Can't Stop Won't Stop (Young Adult Edition): A Hip-Hop History

Can’t Stop Won’t Stop (Young Adult Edition)

• Genre: Nonfiction; social and cultural history
• Originally Published: 2020
• Reading Level/Interest: Young Adult/College
• Structure/Length: 4 parts; 19 chapters; approx. 330 pages; approx. 12.5 hours on audio
• Central Concern: Writer and journalist Chang presents a comprehensive history of the musical genre hip-hop and discusses its social and cultural impact as a global movement.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Profanity; racism and racial conflict; dialogue that includes use of the redacted n-word

Jeff Chang, Author

• Bio: Born in Honolulu; journalist and music historian who writes on cultural, social, and political topics; co-founded the May 19th Project and the daily news site Colorlines
• Other Works: Who We Be: The Colorization of America (2014), which was republished as Who We Be: A Cultural History of Race in Post-Civil Rights America (2016); We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation (2016)
• Awards: American Book Award (original adult edition; 2005); Asian American Literary Award (original adult edition; 2006)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Hip-Hop as a Source of Unity
• The Voice of the Youth
• The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social, historical, and political contexts regarding hip-hop culture and examine personal views related to hip-hop culture and art
• Analyze short paired texts and other resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Hip-Hop as a Source of Unity, The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture, and The Voice of the Youth
• Create and present a slideshow based on text details and research that accurately conveys one hip-hop artist’s objectives, messaging, and political activism
• Examine and appraise the author’s purpose to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding misconceptions about hip-hop, the genre’s historical evolution, the establishment of voice in hip-hop, and other topics.