Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion. Let the Soil Play its Simple Part Released June 25, 2021. Nonesuch Records, SKU#075597915891, 2021. CD

Abstract

makes space for these contradictions inherent in hip-hop, the ways it can both speak to oppression and be itself oppressive, especially along gender lines. A critical, feminist approach to its history would celebrate these artists’ contributions while also honestly acknowledging the harm they may have caused. To downplay these complexities is yet another way to marginalize women and LGBTQ+ practitioners in the genre. If an instructor were to use episodes of this series to introduce students to topics related to the history and development of the genre, I would strongly recommend supplementing them with additional materials. Readings that I incorporate in my own hip-hop courses to decenter the otherwise male(and hetero-) centric narratives include Kyra Gaunt’s repositioning of Black girl culture within hip-hop, Tricia Rose’s foundational anthropological study of rap, Shanté Smalls’s historiography of queer hip-hop, and Cheryl L. Keyes’s work on archetypes of women rappers. Hip-Hop Evolution might be a useful tool for introducing students to the genre, but when curating materials for teaching this subject, we must be mindful of not only content but also framing. We should avoid a process of canonization that tokenizes a few women, or worse, writes them out of the story altogether.