Daniel Levin Becker - What's Good : Notes on Rap and Language - Pa

New Store Stock
About this Item

The item is a book Paperback
The Author Name is Daniel Levin Becker
The Title is What's Good : Notes on Rap and Language

Condition New

Other Comments
New Store Stock
Content Language - English
Category - MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Rap & Hip Hop
MUSIC / Essays
MUSIC / History & Criticism


Product Description -
A NEW YORKER & GLOBE AND MAIL BEST BOOK OF THE YEARA love letter to the verbal artistry of hip-hop, What's Good is a work of passionate lyrical analysis"What's Good is, among a great many other things, a byproduct of joyful obsession and immersion into both language and sound, an intersection that offers a rich and expansive land upon which to play." -Hanif Abdurraqib, author of A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance " . . . an often hilarious, surprisingly moving and always joyful paean to rap's relationship to words."-Jayson Greene, The New York Times"Rap, he is not afraid to say, is as close to a universal tongue as we have."-Adam Gopnik, The New YorkerWhat's Good is a work of passionate lyrical analysis, a set of freewheeling liner notes, and a love letter to the most vital American art form of the last half century. Over a series of short chapters, each centered on a different lyric, Daniel Levin Becker considers how rap's use of language operates and evolves at levels ranging from the local (slang, rhyme) to the analytical (quotation, transcription) to the philosophical (morality, criticism, irony), celebrating the pleasures and perils of any attempt to decipher its meaning-making technologies. Ranging from Sugarhill Gang to UGK to Young M.A, Rakim to Rick Ross to Rae Sremmurd, Jay-Z to Drake to Snoop Dogg, What's Good reads with the momentum of a deftly curated mixtape, drawing you into the conversation and teaching you to read it as it goes. A book for committed hip-hop heads, curious neophytes, armchair linguists, and everyone in between. "For those of us who love rap, What's Good is a gift. The book offers a new set of eyes and ears through which to see and to hear the language of rap. Its brief and brilliant chapters are like the best kinds of freestyles: spontaneous and structured, startling and profound. A remarkable achievement." -Adam Bradley, author of Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop"Could this be the rap equivalent of Lewis Hyde's The Gift or Marina Warner's Once Upon A Time? Anyhow, it's an electrifying book, full of wild epiphanies and provocations, an exhibition of a critical mind in full and open contact with their subject at the highest level, with a winning streak of confessional intimacy as well." -Jonathan Lethem, author of The Arrest: A Novel "What's Good is a feat of critical precision and personal obsession: Daniel Levin Becker's deep appreciation for rap is rangy and illuminating, and his delight in language is infectious. What a thrill to swing so gracefully from Lil Wayne to Mary Ruefle to the lyrical evolution of 'tilapia' pure pleasure. A generous, joyful exegesis."-Anna Wiener, author of Uncanny Valley: A Memoir

When possible we will add details of the items we are selling to help buyers know what is included in the item for sale. The details are provided automatically from our central master database and can sometimes be wrong.

Books are released in many editions and variations, such as standard edition, re-issue, not for sale, promotional, special edition, limited edition, and many other editions and versions.  The Book you receive could be any of these editions or variations. If you are looking for a specific edition or version please contact us to verify what we are selling.

 

Gift Ideas
This is a great gift idea.

 

Hours of Service
We have many warehouses, some of the warehouses process orders seven days a week, but the Administration Support Staff are located at a head office location, outside of the warehouses, and typically work only Monday to Friday.

Location ID 245z

iHaveit SKU ID 174361101