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

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

LOOP 1

1. Who is the creator of breakbeat, the music style foundational to hip-hop?

2. What happened to the Bronx in the 1960s?

3. How many gangs existed in the Bronx in the 1970s?

4. What was the name of Afrika Bambaataa’s crew?

5. Which President’s economic policies wreaked havoc on Black and Latinx communities in the early 1980s?

6. What manufactured hip-hop song became the first rap song to be played on the radio?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What are the four elements of hip-hop, and how did each element contribute to the formation of hip-hop culture?

2. What were pioneer DJs in the Bronx trying to achieve?

3. Why is Chapter 5 titled “Hip-Hop Is Dead”?

Paired Resource

Afrika Bambaataa – “Planet Rock”

• Afrika Bambaataa was a pioneer DJ in the Bronx, and this is the track that became a hit in clubs all around the world. He sought to unite the Bronx and the world with his music, pairing white electronica sounds with Black hip-hop sounds.
• This resource supports the themes Hip-Hop as a Source of Unity and The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture.
• Most Black or Latinx youth in the Bronx in the 1970s never heard breakbeat and electronica mixed before. How do you think these youths attending Bambaataa’s block jams felt when they heard him play this song for the first time? What might they have seen or heard around them at the block party as others heard the song for the first time?

“DJ Kool Herc’s ‘Merry-Go-Round’ Technique”

• An explanation of the technique that DJ Kool Herc used to create his breakbeat music that spawned hip-hop
• The explanation connects to the theme of The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture.
• What songs can you think of that use this technique? What musical genres besides hip-hop use this technique?

LOOP 2

Reading Check

1. Who was the biggest rap crew in 1984?

2. Who was the Queen from Queens?

3. What machine changed the course of music?

4. What did KRS-ONE start out as?

5. What was happening in South Africa in the 1980s that caused many hip-hop artists to become activists?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What were the primary changes that took place in hip-hop between 1983 and 1990?

2. What were some of the consequences of racial segregation in America, particularly in the Bronx and Los Angeles?

3. Why was hip-hop and its music becoming so important to Black people in America in the 1980s?

Paired Resource

“A History of Apartheid in South Africa”

• A brief summary of apartheid in South Africa, its origins, consequences, and how/why it ended
• This source reflects the themes of Hip-Hop as a Source of Unity and The Voice of the Youth. 
• How are the issues faced by Black people in America similar to issues in South Africa during Apartheid?

“How to Use a Sampler—The Art of Sampling, Explained”

• This instructional article explains what a sampler is and how it is used in music with examples of popular songs that either use sampling or are commonly used as samples.
• This source connects to the theme of The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture.
• What are you noticing about the techniques and instruments used in hip-hop music?

LOOP 3

Reading Check

1. In what city was Rodney King a victim of police brutality?

2. Which rap artist caused controversy with his honest lyrics?

3. What geographical locations engaged in a hip-hop feud in the 1990s?

4. Which two major hip-hop artists died in their prime because of the hip-hop feud?

5. Which female hip-hop crew became the first to have a record deal?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What happened after the Rodney King verdict?

2. How did the hip-hop feud end, and what were the changes artists proclaimed for the future of hip-hop?

3. What unique challenges do female hip-hop artists face, and how did female crews in the 90s overcome these challenges?

Paired Resource

Rodney King’s Public Statement

• Statement made by Rodney King during the LA riots in 1992 in which he pleads for an end to the violence
• The theme of Hip-Hop as a Source of Unity applies to this source.
• Is violence a justified means of protest? Why or why not?

“Public Enemy”

• This article describes the impact of Public Enemy on hip-hop as a worldwide phenomenon and on politics; the site includes videos and photos.
• This source expresses the theme of The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture.
• What is Public Enemy’s message, and how do they spread it?

LOOP 4

Reading Check

1. Who became the new queen of hip-hop in the late 1990s?

2. What album did the Notorious B.I.G. release after Tupac’s death?

3. Who was The Great White Hope?

4. Who was the biggest demographic of hip-hop consumers by the turn of the millennium?

5. Which dance style did Jerry Rentie invent that would later inspire b-boys and b-girls?

Short-Answer Response

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How was Eminem received by hip-hop culture and by the world? How did he change as his career developed?

2. What are the connections between the Watts riots, the Black Panther Party, the LA riots, and Black Lives Matter?

3. How did hip-hop become a worldwide youth culture, and who were the crews responsible?

Recommended Next Reads

“Black Lives Matter in Historical Perspective”

• Scholarly article discussing the history of the Black Lives Matter movement and the preceding movements that helped inspire its inception
• The themes of The Voice of the Youth and Hip-Hop as a Source of Unity are both supported by this source. 
• Why are political movements like Black Lives Matter so important?

“The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” by Langston Hughes

• Hughes’ essay addresses the systemic limitations faced by Black people regarding their creativity; it includes an introduction and notes.
• This source connects to the themes of Hip-Hop as Source of Unity, The Voice of the Youth, and The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture.
• “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” on SuperSummary
• With a small group, discuss what you consider to be the limitations faced by Black artists in America and what can be done about them.