Hip-Hop as Philosophical Text and Testimony: Can I Get a Witness?

Lissa Skitolsky's book explores how hip-hop can be seen as a philosophical text and survivor testimony, highlighting its ability to affect our sensibility and understanding of race and anti-black racism. She argues that the exclusion of hip-hop from academic discourse reflects the neoliberal sensibility that it exposes and opposes, and that it is essential for white people to recognize this system and take hip-hop seriously in order to dismantle it.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

Lissa Skitolsky, a lifelong hip-hop enthusiast and philosophy professor, delves into the profound existential impact of hip-hop on our sensibilities and understanding of race and anti-black racism. In her book, Hip-Hop as Philosophical Text and Testimony: Can I Get a Witness? Skitolsky explores how the exclusion of hip-hop from academic discourse on knowledge, racism, white supremacy, genocide, white nationalism, and trauma reflects the very neoliberal sensibility that hip-hop exposes and opposes.

At a crucial juncture in history, as we embark on a long-overdue global reckoning with systemic anti-black racism, Skitolsky emphasizes the urgent need for white people to recognize the significance of our failure to acknowledge and take hip-hop seriously. This book serves as a powerful illustration of the unique ability of underground hip-hop to disrupt our neoliberal and post-racial perspectives on current events.

Through her personal experiences and scholarly insights, Skitolsky demonstrates how hip-hop can challenge our assumptions, provoke critical thinking, and inspire social change. She highlights the ways in which hip-hop artists use their music as a platform to address social injustices, raise awareness about historical trauma, and challenge dominant narratives.

Hip-Hop as Philosophical Text and Testimony: Can I Get a Witness? is a thought-provoking and essential read for anyone interested in exploring the intersection of race, culture, and philosophy. It offers a fresh perspective on the power of hip-hop to shape our worldviews and challenge the status quo. By recognizing the existential power of hip-hop, we can begin to dismantle the systems of oppression that have perpetuated anti-black racism for generations.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781498566728