MixedPopMatters... a knowledgable and passionate tribute ... a monument to women in music keeping it moving despite the obstacles, as a genre was being birthed on the fly ... Indeed, while God Save the Queens is rap-specific, much of what Iandoli reports applies to women everywhere ... What Iandoli does best is to present these rap women as artists and people of agency and intelligence (and in fan-friendly, relatable prose, which many readers will likely appreciate). We can agree or disagree with their choices, like or dislike their music, but we come to respect them as artists who found their ways through a system that is not designed to nurture their growth ... A story that can at times seem depressing ends on a note of optimism ... a much-needed corrective to the Great Man interpretation of hip-hop history, foregrounding the involvement of women every step of the way, and the evolution of that involvement. But it is far from a complete corrective. Even though it\'s subtitled The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop, it only scratches the surface of what that subtitle proclaims ... Perhaps this is due to Iandoli\'s background as a music journalist and industry staffer, but there is virtually no consideration of female participation in the non-rap elements of hip-hop ... If the act of saying these rappers\' names and telling their stories is a giant step forward, tracking down women elsewhere within the culture would have been an even bigger one ... Another segment of the rap community not discussed here is the women who danced in rap videos ... But the most important segment of the hip-hop community not heard from here is its female audience ... It will be a shame if those who come to this book for stories about the music and their beloved artists don\'t take their reading and thinking on the subject to the next level. As it is, the performers featured here express the issues quite clearly from their lived experiences, and there is untold validity and, at times, inspiration in what they say to us.
Timuel D. Black
RavePopMattersTimuel Black is a national treasure ... It\'s almost as if, after compiling two volumes of oral histories...he turned the microphone around and recorded his own amazing tale. Sacred Ground: The Chicago Streets of Timuel Black captures with amazing detail the legendary black folk around him throughout his youth ... Reading Sacred Ground isn\'t quite the same as reading a formal history of black Chicago, but it\'s a vivid supplement that gives life to a dry recitation of dates and names. Black\'s love for his home is palpable.
Robert Christgau
PositivePop Mattersa wonderful roundup of how [Christgau\'s] approached the music that has moved him over the years. It\'s by no means a definitive summary of all the Important Pop Music since then; three acts not covered here are Jimi Hendrix, Talking Heads and Drake. Instead, it uncovers the ideas— and the beats— that have animated Christgau\'s work, all while presenting the chops that distinguish him as a thinker and writer ... You may or may not be compelled to seek out the music he writes about, or you may wholeheartedly disagree with his assessment of that music, but you will enjoy the way he writes about it.\
