k-punk

HIP HOP AND THE BLACK ECONOMY

Fascinating piece by Abe (prompted by a great post bySteven Shaviro about Ghostface's new album) on hip hop mixtapes (actually a misnomer, since, as Abe points out, many of the 'tapes' are issued on CD and some involve no mixing whatsoever). Abe argues that many hip hop artists effectively operate in two economies: the legal, white economy, controlled and regulated, and the more vivacious black economy, where samples are used without permission.