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Chronicling Stankonia
This vibrant book pulses with the beats of a new American South, probing the ways music, literature, and film have remixed southern identities for a post-civil rights generation. For scholar and critic Regina N. Bradley, Outkast's work is the touchstone, a blend of funk, gospel, and hip-hop developed in conjunction with the work of other culture creators--including T.I., Kiese Laymon, and Jesmyn Ward. This work, Bradley argues, helps define new cultural possibilities for black southerners who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s and have used hip-hop culture to buffer themselves from the historical narratives and expectations of the civil rights era. Andre 3000, Big Boi, and a wider community of creators emerge as founding theoreticians of the hip-hop South, framing a larger question of how the region fits into not only hip-hop culture but also contemporary American society as a whole.
Chronicling Stankonia reflects the ways that culture, race, and southernness intersect in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Although part of southern hip-hop culture remains attached to the past, Bradley demonstrates how younger southerners use the music to embrace the possibility of multiple Souths, multiple narratives, and multiple points of entry to contemporary southern black identity.
Chronicling Stankonia reflects the ways that culture, race, and southernness intersect in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Although part of southern hip-hop culture remains attached to the past, Bradley demonstrates how younger southerners use the music to embrace the possibility of multiple Souths, multiple narratives, and multiple points of entry to contemporary southern black identity.
136 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2021
36 people are currently reading
570 people want to read
About the author
Regina N. Bradley
9 books63 followersDr. Regina N. Bradley is an alumna Nasir Jones HipHop Fellow (Hutchins Center, Harvard University, Spring 2016), Assistant Professor of English and African Diaspora Studies at Kennesaw State University, and co-host of the critically acclaimed southern hip hop podcast Bottom of the Map with music journalist Christina Lee. Dr. Bradley is one of the foremost authorities on contemporary Black culture in the American South. Her expertise and research interests include post-Civil Rights African American literature, hip hop culture, race and the contemporary U.S. South, and sound studies. Dr. Bradley earned a B.A. in English from Albany State University (GA), an M.A. in African American and African Diaspora Studies from Indiana University Bloomington, and a Ph.D. in African American Literature from Florida State University.
Dr. Bradley is the author of Chronicling Stankonia: the Rise of the Hip-Hop South. Chronicling Stankonia explores how Atlanta, GA hip hop duo OutKast influences the culture of the Black American South in the long shadow of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Bradley is also the editor of a collection of essays about OutKast for the University of Georgia Press titled An OutKast Reader.
A prominent public voice and leading scholar on southern hip hop culture, Dr. Bradley's work has been featured on a range of news media outlets including Washington Post, NPR, and Atlanta Journal Constitution. Additionally, In May, 2017 Dr. Bradley delivered a TEDx talk, "The Mountaintop Ain't Flat," about the significance of hip hop in bridging the American Black South to the present and future.
As a complement to her scholarship, Dr. Bradley is also an acclaimed fiction writer. Her first short story collection, Boondock Kollage: Stories from the Hip Hop South, was published by Peter Lang press in 2017. Jesmyn Ward described the stories in Boondock Kollage as leaving her “breathless and incoherent.” Dr. Bradley’s short story “Beautiful Ones” was a 2017 Pushcart Prize nominee in short fiction. Her other stories have been featured in Obsidian, Transition, and Oxford American. Dr. Bradley’s fiction has been supported by the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop and the Tin House Summer Workshop. She is currently working on her first novel, Reluctant Ancestors, about the disappearance of a teenaged black boy in Southwest Georgia.
Dr. Bradley can be reached via Twitter (@redclayscholar) or through her website, www.redclayscholar.com.
Dr. Bradley is the author of Chronicling Stankonia: the Rise of the Hip-Hop South. Chronicling Stankonia explores how Atlanta, GA hip hop duo OutKast influences the culture of the Black American South in the long shadow of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Bradley is also the editor of a collection of essays about OutKast for the University of Georgia Press titled An OutKast Reader.
A prominent public voice and leading scholar on southern hip hop culture, Dr. Bradley's work has been featured on a range of news media outlets including Washington Post, NPR, and Atlanta Journal Constitution. Additionally, In May, 2017 Dr. Bradley delivered a TEDx talk, "The Mountaintop Ain't Flat," about the significance of hip hop in bridging the American Black South to the present and future.
