"Never Drank the Kool-Aid"?

In reading Toure's numerous interviews and bio pieces, I am struck by the tension between his claim to being a skeptic of hip-hop's public face ("I never bought into the philosophy of the rappers, singers, and celebrities I wrote about") and his many articles that appear to sell his subjects and help them move records.

For me, "Never Drank the Kool Aid" presents the challenge of sources and evidence in the burgeoning field of hip-hop studies. Toure certainly has possessed an access to hip-hop artists that I (and my students) could only dream about. He literally has experienced the hip-hop lifestyle in a way that most academics who write about hip-hop never will. And I love his writing, especially his fiction (Check out his website: http://www.toure.com/). He is one of the best hip-hop journalists (but don't forget Nelson George, Joan Morgan, and dream hampton) All that being said, journalism and interviews still seem to rely heavily on the public image that the artists, producers, etc. are trying to sell. The hip-hop artists and producers are not objective sources as they want consumers to purchase their records and to view them as the most innovative or original artists in the genre.

It should also probably be noted that the very publications where these articles appeared (Rolling Stone, Playboy, The Village Voice, and The New York Times) are in the business of marketing themselves (and their own images) as well.

So, what role does someone like Toure have in the budding world of hip-hop studies? Is he a primary source? If so, what kind of source is he? Does he provide insight into audience response or the marketing approaches for hip-hop? On the other hand, is he a valuable resource for looking at the creative process behind hip-hop?

At a slightly different level, what do we make of the fact that Toure's book only occasionally references the "Golden Age of Hip-Hop"? Toure clearly knows this history, but is there something about the form that causes minimizes the history and context of hip-hop? Does the emphsis on contemporary hip-hop stars elide our understanding of the hip-hop nation? Also, hip-hop pretty much gets reduced to music here. Why has hip-hop journalism focused so much on rap, rap lyrics, and politics? What has happened to deejaying, b-boying, and graffiti?

I really like Never Drank the Kool-Aid, but I get the sinking feeling it is getting me to drink the very Kool-Aid Toure has supposedly refused.