| Jeff Chang | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Music critic, journalist |
| Notable award(s) | American Book Award |
|
www.cantstopwontstop.com |
|
Jeff Chang is an American journalist and music critic on hip hop music and culture. His 2005 book, Can't Stop Won't Stop, which chronicles the early hip hop scene, won an American Book Award in 2005.[1] His writings have appeared in publications such as URB, The Bomb, San Francisco Chronicle, the Village Voice, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Vibe, Spin, The Nation, and Mother Jones.
Chang is of Chinese and Hawaii descent,[2] and he is a 1985 graduate of Iolani School.[3] He was a founding member of the Solesides record label while a DJ at a UC Davis college radio station, which was the home to acts like DJ Shadow and Blackalicious before it was recreated as Quannum Projects without Chang's involvement.
Chang's 2007 book, Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop, is an anthology of essays and interviews documenting the impact of hip hop beyond music and the "four elements". According to its companion website, following the release of Total Chaos, Chang held a series of public panel discussions to further explore the subject.
Chang's next book is entitled Who We Be: The Colorization of America, where he moves away from hip hop to focus on "the cultural implications of the new American majority"[4] and "the social history, the cultural influence -- and the massive selling -- of multiculturalism in America over the last thirty years".[5]