Author: “Most people believe hip-hop is simply about rap”

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno

      With hip-hop being over 30 years old, it’s not a surprise that most fans of the music today forget about the foundation and its influence across the world of the arts. In an effort to educate hip-hop fans on how hip-hop has changed the arts world, author Jeff Chang has written an addendum of sorts to his first book, Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, called Total Chaos: The Art & Aesthetics of Hip-Hop. The book acknowledges how hip-hop has influenced and transformed everything from poetry, literature, theatre, dance, the visual arts, graphic design, and photography.

      “Most people believe hip-hop is simply about rap,” Chang told HipHopCrack. “So the book helps show how hip-hop has affected the entirety of the arts. People in the hip-hop arts movement have been building with each other across disciplines and genres quite a bit in recent years, and many of us thought it was important to capture these discussions and ideas. There’s a very important burgeoning field of hip-hop studies, but the balance has been weighted far too heavily towards the cultural critics and away from the artists.”

      Look for the book to hit shelves on February 1. For more info on the book and Jeff Chang’s blog plus his other projects, check out CANTSTOPWONTSTOP.