Policing the beats

Name: Policing the beats
Price: 44.49 AUD
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ISBN: 9781526171412

Black music, racism and criminal injustice

Lambros Fatsis

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Manchester University Press
10 June 2026

Music; History: specific events & topics; Social discrimination; Ethnic minorities & multicultural studies; Crime & criminology

A bold analysis that exposes the racist policing of Black music.

The emergence of UK drill music made headline news, portraying it as a criminal enterprise instead of recognising it as an art form. This new rap subgenre, however, is neither the first nor the only Black music to be targeted this way.

Policing the beats rewinds the tape to demonstrate how music has been used as an instrument for policing Black people, from the era of colonial slavery to the present day, revealing the racist legal processes that make crimes out of rhymes.

This original and readable book offers the first in-depth account of the policing of Black music in Britain, highlighting the relationship between politics, culture and criminal (in)justice and inviting music lovers, scholars and activists to tune in.

By: Lambros Fatsis
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 21mm
Weight: 292g
ISBN: 9781526171412
ISBN 10: 1526171414
Pages: 328
Publication Date: 10 June 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Lambros Fatsis (aka Boulevard Soundsystem) is a lover of Black music(s) who lectures on the history of police racism and the criminalisation of Afro-diasporic music culture at City St. George's University of London.

Reviews for Policing the beats: Black music, racism and criminal injustice

'What a journey this is! This book has empowered me by informing me about an important history that I'm connected to, from my experience of having my lyrics used against me to the work that I do with young people.' Roachee, Roll Deep ‘Placing sounds, songs and beats in the midst of the structures of empire, Lambros Fatsis reads Black music and music-making as radical resources – modes of learning and knowing that hold in them rhythmic, sonic and rumbling resistance practices. Policing the beats is an essential text for music lovers and music makers.’ Katherine McKittrick, author of Dear Science and Other Stories -- .