Between God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness to Black Culture - Couverture souple

A former welfare father from the ghetto of Detroit, Michael Eric Dyson is today a critic, scholar, and ordained Baptist minister who has forged a unique role: he is a compelling spokesman for the concerns of the black community, and also a leader who has a genuine rapport with that community, particularly with urban youth. In his essays, lectures, sermons, and books, he has emerged as one of the leading African-American voices of our day. Dyson's passion for contemporary black culture informs Between God and Gangsta' Rap, his latest foray into the ongoing debate about African-American identity which embraces the hopes of the church and the cool reality of hip-hop. Bringing together writings on music, religion, politics, and identity, and offering a multi-faceted view of black life, the book charts the progress of Dyson's own soul, from his roots in the Detroit ghetto, to his current status as a Baptist minister, professor, cultural critic, husband, and father. Dyson opens with a letter to his brother, who is serving life in prison on a murder charge. This painful piece reveals a violence in the author's own family that sets the tone for themes that will emerge throughout these writings: violence on the black body and soul; the redemptive power of hope through school, church, and family; sexuality as a source of anguish and of joy; and the struggle with entrenched white racism. There is a section of wonderful profiles Dyson calls "Testimonials"--studies of black men, from O.J. Simpson to Marion Barry, and from Baptist preacher Gardner Taylor to Michael Jordan and Sam Cooke. In "Obsessed with O.J.," Dyson offers an extremely personal and insightful series of reflections on the case. In "Lessons," Dyson takes up the subjects of politics and racial identity. Newt Gingrich and moral panic, Quabiliah Shabazz, Carol Moseley Braun, the NAACP, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X all figure in these insightful and accessible pieces. And "Songs of Celebration" draws from Dyson's writings for the popular press such as Rolling Stone and Vibe, and explores the joys and pitfalls of black expression, from the black vernacular bible to gospel music, R & B, and hip-hop. Dyson concludes with an essay framed as a letter to his wife, which offers a positive counterbalance to the opening address to his brother. The letter serves as a tribute to the redemptive powers of love, the black family, spirit, and change. Arguing that the richness of black culture today can be found in the interstices--between god and gangsta' rap--Dyson charts the progress and pain of African Americans over the past decade, showing that brilliance and beauty, pain and drudgery are components of this changing culture. As a compendium of his thinking about contemporary culture Between God and Gangsta' Rap will find a wide audience among black and white readers.

"[Dyson's] love and appreciation for the astonishing medley of African-American culture is obvious and his wide-ranging knowledge of its many forms makes him a fitting guide."--Trenton Times

"Michael Eric Dyson is...one of our most compelling spokesmen for the concerns of the Black community today."--Black History

"Minister, university professor and a father at 18, Michael Eric Dyson explores the issues facing black men today in his lively Between God and Gangsta Rap.... Dyson's writing possesses an enviable energy and an ability to mesh influences that include everything from Shakespeare to Public Enemy."--USA Today

"The media love Mr. Dyson, perhaps because there are so many sides to him.... At 37, he is one of the youngest stars in the firmament of black intellectuals.... Because of his ease with both the street and the academy, he is viewed as one of the most important voices of his generation."--The Chronicle of Higher Education

"[Dyson] has an incredible ability to reach people."--Robin Kelly, New York University, in The Chronicle of Higher Education

"A poignant series of essays on the Black experience which raises the hip hop and rap scenes to collective worthiness for intellectual discourse."--The Indianapolis Recorder

"A provocative collection of essays on black culture.... Dyson is one of a group of contemporary black writers, including bell hooks, Cornel West, and Derrick Bell, who are forging what might be called a new canon of inclusion."--Christopher John Farley, Time

"Between God and Gangsta Rap collects Dyson's newspaper and magazine articles from the last few years, setting in one compact volume work from venues as disparate as Rolling Stone and The Christian Century.... Eclectically jumping from profiles of Michael Jordan...to the Rev. Gardner Taylor,...Dyson provides an expertly composed snapshot of contemporary African-American life."--Newsday

"Michael Eric Dyson is one of a fast-growing group of black essayists who set themselves the...task of pondering the nation's fast-growing racial crisis.... Mr. Dyson is most effective when recalling the kind of hard life few of his counterparts know from the inside."--The New York Times Book Review

"Thought-provoking opinions from an articulate professor."--Booklist