Within a dozen years of its ascendancy, commercially successful hip hop became increasingly saturated with caricatures of black ganstas, thugs, pimps, and ‘hos. The controversy surrounding hop hop is worth attending to because, as scholar and cultural critic Tricia Rose argues, hip hop has become a primary means by which we talk about race in the United States. 

In The Hip Hop Wars, Tricia explores the most crucial issues underlying the polarized claims on each side of the debate: Does hip hop cause violence, or merely reflect a violent ghetto culture? Is hip hop sexist, or are its detractors simply anti-sex? 
With fervor, subtlety, and fairness to both sides, Tricia explores the divisive, vitriolic debate about race and culture in America, concluding with a call for the revitalization of the progressive and creative heart of hip hop.