Signifying Rappers is the first serious consideration of rap and its position as a vital force in our American cultural consciousness. Arranged as a sampler, the book approaches its subject from diverse perspectives; examining rap and "high" culture, rap and pop culture, rap and power, money, racial politics, language, etc. The authors - white, educated, middle-class - occupy a peculiar position, at once marginal and crucial to rap's Us and Them equations. Their awareness of this tension along with a willingness to approach rap on its own terms, makes for an edgy and perceptive discussion of the cultural barricades rappers alternately challenge, enforce, and decry.