Holler If You Hear Me

by Dyson, Michael Eric

• ISBN13: 9780465017560
• ISBN10: 0465017568
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-11-17
• Publisher: Basic Civitas Books

Summary

Acclaimed for his writing on Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as his passionate defense of black youth culture, Michael Eric Dyson is known as the "hip-hop intellectual." With his Blackboard best seller Holler If You Hear Me, Dyson has reached his widest audience to date, bringing to life the hopes and dreams of slain hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. Viewed by many as a "black James Dean," Tupac has attained cult status since his death six years ago, partly due to the posthumous release of several albums, three movies, and a collection of poetry. But Tupac lives on primarily because of the devotion of his loyal followers. Dyson helps us to understand why a twenty-five-year-old rapper, activist, poet, actor, and alleged sex offender looms even larger in death than he did in life. With his trademark skills of critical thinking and storytelling, Dyson examines the significance of Tupac Shakur for black youth, assessing the ways in which different elements of Shakur's persona-thug, confused prophet, fatherless child-are both vital and destructive. Deeply personal and sharply analytical at the same time, Dyson's book offers a wholly original way of looking at Tupac Shakur that will thrill those who already love the artist and enlighten those who want to understand him.

Author Biography

Michael Eric Dyson is an ordained Baptist minister and Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Preface: "I Always Wanted to Make a Book Out of My Life" In Search of Tupae	p. 1
Childhood Chains, Adolescent Aspirations
"Dear Mama" Motherhood and a Hood's Mother	p. 21
"The Son of a Panther" A Postrevolutionary Childhood	p. 47
"No Malcolm X in My History Text" School, Learning, and Tupac's Books	p. 69
Portraits of an Artist
"Give Me a Paper and a Pen" Tupac's Place in Hip-Hop	p. 105
"For All the Real Niggas Out There" Authenticity Blues	p. 141
Bodies and Beliefs
"Do We Hate Our Women?" Female Per Versions	p. 175
"But Do the Lord Care?" God, Suffering, Compassion, and Death in the Ghetto	p. 201
"I Got Your Name Tatted on My Arm" Reading the Black Body	p. 231
Epilogue: "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" Posthumous Presences of a Ghetto Saint	p. 247
Notes	p. 269
Bibliography	p. 272
Index	p. 286
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