Black Like Who?

Black Like Who? by Rinaldo Walcott Insomniac Press, October 2000, $15.99 ISBN 1-895-83707-3

Hip hop and pop culture in Canada is not often a hot topic among African Americans. This new book by educator and black pop culture critic, Rinaldo Walcott explores the exciting and artistically rich history of black Canadian culture. Although his writing style can be overwhelmingly academic, Walcott thoroughly outlines the history and definition of what it means to be black and Canadian.

The author frequently uses the term "writing of blackness." Initially, the exact meaning of the phrase is unclear. Walcott finally explains that he uses the term as a sign that invokes and carries a history of resistance and domination. He writes: "Blackness for me, like black Canadian, allows for a certain kind of malleability and open-endedness which means that questions of blackness far exceed the categories of the biological and the ethnic."

Walcott's scholarly acumen is apparent throughout the book, even while it detracts from what would otherwise be an enjoyable and enlightening read for the average black history buff. Perhaps, if the author wrote in a less intellectual and professorial vernacular, readers would be able to see more clearly the dichotomy between black Canadian hip hop culture and its US predecessor. Unfortunately, for the lay person, the high points of the book are sporadic for a book with such obviously historical merit.

Glenn Townes is a New Jersey-based writer and a frequent contributor to BIBR.