As a complement to her scholarship, Dr. Bradley is also an acclaimed fiction writer. Her first short story collection, Boondock Kollage: Stories from the Hip Hop South, was published by Peter Lang press in 2017. Jesmyn Ward described the stories in Boondock Kollage as leaving her “breathless and incoherent.” Dr. Bradley’s short story “Beautiful Ones” was a 2017 Pushcart Prize nominee in short fiction. Her other stories have been featured in Obsidian, Transition, and Oxford American. Dr. Bradley’s fiction has been supported by the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop and the Tin House Summer Workshop. She is currently working on her first novel, Reluctant Ancestors, about the disappearance of a teenaged black boy in Southwest Georgia.
Dr. Bradley can be reached via Twitter (@redclayscholar) or through her website, www.redclayscholar.com.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 26, 2023
Chronicling Stankonia is about how Southern hip-hop artists impacted the broader music culture as well as pop culture based on or referencing the South. Regina Bradley highlights OutKast as one of the key groups that made Southern hip-hop popular and were also "founding theoreticians of the hip-hop South". OutKast member André Benjamin, aka André 3000, made his history-making statement "The South got something to say" at the 1995 Source Awards and it rallied other Southern hip-hop artists "to self-validate their music". It has also been referenced in several nonfiction books that make the argument that the South is important to America, Bradley coining them "theoreticians" rings true.
What I liked about the book is that it introduced me, someone who isn't a rap connoisseur, to a plethora of Southern hip-hop songs that I did not know of prior. Chapter 1 was very helpful in this effort, I found a few songs that I like. What I struggled with was connecting hip-hop elements to the broader pop culture. For example, several chapters discuss Southern hip-hop's influence on books, movies, and tv. It was easy for me to agree with the author's thesis when she referenced those pieces I had read and watched prior such as Kiese Laymon's Long Division and the tv show and film, Underground and Django Unchained respectively. I struggled with her analysis of the books I had not read, such as The Known World and Men We Reaped. This is not to say her argument was not effective, just that I had to take her word for it mostly instead of comparing it to my frame of reference.
I found her final chapter on trap rap music and how it has been used in the grieving process to be very interesting and powerful. It's one of the stronger chapters in the book, in my opinion.
What I liked about the book is that it introduced me, someone who isn't a rap connoisseur, to a plethora of Southern hip-hop songs that I did not know of prior. Chapter 1 was very helpful in this effort, I found a few songs that I like. What I struggled with was connecting hip-hop elements to the broader pop culture. For example, several chapters discuss Southern hip-hop's influence on books, movies, and tv. It was easy for me to agree with the author's thesis when she referenced those pieces I had read and watched prior such as Kiese Laymon's Long Division and the tv show and film, Underground and Django Unchained respectively. I struggled with her analysis of the books I had not read, such as The Known World and Men We Reaped. This is not to say her argument was not effective, just that I had to take her word for it mostly instead of comparing it to my frame of reference.
I found her final chapter on trap rap music and how it has been used in the grieving process to be very interesting and powerful. It's one of the stronger chapters in the book, in my opinion.
April 7, 2021
“The South got something to say”
This line was famously uttered by Andre 3000 of the group OutKast at the 1995 Source Awards. After being dismissed by the Northern, New York audience, he uttered those words. Twenty five years later, Dr. Regina Bradley examines what the South has said about a wide range of topics since Andre 300’s proclamation.
One of the major points of Bradley’s book is that the American South is more than slavery, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement. Through the lens of hip hop, the author examines how stories can be told of a Southern past, present and future. The author builds this argument by first examining the musical career of OutKast. The group’s very name suggests the outside the norm nature of what Southern life is stereotyped as being.
The book then shifts to examining the work of three Southern writers’ work: Kiese Laymon’s Long Division, Edward P. Jones’ The Known World and Jesmyn Ward’s Where the Line Bleeds and Men We Reaped. The examination of these works of literature is done skillfully by Bradley using hip hop lyrics and themes. The discussion was so thought provoking that it made me want to reread and prioritize reading those I haven’t to view the works through a Southern hip hop lens.
Even though OutKast is featured on the book cover and the title is a reference to an OutKast album, the book does discuss other Southern hip hop artist like Big K.R.I.T., T.I. and Goodie Mob.
