U Say U Want a Revolution

Three books explore the meaning of the rap heard around the world.

Kanye West performs on "Good Morning America." (Michael Kim / Ap)

WHY WHITE KIDS LOVE HIP-HOP

Wankstas, Wiggers, Wannabes,

and the New Reality of Race in America

By Bakari Kitwana

Basic/Civitas. 222 pp. $23

HIP HOP MATTERS

Politics, Pop Culture,

and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement

By S. Craig Watkins

Beacon. 295 pp. $24.95

CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP

A History of the Hip-Hop Generation