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Prophets of the Hood
- Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop
- Narrated by: Emil Nicholas Gallina
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
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Publisher's summary
At once the most lucrative, popular, and culturally oppositional musical force in the United States, hip-hop demands the kind of interpretation Imani Perry provides here: criticism engaged with this vibrant musical form on its own terms. A scholar and a fan, Perry considers the art, politics, and culture of hip-hop through an analysis of song lyrics, the words of the prophets of the hood. Recognizing prevailing characterizations of hip-hop as a transnational musical form, Perry advances a powerful argument that hip-hop is first and foremost black American music.
Perry offers detailed readings of the lyrics of many hip-hop artists, including Ice Cube, Public Enemy, De La Soul, krs-One, OutKast, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim, Biggie Smalls, Nas, Method Man, and Lauryn Hill. Perry shows that while its message may be disconcerting, rap often expresses brilliant insights about existence in a society mired in difficult racial and gender politics. Hip-hop provides a unique public space where the sacred and the profane impulses within African American culture unite. The audiobook contains language that some may find offensive.
The book is published by Duke University Press.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-08-17
Great story, poor narration
I hated the way the narrator tried to rap. It was terrible and ineffective. If I wasn’t familiar with the delivery styles of the artists described, I would have been totally confused.
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- Mars
- 06-27-22
Change the narrator
There’s nothing more cringe than hearing a non Black person say the N word. The tone and inflection when rapping lyrics was horrible.
The story over all is great, the writing is amazing but I could barely get through this book due to the choice of narrator, if there’s a way to change that please do.
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Breathe explores the terror, grace, and beauty of coming of age as a Black person in contemporary America and what it means to parent our children in a persistently unjust world. Emotionally raw and deeply reflective, Imani Perry issues an unflinching challenge to society to see Black children as deserving of humanity. She admits fear and frustration for her African-American sons in a society that is increasingly racist and at times seems irredeemable. However, as a mother, feminist, writer, and intellectual, Perry offers an unfettered expression of love.
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Delightful peek into the heart & soul of a mother
- By Treesey on 10-08-19
By: Imani Perry
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A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain
- By: Imani Perry
- Narrated by: Imani Perry
- Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Imani Perry’s Audible Original A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain tells the dramatic story of her ongoing struggle with lupus—an autoimmune disease that attacks multiple organ systems—and what we can all learn from those who are grappling with chronic illness. It’s a powerful and poetic story that evokes the works of Susan Sontag, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Audre Lorde.
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Powerful
- By Melissa Medley on 03-11-23
By: Imani Perry
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