If you are lover of Southern hip hop music and want to examine the music’s influence critically this is the perfect book for you. Be prepared to create playlists of the music referenced. You may also experience some nostalgia.
Thank you University of North Carolina Press for a review copy of this book.
This line was famously uttered by Andre 3000 of the group OutKast at the 1995 Source Awards. After being dismissed by the Northern, New York audience, he uttered those words. Twenty five years later, Dr. Regina Bradley examines what the South has said about a wide range of topics since Andre 300’s proclamation.
One of the major points of Bradley’s book is that the American South is more than slavery, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement. Through the lens of hip hop, the author examines how stories can be told of a Southern past, present and future. The author builds this argument by first examining the musical career of OutKast. The group’s very name suggests the outside the norm nature of what Southern life is stereotyped as being.
The book then shifts to examining the work of three Southern writers’ work: Kiese Laymon’s Long Division, Edward P. Jones’ The Known World and Jesmyn Ward’s Where the Line Bleeds and Men We Reaped. The examination of these works of literature is done skillfully by Bradley using hip hop lyrics and themes. The discussion was so thought provoking that it made me want to reread and prioritize reading those I haven’t to view the works through a Southern hip hop lens.
Even though OutKast is featured on the book cover and the title is a reference to an OutKast album, the book does discuss other Southern hip hop artist like Big K.R.I.T., T.I. and Goodie Mob.
If you are lover of Southern hip hop music and want to examine the music’s influence critically this is the perfect book for you. Be prepared to create playlists of the music referenced. You may also experience some nostalgia.
Thank you University of North Carolina Press for a review copy of this book.
July 12, 2021
This is an innovative work of scholarship like none other. Examining Outkast and their music alongside African American literature makes for a rigorous, but accessible study. Regina Bradley has, with this text, established herself as the preeminent scholar on the Black Southern musical and literary culture.
April 27, 2021
If you are only vaguely familiar with OutKast, you will be a fan of the group by the end of this book.
If you are an OutKast fan you will love this book.
OutKast put the south on the map in hip hop culture, and hip hop hasn't been the same since. Dr. Regina Bradley eloquently discusses how this group and their unique sound moved Black Southerners forward in time beyond Jim Crow, segregation, and the Civil Rights movement.
An important book that shows how hip hop evolved out of its previously bi-coastal existence.
If you are an OutKast fan you will love this book.
OutKast put the south on the map in hip hop culture, and hip hop hasn't been the same since. Dr. Regina Bradley eloquently discusses how this group and their unique sound moved Black Southerners forward in time beyond Jim Crow, segregation, and the Civil Rights movement.
An important book that shows how hip hop evolved out of its previously bi-coastal existence.
March 2, 2021
This one needs to be read. It’s such a great look at South and the fact that it is not a monolithic. This is some, good scholarly work that made my heart glad. “The South Got Something to Say.” ✊🏿
July 19, 2023
This one had so much potential but fell short of the assignment. The book started off well with a history of the group and an analysis (hyper-interpretation) of the lyrics. After Chapter 1, the author lost me! There was more of an opportunity to discuss OutKast, their music, and impact on Hip-Hop. As far as discussing the Hip-Hop South, there was a missed opportunity to highlight Three 6 Mafia, UGK, Beyoncé, DJ Screw, etc. As educated as the author is, I needed her to write this from a personal experience perspective and not an analytical dissertation.
March 18, 2022
(If you are familiar with the movie and text references, the book will be at least a 4 because of Regina Bradley's writing but I wasn't and I thought it would be more about Outkast and other hip hop artists in general so for me it would be around a 3.5.)
I'm not that familiar with Outkast. I knew Hey Ya when I was a kid but it took me until my adulthood to find out that The Way You Move wasn't a song from the 70's that still got played everywhere. I really enjoyed learning about the cultural history of Southern hip hop and how they were treated by the New York scene (although I'm a Native Tongues fan) as well as the references and meanings throughout their work. I will definitely relisten to them with a new understanding.
I'm not that familiar with Outkast. I knew Hey Ya when I was a kid but it took me until my adulthood to find out that The Way You Move wasn't a song from the 70's that still got played everywhere. I really enjoyed learning about the cultural history of Southern hip hop and how they were treated by the New York scene (although I'm a Native Tongues fan) as well as the references and meanings throughout their work. I will definitely relisten to them with a new understanding.
