A bold analysis that exposes the racist policing of Black music.
The emergence of UK drill music made headline news, portraying it as a criminal enterprise instead of recognising it as an art form. This new rap subgenre, however, is neither the first nor the only Black music to be targeted this way.
Policing the beats rewinds the tape to demonstrate how music has been used as an instrument for policing Black people, from the era of colonial slavery to the present day, revealing the racist legal processes that make crimes out of rhymes.
This original and readable book offers the first in-depth account of the policing of Black music in Britain, highlighting the relationship between politics, culture and criminal (in)justice and inviting music lovers, scholars and activists to tune in.
- 312 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Information
Publisher
Manchester University PressYear
2026Print ISBN
9781526171412
9781526171405
eBook ISBN
9781526171429
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Part I: Is it even music? Policing Black music as ‘out of tune’ under British colonial rule
- Part II: Does it belong here? Policing Black music as ‘out of place’ in post-war Britain
- Part III: Isn’t it criminal? Black music as ‘out of order’ in contemporary Britain
- Part IV: Sounds radical: Black critique(s) of White reason
- Postscript: Of skinfolk and kinfolk: A rap on ‘Whiteness’
- Glossary
- Abbreviations
- Acknowledgements
- Text acknowledgements and permissions
- Notes
- Index
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Yes, you can access Policing the beats by Lambros Fatsis in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Music Theory & Appreciation. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.