After Pharrell recommended The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy on Twitter, I instantly knew that this book would be would be authentic, professional, and fascinating. Steve Stoute, the founder of Translation Consultation and Brand Imaging, specializes in connecting corporate brands with the community of hip-hop, which is refers to as “urban.” However, he advocates about how it is more than using the popularity of different artists, where he introduces “tanning.” 

It is “the catalytic force majeure that went beyond musical boundaries and into the psyche of young America – blurring cultural and demographic lines so permanently that it laid the foundation for a transformation.” 

Throughout the novel, Stoute connects the growing success of hip-hop to commercialization. He wrote about one of Sugar Hill’s first and main successes, the record “Rappers Delight,” along with the famous 1986 concert in Madison Square Garden, which Run-DMC’s “My Adidas,” went viral; it was the first time Adidas’ German executives heard their song, and signed a contract with them. By the early 1990s, advertisers and large companies saw the effect of hip-hop; it was credible and marketable. However, they needed translators, those who could expose what would be “in” and could potentially sell. Stoute went from working in the music industry to advertisement; he realized that the “tanning” effect was affecting every part of the consumer culture. 

I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone curious about urban and youth marketing. However, I felt some elements of the book were lengthy; I’m not surprised because I am just a 16-year-old student, whose not quite sure what she wants to do in life. At times, I felt like I was being educated in some college-type course about business, but Stoute incorporated a lot of his personal experiences, along with many hip-hop facts throughout history. 

This book was very informative; as an artist, it has affected my mind on marketing and entrepreneurship. It was also inspiring; Stoute was not afraid of stating that he did not complete college during the beginning of the novel. An automatic assumption or judgment would be negative, but Stoute used his street-knowledge to build his own career. He, not only affected the music industry, but also predisposed the advertising field, which allowed him to create his own agency. He popularized hip-hop even more and proved that it is more than just a music genre; it’s “tanning.” The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy was an unbelievable and engaging back-story; it is by far one of the greatest novels for hip-hop literature.