Catch Us Before We Fall Off
Language: English
Published by Caltrops Press, 2026
Series: Book 1 of 2 - Catch Us Before We Fall Off: a [ch]oral history of anticon
- Softcover
- New
Seller: Rarewaves.com USA, London, London, United KingdomRarewaves.com USA
AbeBooks seller since June 11, 2025
Condition: New
£ 41.28
Quantity: Over 20 available
Add to basketSeller Inventory # LU-9798996855209
- Title
- Catch Us Before We Fall Off
- Author
- Joseph Rathgeber
- Publisher
- Caltrops Press
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 13
- 9798996855209
- Item weight
- 816 grams
- Series
- Book 1 of 2: Catch Us Before We Fall Off: a [ch]oral history of anticon
Spanning two exhaustively researched and stylistically composed volumes, Catch Us Before We Fall Off: a [ch]oral history of anticon is an audacious document of a pivotal moment in hip-hop history.
Caltrops Press founder and National Endowment for the Arts fellow Joseph Rathgeber presents the definitive document of anticon, the first collectively-run independent hip-hop label in the US that ruptured the underground rap scene at the turn of the millennium. Over the course of two volumes and 1200+ pages, Catch Us Before We Fall Off: a [ch]oral history of anticon chronicles the label’s rise between the years of 1998 and 2005, combining a revelatory oral history with a close reading analysis and compelling subcultural criticism. Nine years in the making, Catch Us Before We Fall Off features nearly 100 new interviews with anticon’s founders, their affiliates, and prominent figures from the underground hip-hop scene, analysis of nearly 50 albums, never-before-seen photographs, and a foreword written by anticon visionary the pedestrian.
To some, anticon was an affront to hip-hop; to others, an advancement of the form. The very existence of anticon typified the most contentious debates within the underground hip-hop community. Discourse around anticon centered on arguments about traditional and experimental approaches; questions of authenticity, race, and appropriation; and the pervasive hypermasculine and homophobic attitudes within the community. The anticon movement, Hua Hsu once wrote in The Wire, “embodies all the fascinating contradictions which both sustain and complicate the culture.”
anticon represented the potency and possibility of what underground hip-hop could be. Emerging from disparate geographic outposts, anticon came together through unconventional means: primitive internet services, tape trading, and long-distance telephone calls. Harnessing premillennial technology with postmillennial thinking proved crucial to their success. anticon’s forays into other genres—out from the confines of even the most “alternative,” or “abstract,” or “experimental” rap and into the vastness of post-rock, electronica, indie rock, and ambient—reaffirmed and proved the expansiveness of hip-hop’s potential. In doing so, they paved the way for countless rap artists today.
At their zenith, anticon received accolades from the US and international music press alike. Decades on, their influence and impact has been forgotten or willfully ignored. But the historical record and the music itself proves that anticon played a significant role in pioneering what critics and fans would come to call “post-rap,” “experimental rap,” “emo rap,” “ambient rap,” and “art rap.” The anticon collective altered our understanding of what hip-hop could be, epitomizing an avant-garde moment and movement in underground hip-hop.
Catch Us Before We Fall Off is not only a study of anticon but a comprehensive assessment of the underground hip-hop insurgency in total. From the practice of tape trading, to the role of the internet, to the spirit of Scribble Jam, to the conundrum of gender and race, the project analyzes the flourishes and failures of a subculture and independent music scene.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Rarewaves.com USA
London, London, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since June 11, 2025
Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
| Item | 12 to 17 business days | 12 to 17 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 0.00 | £ 0.00 |
Payment methods
Seller's business information
RAREWAVES.COM LIMITED
Elsley Court, 20-22 Great Titchfield Street
London, United Kingdom W1W 8BE
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Rarewaves.com USA, Unit 144 The Lightbox, 111 Power Road, W4 5PY, London, London, United Kingdom, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Please note that we do not offer Priority shipping to any country.
We currently do not ship to the below countries:
Russia
Belarus
Ukraine
Please do not attempt to place orders with any of these countries as a ship to address - they will be cancelled.