Hip Hop Ain't Dead

The book, Hip Hop Ain’t Dead: It’s Livin’ In the White House, is about a man, Barack Obama, who made history. By first, becoming the first Black President in the history of the United States, and second, shattering the mold of conventional politics by making hip hop culture his political ally. Obama’s public relationship with hip hop throughout his presidency caused just as much of an explosion of public dialogue as his place in history as the first Black American President.   

The author Sanford Richmond details moments of his childhood as a hip hop fan, witnessing—and even personally experiencing—firsthand some of the historical moments that granted hip hop the control and influence over the American mainstream that the culture has maintained for the last two decades.

Obama’s historical presence at the White House, influenced by the social and cultural power of hip hop, should guide and inspire conversations about race relations throughout the duration of the 21st century.