"This book is a feast not just for hip hop specialists but for all those interested in the interfaces between music, language and society. The chapters illustrate the diversity of contexts where this music is enjoyed, but also the common features found in the hip hop production of various cultures: the expression of both specific preoccupations and universal themes, the affirmation of identity and the opening up to the Other, the combination of local and global outlooks. Above all they offer analyses of how the choice and manipulation of language(s) can serve to advance these ends. Thanks to the range of materials studied (Norway, Egypt, Cyprus, South Korea and more) and the detail provided in the individual analyses, the book represents a key contribution to work in this fascinating field, and will be essential reading for future research."