Hip-Hop Headphones: A Scholar’s Critical Playlist
University of Queensland (Australia)
By his own admission, James Braxton Peterson is “one of the earlier professors to teach Hip-Hop at the collegiate level”, and Hip-Hop Headphones is a great representation of Peterson’s 20+ years of engagement with hip-hop at this scholarly level. Hip-hop studies have been conducted by scholars in a variety of different disciplines—geographers, linguists, sociologists, anthropologists and many others have all made invaluable contributions. Peterson himself comes to hip-hop studies as a Professor of English and Director of Africana studies at Lehigh University. With this diversity in mind, Hip-Hop Headphones sets out some very useful approaches to the study of hip-hop culture.
Hip-Hop Headphones is a collection of definitions, lectures, academic essays and other scholarly discussions and resources all produced by Peterson. The book is organised into five parts: the first examines definitions; the second looks at speech and beats; the third comprises a collection of scholarly reviews; the fourth is a transcription of a round-table discussion on race theory and gender in hip-hop’s global future; and the final section is titled “Rapademics” which includes pieces Peterson has written in response to his role as a public academic in the US.
The collected nature of the book is part of its strength, but also its greatest weakness. The collection of works here demonstrates the scope of engagement possible in hip-hop studies. However, the book does feel like it often repeats itself—in particular, examples and points that, when the book is read as a whole, make the reader feel like we’ve been there before. Some of the inclusions in the collection also let down the strength of the book—the scholarly reviews of books, documentaries and articles do not add as much to the collection as they could. These are the only real weaknesses in the book though, as Hip-Hop Headphones provides some valuable contributions to the field of hip-hop studies, particularly in setting out definitions and methodologies for not only researching hip-hop culture but also teaching it in a variety of settings.
Peterson’s emphasis on “critical listening” to a range of hip-hop related texts sets up a key theme that is continued throughout the book. The first chapter, “Re: Definition”, is one of the strongest of the book and would be very useful as a reading for students and educators alike who are not necessarily familiar with hip-hop studies or hip-hop culture itself. As the title suggests, the chapter establishes some very useful definitions of hip-hop culture and for the study of hip-hop, such as Peterson’s definition of the three loosely organized eras of hip-hop. Within hip-hop scholarship there has generally been a reluctance and “hedging-of-bets” when it comes to providing definitive years for the eras of hip-hop. Peterson defines the “Old School Era” (1979–1987), followed by the “Golden Age Era” (1987–1993) and the “Platinum Era” (1994–approximately 2004). While I’m not personally sold on the choice of “Platinum Era” as a term, these definitions do provide a welcome addition to hip-hop scholarship.
While the first chapter would work well as a reading for undergraduate students, the second chapter is probably better suited to post-graduates and educators who are teaching aspects of hip-hop culture. Within this chapter Peterson presents a rubric for appreciating, evaluating and understanding the impact and importance of MCs. While the elements of the rubric are similar to many hip-hop fans’ discussions around questions like “who’s your favourite rapper”, it provides more structure to these discussions. The rubric is also an example of the “critical listening” approach Peterson promotes throughout the book. In this way, by critically listening to an artist’s work, and applying such a rubric, conversations about “favourites” and “bests” become conversations about aesthetics, location and performance. This combination of critical thinking and listening is an important way of shaping in-class discussions of hip-hop.
The most valuable parts of the book are perhaps found in the appendices, where Peterson provides examples of the syllabi he has used to teach a variety of hip-hop inspired courses, and also a collection of playlists he has assembled during these classes. These appendices relate specifically to chapters two and four in the book, and are excellent examples of how hip-hop cultural practices can be incorporated into classroom pedagogies. Peterson advances what he calls a “Playlist Pedagogy”, and he ties this in with the concept of the “ubiquitous learning environment”. Suggested by Yahya, Ahmad and Jalil (2010), ubiquitous learning environments are described as “any setting in which students can become totally immersed in the learning process”. Peterson uses playlists here, in combination with the aforementioned critical listening skills, as a way to extend the potential for learning beyond the traditional classroom space. The playlists described in the appendix cover all manner of topics raised in hip-hop songs, such as suicide, black prison narratives, often-sampled songs, and odes to/of hip-hop culture. These playlists are just suggestions and ones that Peterson has complied through his experience using them in classrooms, but they also make great starting resources for those teaching with and about hip-hop.
Hip-Hop Headphones makes a valuable, and much needed, contribution to the field of hip-hop studies. Chapters from the book would be excellent readings for students, but the book’s main audience will be those interested in using hip-hop in classrooms. The strongest sections of the book are where Peterson documents his teaching practices, and these sections will be incredibly useful to those teaching elements of hip-hop culture.
Yahya, Saadiah, Erny Arniza Ahmad and Kamarularifin Abd Jalil. 2010. “The Definition and Characteristics of Ubiquitous Learning: A Discussion”. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology 6(1): 117–27.