Can't Stop Won't Stop

A History of the Hip-Hop Generation

De: Jeff Chang

Narrado por: Mirron Willis

Forged in the fires of the Bronx and Kingston, Jamaica, hip-hop became the Esperanto of youth rebellion and a generation-defining movement. In a post-civil rights era defined by deindustrialization and globalization, hip-hop crystallized a multiracial, polycultural generation's worldview and transformed American politics and culture. But that epic story has never been told with this kind of breadth, insight, and style.

Based on original interviews with DJs, b-boys, rappers, graffiti writers, activists, and gang members, with unforgettable portraits of many of hip-hop's forebears, founders, and mavericks, including DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D, and Ice Cube, Can't Stop Won't Stop chronicles the events, the ideas, the music, and the art that marked the hip-hop generation's rise from the ashes of the '60s into the new millennium. Here is a powerful cultural and social history of the end of the American century and a provocative look into the new world that the hip-hop generation created.

©2005 Jeff Chang; introduction copyright 2005 by DJ Kool Herc (P)2016 Tantor

Pretty good rendering of an incredible book!

Most definitely worth reading the actual book which is incredible. But they did a more than decent job with the audio version (with the exception of a few mispronounced names/places/titles) - it's Jeru the DAM-aja, not dah-MAH-jah 😆.

Audiobook is read by a robot

Would you listen to Can't Stop Won't Stop again? Why?

No, the narrator reads it like a robot. There's no emotion, grit or inflection, just a staccato flow of words. Pretty bad.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Nothing.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Mirron Willis?

Morgan Freeman, Ice Cube, Larry Fishburne.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My extreme reaction was that the narrator reads like someone taking elocution classes.

Any additional comments?

I'd like to return this.

Perfect history... with one exception

Absolutely loved this book. A thoroughly researched history of not only hip hop, but the relation of the music to race and social justice over the last decades. Definitely one of the better books you'll come across whether you are a fan of hip hop or not. But...

For a book that goes into such deep and absorbing detail into even the lesser known parts of the hip hop story, there is a fairly shocking absence. Though mentioned a few times in passing, there is virtually nothing on Tupac or Biggie. The book is so well done that I have to assume this was intentional. But how can you write a definitive history of the art and its affects on politics and culture and not include a chapter on Tupac? Yes, he's occasionally referred to, but if you're going to include a whole chapter on Go Go (which I love) then not having a chapter on one of the most influential people in rap and culture over the last quarter century stands out.

But even with that said, the book is a high recommendation. I enjoyed it so much that I was really looking forward to the detailed chapter on Tupac and Biggie, so perhaps my enjoyment of the book is what made that absence such a letdown.

Hopefully Chang will devote another anthology to just that section alone. I'll be the first to buy a copy.

Narration gets better

The narration for the 1st hour or so is horrible, but thankfully it gets better. The substance of the book is great.

Loved every word.

Illustrates the atmosphere and landscape that helped firm the foundation that Hip-Hop was built on.

about so much more than music

never really appreciated the history behind the tunes until reading this. carries the narrative forward all the way to BLM. highly recommended.

Hip Hop History Lesson

Can't Stop, Won't Stop did a really deep dive into the conditions that led to the birth of Hip Hop in New York City and even gave a detailed account of how Jamaica was an integral part as well. The story is very thorough and gives insight into all variables that presented challenges to Hip Hop as well as those things that contributed to its eventual global expansion. I especially loved how the book brought receipts to illustrate some of the corrupt forces and the war on youth of color that many people who have came up as a part of their respective "Hip Hop Generation" had to face (and still are to this day). Overall, it's a great work that I say is a must-read for any fan of Hip Hop.

Great book!

He really did a wonderful job detailing the cultural and social history for each generation. I would love a book from him sometime in the future on today's generation.

I bought the audio book version also but the narrator wasn't good. It felt like it was his first time reading the book and everything sounded like a promo.

excellent contribution

this book is superb. provides the history, economic, social background on the history, economical, and social background that create the musical genre Hip Hop. a must read for music history buffs

Worth every second!

An investment of your time that is worth every second. Jeff Chang gives us a masterpiece in literature. ✊🏼