PERFORMING ARTS

Psalms of My People: A Story of Black Liberation as Told Through Hip-Hop

by lenny duncan
Broadleaf. Jan. 2024. 279p. ISBN 9781506479026. $27.99. MUSIC
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Activist/media producer/scholar duncan’s (Dear Revolutionaries: A Field Guide for a World Beyond the Church) new book is a mix of hip-hop cultural analysis, poetry, and religious scripture. They assert that the hip-hop genre is a form of truth-telling that reports the effects of white supremacy through musical poetry and funky beats. They believe that understanding the Black experience in the U.S. is entwined with understanding hip-hop. Each chapter dives into the work of Lauryn Hill, Kanye (Ye) West, Kendrick Lamar, and many others, without passing any judgment on the artists themselves. Instead, the author analyzes their songs and use of verse in documenting racism, bias, and American culture as a whole. Some chapters are laced with passages from the Bible and feature their own poetry, which creates a jagged flow in tone.
VERDICT A successful effort in pointing out the hypocrisy of a system designed to control people of color and its link to grasping what the hip-hop community is documenting about it. Will appeal to hip-hop lovers, casual readers, and music listeners too.
Reviewed by Leah K. Huey , Jan 01, 2024
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