April 12, 2021
I feel very blessed that my job places me in the enviable place of being known as, "someone who likes to read new stuff" Which often leads to great proposed titles and occasional new author book hand me downs.
Folks who know me, get me, and this book was a kickdown from a friend who knows I geek out on hip-hop scholarship. It's a great academic read on space and place in Southern hip-hop, the author does a great job recognizing the South's contribution and evolution of hip hop in the grand history of the culture.
This book is great if you already know the basic history and want to reflect more on the experiential and political implication of the music as much as the nostalgia (although there is enough of it here to keep this from feeling exclusively like academic papers).
Shout out to Leslie for putting me on this volume and to the author for the great research and storytelling!
Folks who know me, get me, and this book was a kickdown from a friend who knows I geek out on hip-hop scholarship. It's a great academic read on space and place in Southern hip-hop, the author does a great job recognizing the South's contribution and evolution of hip hop in the grand history of the culture.
This book is great if you already know the basic history and want to reflect more on the experiential and political implication of the music as much as the nostalgia (although there is enough of it here to keep this from feeling exclusively like academic papers).
Shout out to Leslie for putting me on this volume and to the author for the great research and storytelling!
October 27, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🗣THE SOUF GOT SOMETHING TO SAY…
and so does Dr. Regina Bradley🙌🏾
My heart is so full. If you love Hip Hop, and you’re from the south, then this book will tug at your heart strings, have you nodding your head to an imaginary beat, and have you running to your nearest streaming service to revisit some classics.
Dr. Bradley’s book is a history lesson, a love letter, and a celebration of what we cherish the most about southern Hip Hop!
I am in awe at how she weaves my adolescence through these pages while linking them to some of my favorite authors like Jesymn Ward and Kiese Laymon (Mississippi got something to say, too😉).
I want to write all the things, but I’m too busy running back OutKast’s albums and reliving decades of southerness. The south had something to say in 1995, and it STILL has us in a mighty chokehold today.
GO BUY THIS ONE!
🗣THE SOUF GOT SOMETHING TO SAY…
and so does Dr. Regina Bradley🙌🏾
My heart is so full. If you love Hip Hop, and you’re from the south, then this book will tug at your heart strings, have you nodding your head to an imaginary beat, and have you running to your nearest streaming service to revisit some classics.
Dr. Bradley’s book is a history lesson, a love letter, and a celebration of what we cherish the most about southern Hip Hop!
I am in awe at how she weaves my adolescence through these pages while linking them to some of my favorite authors like Jesymn Ward and Kiese Laymon (Mississippi got something to say, too😉).
I want to write all the things, but I’m too busy running back OutKast’s albums and reliving decades of southerness. The south had something to say in 1995, and it STILL has us in a mighty chokehold today.
GO BUY THIS ONE!
April 21, 2021
Regina Bradley is a proud southerner and scholar who is extremely talented at blending both together in her work. Her recent book “Chronicling Stankonia”, is a fantastic analysis of Hip Hop in the South referencing Outkast, TI, and others and including fellow writers Kiese Laymon and Jesmyn Ward. I finished this book in one setting. It was like reading my upbringing from damn near a first hand account. “Chronicling Stankonia” will give non-southerners a clear understanding of the rise of southern Hip Hop, and for the southerners, it’s a sanctuary.
May 5, 2024
This is my book review I turned in for my African American Studies class.
I don't think there are spoilers in this review as this is more of an informational book, but I do discuss the argument and the types of evidence used.
Also I don't recommend reading this book between 3 days, especially if you don't have a lot of prior knowledge on hip-hop or are very interested in the music genre.
Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South is written by Regina Bradley, a current professor at Kennesaw State University. The author focuses on analyzing the hip-hop group OutKast and how they helped to display the South’s black identity through their music in albums, books, and media. Many of the events she discusses are OutKast’s statement to the North, their music production history, the novel Long Division by Kiese Laymon, various films that reimagine slavery, and the history of Trap Rap. Bradley works to illustrate the hip-hop practices of connecting the South’s history to its music and how southern black people found their identity through this process, clearly displaying the social and cultural historical genres.
