how women of color resist subjugation and do solidarity. She has also published in Womanism Rising, Rethinking Women's and Gender Studies II, The Cultural Impact of Kanye West, the Journal of Popular Culture, the Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships, and Indivisible: Alliances against Racism and contributed to NewBlackMan, NPR, and Bitch.
Lewis applied the “Page 99 Test” to her new book, Make Rappers Rap Again: Interrogating the Mumble Rap "Crisis", and shared the following:
Page 99 is in “‘Outsiders are welcome—but not, of course, necessary!’: The South,” the third chapter of Make Rappers Rap Again. Here is where I begin to explain the subjugation of Mumble Rap by situating it as Southern, noting most mumble rappers are from the South and that the subgenre is largely powered by Southern DJs and producers. I more substantially underscore the Southernness of Mumble Rap by examining mumble rappers’ discursive claims to the South in their lyrics and music videos and the ways they showcase Southern pride and/or appreciation vis-à-vis citational and collaborative politics.Visit Heidi R. Lewis's website, and check out the companion site for Make Rappers Rap Again.
At the top of page 99, there’s a screengrab from Missy Elliott’s music video for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (1997). Underneath is the conclusion of the paragraph that begins on the previous page, a discussion about the ways mumble rapper StaySolidRocky (Virginia) has been influenced by Missy and Pharrell Williams, Hip Hop’s Virginia old heads. The following paragraph, which concludes on the next page, is the start of a discussion about The Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo). I understand Ford’s original claim about the Page 99 Test to be focused on the quality of a text. In that way, page 99 gives readers a relatively good idea about the overall quality of Make Rappers Rap Again.
First, my argumentation is largely anchored by my decades long and very close relationship with Hip Hop, as well as my careful study of and attention to its vast history. I don’t simply argue Mumble Rap is “real Hip Hop” because I like a great deal of it. I make that argument by examining its congruence with myriad definitions of real Hip Hop. To do that effectively, I had to “dig in the crates” early and often. So, I was glad to see at least one footnote on page 99, because the book is heavily footnoted, and the bibliography is extensive.
Second, discourse analysis is my primary methodology. Discourses are highly regulated statements and concepts, but they’re also highly regulated technologies and practices, and I made every effort to be as comprehensive as possible in that regard. So, I was also glad to see an image on the page. I feature a lot of visuals so readers can better understand my arguments and perhaps develop their own. For that reason, the companion website features those same images (in color), playlists of all the music videos and songs I examine, and my interview with DJ Drama.
--Marshal Zeringue
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