Professor A.D. Carson Drops Mixtape-Book with Shannon Center Support

A.D. Carson, a scholar, artist, and commentator, is redefining how hip hop can serve as a vehicle for cultural critique. As a Shannon Center for Advanced Studies 2023–24 Mid-Career Fellow, Carson developed his forthcoming book, Being Dope: Hip Hop & Theory through Mixtape Memoir (Oxford University Press), alongside a five-track EP titled For Immediate Release.

“It’s a mixtape, like my previous work,” Carson says. “I use samples, live instruments, media clips, and original lyrics to explore hip hop as both art and scholarship.”

Like earlier projects, this EP is deeply personal, drawing heavily from Carson’s own voice and past work. It serves as both a press kit and an audio companion to the book, offering an immersive experience.

Carson emphasizes the cultural stakes: “Hip hop’s history shouldn’t mirror the omissions and distortions of American history.”

Each track explores themes of media, identity, and hip hop’s public role:

• “Bouquets” samples a Tavis Smiley interview on Carson’s PhD journey.
• “Everybody” discusses “rapwashing” via NPR’s Code Switch.
• “Grace” includes commentary on Sean Combs from 60 Minutes Australia.
• “Flight Risk” features a Gizmodo discussion on digital Blackface and AI.
• “Re: Poser” revisits earlier work, sampling KRS-One and addressing the cultural weight of rap rivalries.

The EP also critiques media misrepresentations, including Carson’s own experience with inaccurate comparisons and the erasure of hip hop scholars.

Produced by Vintage, Marcus “Truth” Fitzgerald, and Blake “Preme” Wallace, and mixed by Fitzgerald and Michael Moxham, Being Dope and For Immediate Release together invite audiences to view hip hop as a serious lens for understanding society.