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Date Reviewed: August 30,
2004
 CHECK
IT WHILE I WRECK IT: BLACK WOMANHOOD, HIP HOP CULTURE, AND THE PUBLIC
SPHERE by Gwendolyn D. Pough
Northeastern University, June 2004
265 Pages, Paperback
ISBN: 1555536077
Non-Fiction
RAW Rating:
(4 out of 5) /
BUY IT
Bringing Wreck
When hip hop made its debut onto the urban scene in the 1970s, most
saw it as a fad that would eventually fade into oblivion. Some thirty
years later this culture, essentially born from urban decay, with its
eclectic mix of rap music, poetry, dance, dress and attitude, has
become universal.
In her new book CHECK IT WHILE I WRECK IT, Gwendolyn Pough, assistant
Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Minnesota,
highlights some of the contributions of noted female rappers to hip
hop and explores their impact on the evolution of the genre.
Dr. Pough explains the phenomena of "bringing wreck" a catch phrase
often used in hip hop circles, as a form of praise, to describe "skill
and greatness." The author uses this terminology to ascribe to the
ways in which various female rappers; from the lyrically raunchy Foxy
Brown and Lil Kim to the socially conscious Queen Latifah and Lauren
Hill have brought "wreck" to the world of hip hop by causing
"disruptions which somehow shifted the way black people were viewed in
the society at large." The author further expounds on the theory that
the hip hop culture has the power to "affect change and bring wreck in
a meaningful way" and exhorts female rappers to recognize the
tremendous possibilities of hip hop and use it as a force for good.
CHECK IT WHILE I WRECK IT is a thought-provoking, enlightening read
which affords all readers a window into the world of an often
misunderstood, yet extremely popular culture. At the core of this book
is the author's call for female rappers to continue to "bring wreck"
to the hip hop world, as they strive to carve their own niche in this
essentially male dominated culture.
Reviewed by Autumn of The RAWSISTAZ™Reviewers
Publisher's Website:
http://www.nupress.neu.edu
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Autumn is a wife and mother who resides in Minnesota, where she
works as a Mortgage Broker. She is an avid reader, who enjoys writing
short stories and is currently working on her first novel.
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