Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers
The Life of Africanist Aesthetics in Global Hip Hop
Author: Imani Kai Johnson
In Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers, Imani Kai Johnson offers a key to thinking about the relationship between Hip Hop aesthetics and Africanism on a global scale, tracking its mutations as Hip Hop has moved from New York to nearly every city and radio station around the globe.
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Summary
In Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers, Imani Kai Johnson offers a key to thinking about the relationship between Hip Hop aesthetics and Africanism on a global scale, tracking its mutations as Hip Hop has moved from New York to nearly every city and radio station around the globe.
Description
The dance circle (called the cypher) is a common signifier of breaking culture, known more for its spectacular moves than as a ritual practice with foundations in Africanist aesthetics. Yet those foundationsDLevident in expressive qualities like call and response, the aural kinesthetic, the imperative to be original, and moreDLare essential to cyphering's enduring presence on the global stage. What can cyphers activate beyond the spectacle? What lessons do cyphersoffer about moving through and navigating the social world? And what possibilities for the future do they animate? With an interdisciplinary reach and a riff on physics, author Imani Kai Johnson centersthe voices of practitioners in a study of breaking events in cities across the US, Canada, and parts of Europe. Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers: the Life of Africanist Aesthetics in Global Hip Hop draws on over a decade of research and provides a detailed look into the vitality of Africanist aesthetics and the epistemological possibilities of the ritual circle.
Awards
Winner of Honorable Mention, ASTR Sally Banes Publication Prize 2024 Winner, DSA de la Torre Bueno Prize.
Critic Reviews
“In critically celebrating the immeasurable mass of hip-hop dance, Imani Kai Johnson significantly advances the thought and practice of Blackness as global field and global force. Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers is a beautiful necessity.”
Fred Moten, New York University
Professor Imani K. Johnson provides a ringside seat and exceedingly informed analysis in Dark Matter. Her writing is a Hip Hop 'show and prove' performance of meaning and pervasiveness, grounded in contemporary reiterations of Africanist aesthetics within global Black lives. Yvonne Daniel, Smith College
About the Author
Imani Kai Johnson is Assistant Professor of Critical Dance Studies at UC Riverside. She specializes in African diasporic ritual cultures, global popular culture, and Hip Hop. Dr. Johnson founded and directs of the Show & Prove Hip Hop Studies Conference Series. She is also co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Hip Hop Dance Studies, and has published works in Women & Performance and Dance ResearchJournal.
The dance circle (called the cypher) is a common signifier of breaking culture, known more for its spectacular moves than as a ritual practice with foundations in Africanist aesthetics. Yet those foundations--evident in expressive qualities like call and response, the aural kinesthetic, the imperative to be original, and more--are essential to cyphering's enduring presence on the global stage. What can cyphers activate beyond the spectacle? What lessons docyphers offer about moving through and navigating the social world? And what possibilities for the future do they animate? With an interdisciplinary reach and a riff on physics, author Imani Kai Johnson centers the voices of practitioners in a study of breaking events in cities across the US, Canada, and partsof Europe.Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers: the Life of Africanist Aesthetics in Global Hip Hop draws on over a decade of research and provides a detailed look into the vitality of Africanist aesthetics and the epistemological possibilities of the ritual circle.
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