Pounding away at the gun culture

Editors of Pound, a Toronto-based hip-hop magazine are poised to publish a book about gun culture, according to an article in the Toronto Star. Rodrigo Bascunan, the 30-year-old founder and publisher and Christian Pearce, a senior editor at the publication, have just completed Enter the Babylon System, Unpacking Gun Culture from Samuel Colt to 50 Cent.

Babylon is a term used in reggae and hip-hop slang as a synonym for a corrupt place — although it is sometimes used to refer to white society. Bascunan and Pearce interviewed more than 100 rappers worldwide for the book, to be published by Random House of Canada, talking about the role guns played in their lives.

Some of the interviews were published in the magazine last August and are still available online.