Jeff Chang, Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation

For Chang, hip-hop isn’t just a reigning musical genre; it’s a rising force getting ready to reshape the nation. As a co-founder of the influential hip-hop label Solesides and producer of groups like the Ghetto Prophets, the man knows firsthand the power of the beat to change culture, politics, and society. One of the nation’s most passionate hip-hop historians, he’s analyzed the sounds and the scene for publications including Vibe, The Village Voice, and Spin. His tour for Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, which collects his essays on the hip-hop generation, makes two stops here: a reading and discussion, replete with beats, at Barnes and Noble; and a talk in conjunction with Intermedia Arts’ “Encyclopedia of Hip-Hop Evolution” program, to be followed by breakdancing and spoken word by Twin Cities hip-hop artists. Barnes and Noble, 2401 Fairview Ave. N., Roseville; Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-871-4444;