Foundation

"The best work ever produced on b-boying. Schloss maps the dance's nuances brilliantly; but it is when he turns his attention to the history and theory of the form that "Foundation" is at its best. Schloss's insights are wide-ranging and consistently illuminating. A major contribution."--Boston Globe "I highly recommend this book for anyone who claims to be a hip hop historian or hip hop head. Schloss asks some very important questions and applies theories that can be used to discuss the other elements of hip hop culture. Schloss interviews some great b-boys."--Liberator Magazine "Joe Schloss doesn't just talk the talk, he rocks the rock. In the rapidly expanding field of hip-hop studies, he is without peer--a careful observer, a committed floor-rocker, a brilliant historian, a scholar's scholar, and a true b-boy. Foundation is his first masterpiece. "--Jeff Chang, author Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of The Hip-Hop Generation "Joseph Schloss documents the path of the B-boy with the precision of a swordsman and the love of shaman. It took a great deal of courage and patience to make a book on Hip-Hop as inspirational as it is accurate. After reading it I made Foundation required reading for our organization."--Adisa Banjoko, CEO, Hip-Hop Chess Federation "There is no richer example of tradition in Hip-Hop culture, than the legacy of B-Boys and B-Girls. Foundation gives voice to these often forgotten actors in hip-hop history, giving us all a clue about the genius that literally sits at the Foundation of Hip-Hop. Joe Schloss cannot be dismissed as some disconnected Ivory-Tower critic and with Foundation he simply ups the ante on hip- hop scholarship in a major way."--Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of Black Popular Culture at Duke University