The writing argues that Southern hip-hop reflects the current struggles of the Black community as they strive for progress despite the work their ancestors fought for. The hip-hop group Outkast is the main example used in her four sub-arguments from each chapter: the first focusing on how OutKast displays the South’s identity in each of their produced albums, the second displaying the intersection between the South’s past and present black identity in books and in Outkast’s albums, the third illustrating the representation of slavery through the films OutKast is featured in, and the fourth demonstrating the use of Trap Rap and southern identity.
Although the historical events are from around the same time period, the book is organized into the four sub-arguments the author makes within her claim instead of using a chronological order. This structure enhances the argument because it clearly shows which pieces of evidence correlate to what Bradley is arguing about. However, the downfall is that it is sometimes difficult to locate what point in history each piece of evidence happened since the organization structures within the chapters aren’t necessarily organized chronologically either.
I believe that narrative evidence is mainly used throughout the piece. Primary sources such as music albums, historical quotes, books, and films are used as well as the personal experiences of the author. Because the argument is mainly focused on the primary sources of OutKast’s albums, this type of evidence is the basis of the argument. Although there were no secondary sources used, the analysis of the narrative evidence was very detailed.
The biggest weakness to Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South was its lack of secondary sources. As previously discussed, if Bradley had acknowledged other scholar’s thoughts on OutKast’s contribution to the hip-hop South, it could show the diverse perspectives on the topic and prove that her insights aren’t singular. Additionally, while the essence was on OutKast’s musical contributions, the portion of the argument focused on the South’s evolving identity in the 1970s-1990s through hip-hop could have been stronger if other southern hip-hop albums were studied.
On the other hand, one of the book’s strengths was its detailed analysis of OutKast’s music and its purpose in other source’s films, books, or other historical events. It is clear the author has completed a large amount of research about OutKast and their impact on society and culture. I especially like the way she broke down each album in the first chapter and focused on what she thought the correlation to the South’s culture was in not just the music, but also in the music videos. The portions about her experiences in the south are beneficial because they help the audience understand the culture of the South now and how it was affected by the past.
Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South by Regina Bradley is a book I would recommend to a high school or young adult audience. There is a lot of evidence and reasoning to take in that I think this group can handle. I also believe this book would be very beneficial for students studying music history or black culture between the periods of 1960-1990, as a lot of the content requires some prior knowledge of other southern hip-hop groups. Overall, Bradley’s argument that Southern hip-hop reflects the current struggles of the Black community as they strive for progress despite the work their ancestors fought for is convincing, but could use some secondary sources to make it stronger.
I don't think there are spoilers in this review as this is more of an informational book, but I do discuss the argument and the types of evidence used.
Also I don't recommend reading this book between 3 days, especially if you don't have a lot of prior knowledge on hip-hop or are very interested in the music genre.
Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South is written by Regina Bradley, a current professor at Kennesaw State University. The author focuses on analyzing the hip-hop group OutKast and how they helped to display the South’s black identity through their music in albums, books, and media. Many of the events she discusses are OutKast’s statement to the North, their music production history, the novel Long Division by Kiese Laymon, various films that reimagine slavery, and the history of Trap Rap. Bradley works to illustrate the hip-hop practices of connecting the South’s history to its music and how southern black people found their identity through this process, clearly displaying the social and cultural historical genres.
The writing argues that Southern hip-hop reflects the current struggles of the Black community as they strive for progress despite the work their ancestors fought for. The hip-hop group Outkast is the main example used in her four sub-arguments from each chapter: the first focusing on how OutKast displays the South’s identity in each of their produced albums, the second displaying the intersection between the South’s past and present black identity in books and in Outkast’s albums, the third illustrating the representation of slavery through the films OutKast is featured in, and the fourth demonstrating the use of Trap Rap and southern identity.
Although the historical events are from around the same time period, the book is organized into the four sub-arguments the author makes within her claim instead of using a chronological order. This structure enhances the argument because it clearly shows which pieces of evidence correlate to what Bradley is arguing about. However, the downfall is that it is sometimes difficult to locate what point in history each piece of evidence happened since the organization structures within the chapters aren’t necessarily organized chronologically either.
I believe that narrative evidence is mainly used throughout the piece. Primary sources such as music albums, historical quotes, books, and films are used as well as the personal experiences of the author. Because the argument is mainly focused on the primary sources of OutKast’s albums, this type of evidence is the basis of the argument. Although there were no secondary sources used, the analysis of the narrative evidence was very detailed.
