For Hanif Abdurraqib, Language Is an Instrument
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Poet, author, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib is a seasoned conductor of language. His writing—a blend of autobiography, social history, and pop-culture commentary—often looks at the world through the lens of music, and takes a variety of forms. He hosts the podcast Object of Sound, which unpacks how popular songs shape society; and runs the website 68to05, where he publishes essays and playlists of favorite albums recorded between 1968 and 2005. His 2019 book Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest explores the 30-year history of the hip-hop group and how its jazz-infused sounds and socially conscious lyrics influenced 1990s rap. A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance (Random House), out next month in paperback, collects Abdurraqib’s thoughts on pivotal moments in pop culture—including 19th-century minstrel dancer William Henry Lane, who performed for white audience in blackface, and Beyoncé’s 2016 Super Bowl halftime show—that provide a singular survey of Blackness and celebrate Black identity.
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