Synopsis "Matthew Vescovo: The Life and Death of Bling Bling (in English)"
Cool to uncool. Insider to mainstream. Black to white. How did "Bling Bling" move from one world to the other, seemingly overnight? Matthew Vescovo, master of the obvious and creator of Instructoart Lesson 1, hilariously connects the dots and takes us full circle from the raw underground rap origins of the phrase "Bling Bling," to its ultimate demise in the hands of unhip, suburban, housewives. This story of innovation, proliferation, regurgitation, commercialization, and bastardization, is based on Vescovo's highly popular animated short for MTV. Appropriately written in verse, it illustrates a common theme in contemporary culture--that of black culture carving out ownership of something exclusively its own . . . and other groups copying and abusing that thing until it has lost its originality. With sharp humor and wit, amusing comic-style illustrations, and an historical truth that resonates with its audience as it probes deeper issues, this book performs an autopsy on the term "Bling Bling," and then memorializes its death to the world.
