Hip-Hop Revolution in the Flesh

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Greg Thomas

   Pages 1-10

3. Orals … Head … Genius: The Power, Knowledge, and Pleasure of Hard Core

   • Greg Thomas

   Pages 11-31

4. Sexual Poetic Justice: On African Matriarchy, Flexible Gender Systems, and The Notorious K.I.M.

   • Greg Thomas

   Pages 33-56

5. Mic “God/dess” … Eshu-Elegba: Signifying Divine Freedom—In the Flesh

   • Greg Thomas

   Pages 57-84

6. (Black) Consciousness (Reprise): Neo-Soul’s “Baduizm,” African Cinema of Liberation, and Hip-Hop’s “QUEEN B@#$H”

   • Greg Thomas

   Pages 85-109

7. “First Female King”: The Art of Morph and Monarchy in La Bella Mafia’s Beehive

   • Greg Thomas

   Pages 111-132

8. It’s the Lyrical Sex Pistol: Or, A Rebel Music that Rewrites Anatomy—Rhyme after Fiery Rhyme

   • Greg Thomas

   Pages 133-158

9. The “Sound Clash” of The Naked Truth: Erotic Maroonage, Public Enemies, and “Rap COINTELPRO”

   • Greg Thomas

   Pages 159-190

10. Conclusion

    • Greg Thomas

    Pages 191-196

11. Back Matter

    Pages 197-231

    PDF

An extended study of the writings of Lil' Kim, the multi-platinum selling Hip Hop artist. Examines Lil' Kim's anti-sexist, gender-defiant and ultra-erotic verse alongside issues of race and the politics of imprisonment. This is the first study to apply the tools of literary criticism to Hip Hop's lyrical writings.

• aesthetics
• Africa
• African
• body
• cinema
• consciousness
• corpus
• freedom
• gender
• liberty
• literary criticism
• music
• politics
• truth
• writing

GREG THOMAS is an assistant professor of English at Syracuse University, USA.

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