Mayor Betsy Hodges poses for a photo where her spokesperson says she and a twice convicted felon are simply pointing at each other and not flashing gang signs. (AP Photo/Neighborhoods Organizing for Change) The peculiar phenomenon of young white women posing for photos while making “gangsta” hand gestures is so well known that “White Chicks and Gang Signs” is the subject of multiple websites (whitechicksgangsigns.tumblr.com and whitegirlsgangsigns.com) and a comical parody YouTube song.

This attempted homage to rap album covers always makes me want to ask why hip-hop has outlasted other musical forms like ragtime, Dixieland, big-band jazz, show tunes, “hootenanny”-style folk, …read more

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