“The Anthology of Rap” Reading at 92YTribeca, Wednesday, Nov. 17

From the good folks at 92YTribeca:

From the school yards and block parties of the South Bronx to the tops of the Billboard charts, rap has emerged as one of the most influential cultural forces of our time. The new, pioneering book The Anthology of Rap brings together more than 300 lyrics written over 30 years, from the “old school” to the “golden age” to the present day, demonstrating that rap is also a wide-reaching and vital poetic tradition. Editor Adam Bradley leads a line-up of writers, musicians, poets and academics celebrating the book’s release and paying tribute to the influential lyrics and songs in the book. Featuring readings and performances from: Imani Perry (Professor at Princeton University, author of Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop), LaTasha Diggs (Performance poet), Immortal Technique (Rapper and activist), Ta-Nehisi Coates (Writer for The Atlantic, author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle), and Adam Mansbach (Author of the novels Angry Black White Boy and The End of the Jews).

The Anthology of Rap is an interesting concept, although there has been some backlash regarding the accuracy of the lyrics within, or more accurately, whether or not some of the entries were properly vetted. In any event, to assemble such a mass of lyrical content and present it as an anthology of a genre, is extremely interesting to those who like to examine the intellectual side of hip hop music and culture, and we urge you to visit.

The event will take place tonight, Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 7 p.m. Tickets/admission: $12. 92YTribeca is located at 200 Hudson St., Manhattan. The event will feature readings from:

• Imani Perry (Professor at Princeton University, author of Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop)
• LaTasha Diggs (Poet, sound/video artist, curator)
• Immortal Technique (Rapper and activist)
• Ta-Nehisi Coates (Writer for The Atlantic, author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle)
• Adam Mansbach (Author of the novels Angry Black White Boy and The End of the Jews)
• Touré (Correspondent for BET, author of Soul City and Contributing Editor atRolling Stone)
• Farai Chideya (Host of the Pop and Politics specials on public radio; author of books including Don’t Believe the Hype and Kiss the Sky)
• Grandmaster Caz (Legendary MC and member of the Cold Crush Brothers)