and hip hop and debate; hip hop and debate and language; also use other words describing the issue
  • Academic Universe
    • Select Academic Universe, News, General News, guided search
      • USE hip hop and language and culture; n word and hip hop; hip hop and debate; also add names of individuals such as Chris Rock, Tupac Shakur, Bill Cosby.
      • Limit search to one publication title, e.g., The New York Times, Washington Post.
      • Search for the words in full-text or headline and lead paragraph

Web Sites

The Web is a great place to find informal personal opinions about hip hop language such as the essay "The Exploitation of Women in Hip Hop Culture.(Page only loads in Internet Explorer)" Use the suggested words for databases and Sage listed above and add the word editorial or opinion.

  • Boston Public TV Show
    • Episode Summary for "Chapter 37" episode about language use in school
    • Language-Related Web Sites
    • Chat about language -- transcript of online chat with Dr. Darnell M. Hunt, the Director of the Center for African American Studies and Professor of Sociology at UCLA and with Lecia J. Brooks the Director of Special Projects for the National Conference for Community and Justice - Los Angeles Region
  • Harper's Weekly Editorial - A Note On The Word "Nigger" by Randall Kennedy, Professor of Law, Harvard University

Content: Allison Level, Dorothy Leising, Michelle Mach