|
 STAND
& DELIVER
Political Activism, Leadership, and Hip Hop Culture
By Yvonne Bynoe
1-932360-10-7
176pp $12.95
Current Affairs/Politics
"One of Hip Hop Culture's most insightful observers." -
Manning Marable, founding director of the Institute for Research
in African-American Studies at Columbia University
Hip Hop activism, a joining of a musical genre with political action, is a highly ambiguous term that encompasses a range of initiatives, from those that are genuinely attempting to affect public policy to largely self-promotional efforts that are more about getting media exposure for celebrities than addressing the cause they are allegedly representing.
For too long, Bynoe maintains, Black leaders have largely been "charismatic leaders," who don't produce results or "spokespersons" who deliver complaints and exhortations to the White power structure. Bynoe is passionate about the need for a new generation of Black leadership and civic and political organizations to instead actively engage in a policy-centered relationship with the White power structure. This understanding, Bynoe argues, should be premised on the principle that political power comes from influence and influence comes from the ability to delivery (or deny) money, votes or both to a political candidate, legislator or political party; in the words of MC Lyte, all the rest is "chitter chatter."
Rather
than get bogged down in sensational proclamations, apolitical
assumptions or uninformed hip-hop activist conjecture,
Yvonne Bynoe meaningfully advances the discussion of the
hip-hop generation and its politics. Stand and Deliver
carefully hones in on arguably the most important space
for American youth today: the proving ground where hip-hop,
politics, and social change meet.
- Bakari Kitwana, author of The Hip-Hop Generation
Stand and Deliver is a great read! Yvonne Bynoe has
written a thoughtful, passionate, and wholly original
analysis or the relationship between hip-hop culture and
real-life political activism. She has a nuanced understanding
of these disparate worlds and her vision is vital for
anyone who cares about progressive political or the future
of hiphop or both.
- Danny Goldberg, author of Dispatches From the Culture
Wars: How the Left Lost Teen Spirit
Yvonne Bynoe clearly has been a bridge between the
talkers, thinkers and doers. She has no doubt been a doer
and galvanizer within the hip hop nation. The Urban Think
Tank as a collective has rejected the stereotype of the
anti-intellectual movement while keeping the energy of
the streets. Now the book "Stand and Deliver" has readied
the climate to prepare for the next stages on how to persevere
within the millennial socio-cultural war zone.
-Chuck D, rap artist, activist and co-host of Unfiltered"
on Air America Radio |
Named one of the Top Ten Political
Players of 2003 by The Source Magazine and recognized
by The Network Journal as one of Ten New Yorkers
Who Make A Difference, Bynoe is a cultural critic, political
analyst, and public speaker. Her writings have appeared in
such publications as: PoliticallyBlack.com, Georgetown
Journal of International Affairs, Africana.com, Popmatters.com,
QBR: Black Books Review, Colorlines, and The Black
World Today and in several anthologies including: National
Urban League's 2001 State of Black America; Rhythm and Business:
The Political Economy of Black Music (Akashic); Race
and Resistance: African Americans in the 21st Century (South
End) and America Now! (Bedford/St.Martins).
She has appeared on The O'Reilly Factor as well as
numerous regional radio programs. She has also been quoted
in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles
Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, and Black
Enterprise. Bynoe began her formal involvement with Hip
Hop as the publisher of Full Disclosure: The Business of
Hip-Hop, a newsletter dedicated to empowering rap artists
and entrepreneurs about the business side of the music industry.
Public Enemy's Chuck D said of the publication, "I carry it
with me as a reminder of how important it is to be on top
of the game instead of caught up in the hype." Ms. Bynoe holds
a B.A. from Howard University and a J.D from Fordham University
School of Law.
Publicity Contact: Courtney Copp - Courtney@softskull.com
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