Winner: W.E.B.

Du Bois Book Award In the world of hip-hip, keeping it real has always been a primary goal--and realness takes on special meaning as rappers mold their images for street cred and increasingly measure authenticity by ghetto-centric notions of who's badder? In this groundbreaking book, Jeffrey O.G.

Ogbar celebrates hip-hop and confronts the cult of authenticity that defines its essential character--that dictates how performers walk, talk, and express themselves artistically and also influences the consumer market.