WCU Associate Professor Jeremy McCool’s New Book on Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Releases
May 14; Public Signing Set for May 15 in Phoenixville
West Chester University Associate Professor Dr. Jeremy C. McCool and award-winning journalist Earl Hopkins are set to release their new book, Raps of Resistance: How Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Reignited a Hip-Hop Tradition, on Thursday, May 14, 2026. The book, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, explores the cultural and musical contributions that Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole have made to hip-hop over the past decade.
The authors will hold their first public book signing on May 15 at Forever Change Vinyl Lounge in Phoenixville. The event is sponsored by Reads & Company bookstore.
Raps of Resistance examines the evolution of Lamar and Cole from rising MCs to influential voices in socially conscious rap. Through research and interviews with musicians and hip-hop historians, McCool and Hopkins trace how the two artists helped revitalize conscious hip-hop within mainstream music while preserving a vital tradition of cultural commentary and activism.
“We are excited to convey the impact of the modern era of hip-hop as both consumers
and critics who lived through it and experienced the resurgence first-hand,” says
McCool. “This book will be a staple for both hip-hop fans and media scholars. It will
both discuss socially conscious rap in its proper place as a cultural phenomenon and
detail how it has evolved with the help of modern innovators such as Kendrick Lamar
and J. Cole.”
Hopkins adds, “While Cole and Lamar have achieved immense commercial success with chart-topping hits and platinum-selling albums, their confessional poetry and soul-stirring verses have kept the flame of socially conscious rap still burning for over a decade. We wanted to highlight their efforts in the hope that it will inspire future artists to tackle cultural, political, and social issues more in their music.”
The book has already received praise from prominent voices in music, journalism, education, and culture.
Award-winning poet and MacArthur fellow Hanif Abdurraqib writes, “Raps of Resistance is the kind of meticulous and incisive work that serves the culture well by taking a wide-lens approach to helping us understand the role all of the elements of hip-hop have played in shaping the world we live in. This is a book, I hope, that will be a major part of the hip-hop literary canon.”
Award-winning journalist Jonathan Abrams calls the book “a timely work that demands an answer,” praising the authors for exploring the future of conscious rap through the lens of Lamar and Cole.
Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Khalid N. Mumin says, “Raps of Resistance is a tribute to the history, power, and influence of a movement of artists who have continually told stories of life in real time.”
Dr. Jeremy C. McCool is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Media at West Chester University. A former hip-hop radio personality, his teaching, research, and lectures focus on socially conscious music and representation. McCool was named a 40 Under 40 honoree by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2021 and served as the 2022 Hughes Lecturer at West Liberty University.
Earl Hopkins is an award-winning journalist and features reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer covering music, fashion, art, and film. His work has also appeared in GRAMMY.com, MTV, Complex, Stereogum, and UPROXX.