Graffiti was used to spread awareness of one’s existence as a hip-hop artist and build a reputation. The youth who would attend these parties invented a new and competitive form of dance called breakdancing, which became a pivotal aspect of the culture. This music was mixed with MCing, in which a person would rap, call out to the crowd, and introduce other acts. Original pioneers of hip-hop, including DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa, were some of the first to DJ and hire MCs, organizing block parties in which they would mix and repeat music, focusing heavily on breaks, to create songs that were full of energy and strong beats. Gang activity rose to unprecedented levels, and the youth needed a way to express and enjoy themselves without violence. Hip-hop originally emerged in the Bronx in New York City during a time of mass displacement and unemployment. Jeff Chang explains that there are four main elements to hip-hop, including DJing, MCing, b-boying/b-girling, and graffiti. The first loop, from 1969-1982, showcases the emergence of hip-hop as a musical genre, dance style, art form, and culture. Jeff Chang organizes the history of hip-hop into four loops based on when he considers the biggest changes in its evolution to have taken place. This guide utilizes the 2021 e-book version. The Young Adult Edition of the book is presented to a younger audience, which means some content has been removed from the original, especially that which includes offensive language and extreme descriptions of violence. The book was the recipient of the American Book Award in 2005.F He now works as a hip-hop historian and media activist.

David Cook is a pioneer of hip-hop, who grew up in the Bronx and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and worked with many important DJs over the years. Anti-racist and anti-apartheid in South Africa protests and the music they inspired led Jeff Chang to become interested in the connection between music and politics and write his book on the history of hip-hop.

Jeff Chang earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of California, Berkeley where he was influenced heavily by the political movements happening at the time. Jeff Chang is an American journalist, music critic, and historian who, in 1993, co-founded the hip-hop label Solesides, which aided in the launching of artists like DJ Shadow and Blackalicious. Can’t Stop Won’t Stop (Young Adult Edition) is an abridged version of the original 2005 non-fiction historical account of the origin and evolution of hip-hop culture written by Jeff Chang and David “Davey D” Cook.

Can't Stop Won't Stop by Jeff Chang