The biggest weakness to Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South was its lack of secondary sources. As previously discussed, if Bradley had acknowledged other scholar’s thoughts on OutKast’s contribution to the hip-hop South, it could show the diverse perspectives on the topic and prove that her insights aren’t singular. Additionally, while the essence was on OutKast’s musical contributions, the portion of the argument focused on the South’s evolving identity in the 1970s-1990s through hip-hop could have been stronger if other southern hip-hop albums were studied.
On the other hand, one of the book’s strengths was its detailed analysis of OutKast’s music and its purpose in other source’s films, books, or other historical events. It is clear the author has completed a large amount of research about OutKast and their impact on society and culture. I especially like the way she broke down each album in the first chapter and focused on what she thought the correlation to the South’s culture was in not just the music, but also in the music videos. The portions about her experiences in the south are beneficial because they help the audience understand the culture of the South now and how it was affected by the past.
Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South by Regina Bradley is a book I would recommend to a high school or young adult audience. There is a lot of evidence and reasoning to take in that I think this group can handle. I also believe this book would be very beneficial for students studying music history or black culture between the periods of 1960-1990, as a lot of the content requires some prior knowledge of other southern hip-hop groups. Overall, Bradley’s argument that Southern hip-hop reflects the current struggles of the Black community as they strive for progress despite the work their ancestors fought for is convincing, but could use some secondary sources to make it stronger.
September 6, 2023
3.5 stars. Not quite what it says on the tin. I expected more musical analysis, but it's pretty strictly literary/lyrical. In fact a sizable portion of the book is dedicated to literary analysis of various novels, TV, and movies (only one of which I have seen/read). Her project in those chapters was to show how hip-hop, and specifically southern hip-hop, affected or inspired these works. Not being familiar with those artworks made it harder to judge, but I at least enjoyed her treatment of Django Unchained.
I thought she did a great job of interweaving her own life and experiences into her"musical" analyses, particularly toward the end when she shows how trap can be a site of processing grief. I put "musical" in scare quotes because she mostly analyses the lyrical content of the music. For example in defining trap music and its origins, she doesn't mention any of these distinctive (and distinctively southern) traits: snare placement on the 3 instead of 2 & 4, tuned kicks, hyperactive hi-hats, triplet flows, etc. The music analysis, and what makes certain musical choices, is much stronger in the first quarter of the book that focuses on OutKast, but I would have preferred a lot more. Perhaps that book is out there, or is being written now!
Probably the only time I'll come across Big Boi and "reify," or T.I. and Lacan in the same sentence, for whatever that's worth.
I thought she did a great job of interweaving her own life and experiences into her"musical" analyses, particularly toward the end when she shows how trap can be a site of processing grief. I put "musical" in scare quotes because she mostly analyses the lyrical content of the music. For example in defining trap music and its origins, she doesn't mention any of these distinctive (and distinctively southern) traits: snare placement on the 3 instead of 2 & 4, tuned kicks, hyperactive hi-hats, triplet flows, etc. The music analysis, and what makes certain musical choices, is much stronger in the first quarter of the book that focuses on OutKast, but I would have preferred a lot more. Perhaps that book is out there, or is being written now!
Probably the only time I'll come across Big Boi and "reify," or T.I. and Lacan in the same sentence, for whatever that's worth.
April 16, 2021
Using music as a lens to study the post civil rights era South acknowledges how dynamic the region is along with grappling with family/community expectations throughout the generations. Bradley's literature analysis inspires book recommendations and invites readers to consider how hip hop engages with the written word.
August 11, 2025
The first and fourth chapter of this book were some of the most interesting, layered analysis I’ve read in some time. The middle chapters, while obviously well written and researched, didn’t connect with me as much as I simply wasn’t as familiar with the non-hip hop world being discussed. Still a really neat read.
March 24, 2021
This book was both enjoyable and enlightening. Although the study about the impact of Hip-Hop on the post-civil rights era South was very academic, Bradley successfully combined the latter with very personal, beautiful passages.
Read
April 18, 2021Read for school, and am so glad for that. Bradley balances emotion with academic analysis to portray the importance of Outkast and southern hip hop/culture in ways that, at times, extend far beyond music. It’s such an interesting and thought provoking read.
January 10, 2022
this book is great! definitely written with an academic tilt and definitely not just about outkast. but it’s super interesting and a great read - i loved the way bradley broke down and analyzed their entire discography. i also loved her stories about growing up in georgia!
