The past, present, and future of Hip-Hop culture rests squarely on the shoulders of those who love it too much to see it falter, argues Dr. Mickey Hess, in a new book. Though endlessly derided, by misinformed critics, as anti-intellectual, certain Hip-Hop artists have never shied away from "sound[ing] smart," as Nas once put it. Take for example the Jamaica-born artist, Canibus, who’s known for incorporating Greek philosophy, Elizabethan poetry, and scientific laws in his songs. The chord of curiosity Hip-Hop music has always struck in mainstream society makes it easy to bypass its abundant educational value, but many up-and-coming public intellectuals and academicians are harnessing the scholarly contributions of Hip-Hop, and exposing it to a broader audience, through their pedagogy, and published texts. Among this new class is Dr. Mickey Hess, an English professor at Rider University. Dr. Hess is the author of several books, including "Icons of Hip-hop: A History of the Music, from Kool Herc to Kanye West (2007)," and "Is Hip Hop Dead?: The Past, Present, and Future of America's Most Wanted Music...