5 Grams

Crack Cocaine, Rap Music, and the War on Drugs

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Crimes & Criminals, Criminology
Cover of the book 5 Grams by Dimitri A. Bogazianos, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Dimitri A. Bogazianos ISBN: 9780814723067
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: December 1, 2011
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Dimitri A. Bogazianos
ISBN: 9780814723067
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: December 1, 2011
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a law repealing one of the most controversial policies in American criminal justice history: the one hundred to one sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder whereby someone convicted of “simply” possessing five grams of crack—the equivalent of a few sugar packets—had been required by law to serve no less than five years in prison. In this highly original work, Dimitri A. Bogazianos draws on various sources to examine the profound symbolic consequences of America’s reliance on this punishment structure, tracing the rich cultural linkages between America’s War on Drugs, and the creative contributions of those directly affected by its destructive effects.

Focusing primarily on lyrics that emerged in 1990s New York rap, which critiqued the music industry for being corrupt, unjust, and criminal, Bogazianos shows how many rappers began drawing parallels between the “rap game” and the “crack game." He argues that the symbolism of crack in rap’s stance towards its own commercialization represents a moral debate that is far bigger than hip hop culture, highlighting the degree to which crack cocaine—although a drug long in decline—has come to represent the entire paradoxical predicament of punishment in the U.S. today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a law repealing one of the most controversial policies in American criminal justice history: the one hundred to one sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder whereby someone convicted of “simply” possessing five grams of crack—the equivalent of a few sugar packets—had been required by law to serve no less than five years in prison. In this highly original work, Dimitri A. Bogazianos draws on various sources to examine the profound symbolic consequences of America’s reliance on this punishment structure, tracing the rich cultural linkages between America’s War on Drugs, and the creative contributions of those directly affected by its destructive effects.

Focusing primarily on lyrics that emerged in 1990s New York rap, which critiqued the music industry for being corrupt, unjust, and criminal, Bogazianos shows how many rappers began drawing parallels between the “rap game” and the “crack game." He argues that the symbolism of crack in rap’s stance towards its own commercialization represents a moral debate that is far bigger than hip hop culture, highlighting the degree to which crack cocaine—although a drug long in decline—has come to represent the entire paradoxical predicament of punishment in the U.S. today.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Global TV by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Slavery before Race by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Musical ImagiNation by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book The End of the World As We Know It by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Fashioning Fat by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Ethnology and Empire by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Classical Arabic Literature by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Double Jeopardy by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book In a Queer Time and Place by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Free Speech Beyond Words by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Growing Up Queer by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Rustic Warriors by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book The Holocaust Across Generations by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Anti-Americanism by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
Cover of the book Outside the Lines by Dimitri A. Bogazianos
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy