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Without Reservations: Native Hip Hop and Identity in the Music of W.O.R. is a critical review of Native Hip Hop using the debut recording of the Native American Hip Hop ensemble WithOut Rezervations (W.O.R.). This research documents the origins of Native Hip Hop as it fused together both Native American and mainstream American musical genres at the seminal moments during the development of Hip Hop culture. A critical and analytical approach to stereotypes, urban Indian issues, and identity formation is applied in order to demonstrate how a contemporary Native Hip Hop ensemble harnessed the energy and strength steaming from both the East and West coast Hip Hop styles. A vast constellation of research materials from Native American Studies and Popular Culture Studies through Philosophy and Sociology are drawn together to highlight and interrogate contemporary Native identity. This research suggests alternative modes of representation/re-presentation and establishes new critical theories to underscore Native identity complexities and illustrates how these advanced techniques are witnessed and applied to the music of W.O.R.

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Alan Lechusza Aquallo (Lusieno/Maidu), PhD is an Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at Palomar College in the American Indian Studies Department. Dr. Lechusza Aquallo conducts interdisciplinary research with both traditional and contemporary Native musics, arts, and culture as well as being a multi-media artist.

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