Historically Black Phrases

From "I Ain't One of Your Lil' Friends" to "Who All Gon' Be There?"

By: jarrett hill, Tre'vell Anderson

Narrated by: jarrett hill, Tre'vell Anderson

Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • A fun and thoughtful dictionary of Black language you didn’t know you needed, Historically Black Phrases is a love letter to the Black community and the ways it drives culture.

“This perfect blend of explanation, definition and social commentary will have you laughing while learning.”—George M. Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of All Boys Aren't Blue and We Are Not Broken

Black vernacular doesn’t often get its due—despite its enormous influence on mainstream culture—but Historically Black Phrases is here to give Black language its flowers. A celebration of more than two hundred staples of Black conversation—from church sayings and units of measure to compliments and reprimands—this sharp and witty guide explores the unique importance of Black expression and communication. Historically Black Phrases offers definitions and notable pop culture moments, as well as tips on pronunciation and usage of phrases like “feelin’ yourself,” “don’t get it twisted,” and “pop off.” In addition to the phrases, short essays offer insight on different facets of Black language from scholars, entertainers, and pop culture commentators (i.e., everybody and they mama).

Authors, journalists, and hosts of the award-winning podcast FANTI, jarrett hill and Tre’vell Anderson examine each phrase with humor and cultural precision, making Historically Black Phrases a vital ode to how Black language influences the world.

©2023 jarrett hill and Tre'vell Anderson (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Historically Black Phrases is proof that Black folks all grew up in the same family. At a time when our words and sayings are often co-opted, this book reminds everyone that we are the originators. This perfect blend of explanation, definition, and social commentary will have you laughing while learning.”—George M. Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of All Boys Aren't Blue and We Are Not Broken

“The endless creative contributions of the Black community continue to be written off and dismissed—yet Historically Black Phrases fearlessly challenges this pattern. Black English is not ‘slang’ or ‘Gen-Z lingo,’ it is a documented and legitimate language. With everything from pronunciation to the proper contextual usage, this book teaches readers how our community communicates—and has them laughing along the way.”—Blair Imani, author of Read This to Get Smarter

“This colorful collection of words and phrases that connect us as a community and a culture reminds us that we do have a language—a lexicon that celebrates us and leaves us with a sense of camaraderie. With this book we are well reminded, with joy, who we are . . . Black and proud!”—Adrienne “Gammy” Banfield Norris, host of the Positively Gam podcast and cohost of Red Table Talk

I see you, book!!

As a fan of their podcast FANTI, I had to jump into this book and CHILE I’m glad I did!
I’m so glad o chose the audio so that I could hear their inflections and appreciate hearing their voices again.
This is more than a traditional audio book; this is a text book and encyclopedia that should be archived and added to. May it live on and breathe as WE continue to inspire language that shapes collective culture!
Thank you, family!

Felt like home

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book! I felt like I was in the living room talking to my family. I love how you introduced our culture to the world in such a dope way.

Fantastic!

I fell in love with both author’s podcast, and this book is a continuation of excellence. Listening to this book is home cooking for my soul and I am eating with both hand! Well done!!!! Incidentally, if you make it all the way through this book, you will end up with “home training”. 😂😂😂

entertaining way at learning the language

I got this as part of my black history month reads, but got the audio version. glad I did, the authi themselves reads it and did it with excellence. there was a lot of history as well as humor in the way these phrases as spoken. there was pop culture moments of when phrases took off. I really liked this, learned a lot!