The Beat: Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C.

A history of the distinctive, capital sound that fuses hip-hop, funk, and soul The Beat! was the first book to explore the musical, social, and cultural phenomenon of go-go music. In this new edition, updated by a substantial chapter on the current scene, authors Kip Lornell and Charles C. Stephenson, Jr., place go-go within black popular music made since the middle 1970s--a period during which hip-hop has predominated. This styling reflects the District's African American heritage. Its super-charged drumming and vocal combinations of hip-hop, funk, and soul evolved and still thrive on the streets of Washington, D.C., and in neighboring Prince George's County, making it the most geographically compact form of popular music. Go-go--the only musical form indigenous to Washington, D.C.--features a highly syncopated, nonstop beat and vocals that are spoken as well as sung. The book chronicles its development and ongoing popularity, focusing on many of its key figures and institutions, including established acts such as Chuck Brown (the Godfather of Go-Go), Experience Unlimited, Rare Essence, and Trouble Funk; well-known DJs, managers, and promoters; and film- makers who have incorporated it into their work. Now updated and back in print, The Beat! provides longtime fans and those who study American musical forms a definitive look at the music and its makers.

Author: Kip Lornell, Charles C. Stephenson Jr.
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Published: 01/23/2012
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.90w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781604732412

About the Author
Kip Lornell teaches at George Washington University, and among his many books are Exploring American Folk Music: Ethnic, Grassroots, and Regional Traditions in the United States and Shreveport Sounds in Black and White. Charles C. Stephenson Jr. is a political and cultural activist, the original manager of Experience Unlimited, cofounder of the Malcolm X Day Celebration, former chair of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and a member of the Washington Area Music Association and NARAS.