In an age of
confusion, fear, and loss, Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib's is a voice that
matters. Whether he's attending a Bruce Springsteen concert the day
after visiting Michael Brown's grave, or discussing public displays
of affection at a Carly Rae Jepsen show, he writes with a poignancy
and magnetism that resonates profoundly.
In the wake of the
nightclub attacks in Paris, he recalls how he sought refuge as a
teenager in music, at shows, and wonders whether the next generation
of young Muslims will not be afforded that opportunity now. While
discussing the everyday threat to the lives of black Americans,
Willis-Abdurraqib recounts the first time he was ordered to the
ground by police officers: for attempting to enter his own car.
In essays that have
been published by the New York Times, MTV, and Pitchfork, among
others—along with original, previously unreleased
essays—Willis-Abdurraqib uses music and culture as a lens through
which to view our world, so that we might better understand
ourselves, and in so doing proves himself a bellwether for our times.