Contemporary Theory and Black Music: "Most of My Heroes Don't Appear on No Stamps": The Dialogics of Rap Music

A discussion of the history, origin and rise of rap music and hip-hop culture is presented. Wheeler discusses the beginnings of rap in the context of both its original African American community settings, and in its position as a genre of popular music worldwide. According to Wheeler, the idea of "rapping" is the existence of black expression within the theoretical context of dialogism and popular speech. The author compares the differences in lyrical content of two rap songs; one for its adherence to social issues, the other as a sub-genre of rap dedicated to dancing.