Dyson talks about hip-hop and what it means in the political realm, for the future, for now, for women and how we can be active participants in enjoying and cultivating this often bashed art form. The "is hip-hop dead" debate, the double standards that it must face, and a few speculations as to how hip-hop arrived in it's current place are all touched upon in this work. Dyson uses a CD format to introduce each of his chapters including a track list with quotes from famous hip-hop songs. ( )

This is the book my generation has been waiting for.

After the remarks of Bill Cosby, many intellectuals and artists have been chiming in with regards to their distaste for hip hop. After Wynton Marsalis's reduction of hip hop to "ghetto minstrelsy" and John Whorters attribution of retardation of success by Hip Hop, many have wondered what lies in store for the future of the genre. Michael Eric Dyson offers a sound criticism to both well-studied and poorly researched argmements. Dyon's new book is a significant contribution to the cultural, sociological and literary cannons. Through out the new text, Know What I Mean, Dyson gives evidence and background for academics to understand hip hop and tools for for the hip hop generation to gain respect and, as Jay-Z said, "a better way to understand ourselves."

Many of the critiques stem from the expectation of hip hop to be a tangible expression of social commentary or political criticism. Fundamentally, hip hop is neither. Hip Hop is an art form containing "hyperbole, parody, kitsch, dramatic license, and doublt entedres." Dyson frequently argues that hip hop should be held to no higher standards towards sociological representation or politics than any other artform or institution that could also be a vehicle for social commentary or political criticism (i.e. the Church).

Dyson embarks upon a series of conversations structured within an "album concept". Two of the most frequented topics through out the five tracks are mysogeny and the heterosexism of hip hop. While some of the ills of hip hop can be attributed or connected to cultural amnesia, privelege and/or religious reflections, Dyson does not draw any parallels with the attempt to excuse or validate the presence of sexism or homophobia within rap music or hip hop culture.

Dyson has constructed his text, his speech and his career into a strong argument for hip hop and a lasting testiment of the relivance and dignity of Black Culture, of Urban Culture within our Global World. Dyson's Know What I Mean is truly Black Art.

Black Art by Amiri Baraka

Poems are bullshit unless they are teet or trees or lemons piles
on a step. Or black ladies dying
of men leaving nickel hearts
beating them down. Fuck poems
and they are useful, wd they shoot
come at you, love what you are,
breathe like wrestlers, or shudder
strangely after pissing. We want live
words of the hip world live flesh &
coursing blood. Hearts Brains
Souls splintering fire. We want poems
like fists beating niggers out of Jocks...
Let there be no love poems written
until love can exist freely and
cleanly. Let Black people understand
that they are the lovers and the sons
of warriors and sons
of warriors Are poems & poets &
all the loveliness here in the world

We want a black poem. And a
Black World.
Let the world be a Black Poem
And Let All Black People Speak This Poem
Silently
or LOUD ( )