March 3, 2025
A great and dense book using Hip Hop as center of a much larger discussion. Well executed and thoughtful in a way that Hip Hop (especially southern Hip Hop) is often overlooked as a vehicle for commenting on culture at large.
April 16, 2021
Dr. Bradley = southern Black genius personified. I especially appreciated the "Still Ain't Forgave Myself" chapter.
July 12, 2023
Loved the audio version. Also how the author used OutKast music to tell the history of the south and influence other writers.
July 19, 2023
Not a fan of hip-hop, so this was a wonderful exploration of music that I'd heard about, but hadn't really understood or appreciated.
July 27, 2023
Really really excellent blend of analysis and personal stories. Fascinating, enlightening, and fun.
May 17, 2025
This is what an academic book should be: rigorous scholarship and moving, engaging scholarship.
August 21, 2025
One of my great joys in life is to read well done academic assessments of pop culture. I love it when someone points out the deep in a subject others may have considered shallow.
I first heard Dr. Bradley on NPR, and I made a note because I've always enjoyed Outkast's music. I'm far from an expert, but they are definitely a part of the soundtrack of my life. "Rosa Parks" and "B.O.B." were part of my introduction to living in Atlanta. If I hear "So Fresh, So Clean" then I'm taken back to when I taught at McEachern. The marching band played the main riff from that song, and it was delightful. "The Whole World" reminds me of being pregnant with Connor. I have a thousand memories of dancing to "Hey Ya" at assorted conferences. As I had suspected, there's a depth to Outkast lyrics. Dr. Bradley discusses Outkast's discography importance to hip hop, the south, and her own life.
I had no idea Outkast had been booed at the Source Awards back in 1994, but I wasn't shocked. Being southern and thus discounted as backwards would, of course, be one of their identities. I may not know anything about being Black men, but I do know the sting of being discounted because I'm southern. On the whole, however, I simply appreciate the music and the lyrics. I'm a sucker for wit and truth--especially when the two come together.
Other essays in the book were a welcome bonus. I've read Laymon's Heavy but not Long Division. Also this is the eleventy billionth nudge from the universe to read more Jessamyn Ward so...I'd best get on that.
I also found the discussion of modern hip hop juxtaposed with historical settings on TV and in film to be revelatory.
Finally, the greatest strength of this book is how Dr. Bradley relates the personal to both the academic and the cultural. Absolutely refreshing to see a scholar put herself into her work--and my saying that is probably a good indicator of how long it's been since I've read much academia. She may have even convinced me to give trap another go even though it's not traditionally been my favorite.
I first heard Dr. Bradley on NPR, and I made a note because I've always enjoyed Outkast's music. I'm far from an expert, but they are definitely a part of the soundtrack of my life. "Rosa Parks" and "B.O.B." were part of my introduction to living in Atlanta. If I hear "So Fresh, So Clean" then I'm taken back to when I taught at McEachern. The marching band played the main riff from that song, and it was delightful. "The Whole World" reminds me of being pregnant with Connor. I have a thousand memories of dancing to "Hey Ya" at assorted conferences. As I had suspected, there's a depth to Outkast lyrics. Dr. Bradley discusses Outkast's discography importance to hip hop, the south, and her own life.
I had no idea Outkast had been booed at the Source Awards back in 1994, but I wasn't shocked. Being southern and thus discounted as backwards would, of course, be one of their identities. I may not know anything about being Black men, but I do know the sting of being discounted because I'm southern. On the whole, however, I simply appreciate the music and the lyrics. I'm a sucker for wit and truth--especially when the two come together.
Other essays in the book were a welcome bonus. I've read Laymon's Heavy but not Long Division. Also this is the eleventy billionth nudge from the universe to read more Jessamyn Ward so...I'd best get on that.
I also found the discussion of modern hip hop juxtaposed with historical settings on TV and in film to be revelatory.
Finally, the greatest strength of this book is how Dr. Bradley relates the personal to both the academic and the cultural. Absolutely refreshing to see a scholar put herself into her work--and my saying that is probably a good indicator of how long it's been since I've read much academia. She may have even convinced me to give trap another go even though it's not traditionally been my favorite.
August 22, 2021
"'The South still got something to say.'"
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