Unlike McWhorter, intellectuals who study hip hop don't shy away from probing the complex varieties of black identity, even those that skirt close to stereotype, as they undress its mauling effects in stunted visions of black female identity.

NPR: Author Comes to Hip-Hop Music's Defense

Perhaps more importantly, this resource potential is a hop, skip and a jump away from the mega-demand centers along the coastal regions of the East Coast.

FORBES: Wind Lobby Eyes the Big Prize in North Carolina

But as he came of age, the city's blossoming hip-hop scene exerted its own gravitational pull, drawing him away from the classroom.

WSJ: GZA on 'Dark Matter' Album - Interview: Rapper Finds Muse in the Stars

The performances that we've done all around the world with the hip-hop groups in almost every single case, you know, we've had to turn away people because they've been so wildly popular.

NPR: Hip Hop Takes on Diplomatic Role with State Department

By the time he went away to Phillips Exeter Academy on scholarship, his name was already lighting up the ears of hip-hop heads and music industry insiders around New York.

FORBES: George W. Bush's Gift to Hip-Hop: John Forte