Hip-Hop Archives

“The variety of voices in Hip-Hop Archives is impressive. The mix of international contexts, especially incorporating the voices of scenes that developed under oppressive regimes, are eye-opening for the central metaphor of knowledge production. Campbell and Forman truly get at the egalitarian and universal form of hip-hop, while acknowledging both African American roots and the varying reasons some founders are left out, closing with beautiful, insightful, and passionate interviews.”

-- Courtney E. Chartier, Columbia University Libraries

“This innovative and accessible collection explores hip-hop practices that attest to its longevity, impact, and value. Of course, even with the global dissemination, adoption, and adaptation of hip-hop, this is also about the politics, community, and culture of Black people as the fount of this vital practice and knowledge, underlining the necessity of recording and archiving this history. Many contributors speak from empirical experience and their role in establishing the culture and its preservation attests to book’s authority and authenticity.”

-- Paul Long, Monash University

'Dozens of books have been published on the history of hip-hop, preserving timelines and the experiences of many artists and audiences, building narratives, and capturing the culture as it developed. Hip-Hop Archives concerns the next step: a desire to systematically preserve as much cultural heritage as possible, even in challenging formats such as graffiti. Institutions, DIY efforts, and other organizations are undertaking this work, using traditional and non-traditional methods and a decolonized framework. The purpose of this book is to fill gaps in the literature on archiving hip-hop’s material and nonmaterial culture before they are lost, destroyed, or sold to the highest bidder. 

Hip-Hop Archives is completely unique in its approach as a collection of essays written by academics and artists, all with a background in hip-hop culture. The topics covered range from collecting, archiving, and overcoming format problems to archiving hip-hop culture in communist and post-communist countries. It also contains three interviews with archivists and a dozen illustrations. Recommended.'

-- CH