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Through rap and hip hop, entertainers have provided a voice questioning and challenging the sanctioned view of society. Examining the moral and social implications of Kanye West´s art in the context of Western civilization´s preconceived ideas, the contributors consider how West both challenges religious and moral norms and propagates them.

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Foreword; Davey D Preface ; Julius Bailey PART I: REVISITING THE PHARMAKON: ARTISTIC GIFTS/HUMAN COMPLEXITIES 1. Now I Ain´t Saying He´s a ´Crate Digger´: Kanye West and the Soul Archive; Mark Anthony Neal 2. Kanye West: Asterisk Genius?; Akil Houston 3. Afrofuturism: The Visual Imagery of Kanye West; Reynaldo Anderson and John Jennings 4. You got Kanyed: Seen But Not Heard; David J. Leonard 5. ´An Examination of the Kanye West Higher Education Trilogy; Heidi R. Lewis PART II: UNPACKING HETERO-NORMATIVITY AND COMPLICATING RACE AND GENDER 6. ´By Any Means Necessary´: Kanye West and the Hypermasculine Construct; Sha´Dawn Battle 7. Kanye West´s Sonic Cosmopolitanism; Regina Bradley 8. ´Hard to Get Straight´ Kanye West, Masculine Anxiety, Dis-identification; Tim´m West 9. You Can´t Stand the Nigger I See!: Kanye West´s Analysis of Anti-Black Death; Tommy Curry PART III: THEORIZING THE AESTHETIC, THE POLITICAL, AND THE EXISTENTIAL 10. When Apollo and Dionysus Clash: A Nietzschean perspective on the work of Kanye West"; Julius Bailey 11. The God of the New Slaves or Slave to a Religion and a God?; Monica Miller 12. Trimalchio From Chicago: Flashing Lights & The Great Kanye in West Egg; A.D. Carson 13. Confidently (Non)cognizant of Neoliberalism: Kanye West and the Interruption of Taylor Swift; Nick Krebs 14. Kanye Omari West: Visions of Modernity; Dawn Boeck

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"Provocateur, egotist, sage, and artist, no figure in the past decade of popular culture has reflected and defined the zeitgeist better than Kanye West. This collection lays bare the tangle of complexities and contradictions that have made the artist and the art indispensable to our era and proves that if game recognizes game, wisdom does too." - Jelani Cobb, author of The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress

"If Julius Bailey was a song, he would be that surprise banger DJ Red Alert drops around one in the morning as the party is at its peak. He is humbly one part scholar and two parts philosopher, yet all hip-hop. Respected for his integrity as a cultural critic and archivist, it´s no surprise that, like a master beat maker finding the perfect sample, he was ahead of the curve when he proposed to explore the cultural impact of Kanye West . . . but right on time." - Toni Blackman, US Hip Hop Ambassador

"The Cultural Impact of Kanye West is a much-needed addition in today´s diluted hip-hop cultural criticism. By deeming West, his chameleon persona, and iconic brand worthy of scholarly examination, this book takes us on a philosophical odyssey like no other in the modern academy." Rahiel Tesfamariam, founder and Editor-in-Chief, Urban Cusp

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