Blowin’ Up
Rap Dreams in South Central
- Contents
- Review Quotes
- Awards

Introduction: Rap Dreams and Existential Urgency
Part I. Becoming Rappers
Chapter 1. Growing Up in Gangland
Chapter 2. Masters of Ceremony
Chapter 3. Freestyle
Chapter 4. Battle
Part II. Trying to Blow Up
Chapter 5. Cautionary Tales
Chapter 6. Almost Famous
Chapter 7. Ditching the Day Job
Chapter 8. Gang Violence and Dreams Derailed
Conclusion: Nurturing the Creative Lives of Young Black Men
Shout Outs
Methods Appendix: Videos in Ethnography
Notes
References
group cohesion. . . .An important book that will be valued and praised by those concerned with theory development and those interested in propelling social change. It is broadly appealing, speaking directly to ethnographers but also
to those interested in creative work and industries, small groups, artistic careers, youth, crime, and the sociology of emotions.”
“In Blowin' Up, Lee does an amazing job of illuminating the lives of black men in one of Los Angeles’s underground rap scenes. His engaging, accessible, and descriptive book takes us vividly inside this world, and it is one of a kind in terms of looking at the careers and lives of underground rappers.”
Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction: Charles H. Cooley Award
Won
Anthropology: Cultural and Social Anthropology
Music: Ethnomusicology
Sociology: Race, Ethnic, and Minority Relations | Urban and Rural Sociology
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