The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop's Greatest Songs

by Felicia Pride

In this book of life lessons culled from hip-hop culture, author Felicia Pride examines a wide range of hip-hop songs and artists, interpreting life through their lenses. Growing up with hip-hop, Pride has come to realize the way it shaped how she thinks, writes, and reacts, making her the person she is today. By incorporating her own experiences and reflections with the rapper's message, she focuses on the positive, motivational influence hip-hop has on its audience. With each life lesson aptly titled after a hip-hop song, such as Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" or GangStarr's "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow," The Message explores spirituality, success, love, business, and more through hip-hop. Pride infuses these essential truths with examples from rappers' lives and music, providing positive reflections on hip-hop culture. For example, she tells you how to study how those with staying power, such as Missy Elliott and Russell Simmons, handle their business and how to incorporate similar tactics into your own life: be creative, diversify, handle your business. The Message shares the wisdom that Pride has learned from hip-hop, creating what is essentially a soundtrack to the hip-hopper's life.

Genres: Music, Hip Hop, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2007

About the author

Felicia Pride is a writer, literacy advocate, and hip-hop baby. Shes the author of the forthcoming books: The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hops Greatest Songs (Thunders Mouth Press, October 2007); Everybody Hates First Girlfriends (Simon & Schuster, September 2007), a chapter book in the book series based on the award-winning television show Everybody Hates Chris; and coauthor of the young adult anthology Hallway Diaries (Harlequin/Kimani Tru, September 2007).

Felicia is also the book blogger for AOL Black Voices book blog, More than Words, a frequent contributor to Publishers Weekly and the managing editor of Mosaic literary magazine. Shes also the founder of BackList (www.thebacklist.net), an organization dedicated to keeping books in style. Her writing about hip-hop, books, publishing, and pop culture has appeared in various publications including VIBE, PopMatters, and the Baltimore City Paper. As a literacy advocate, Felicia has been an invited speaker at various publishing and literary panels. She also conducts publishing workshops to empower emerging writers and serves on the board for the Literary Freedom Project. She has a M.A. in writing and publishing from Emerson College.

Visit her online at www.feliciapride.com. "

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um. Yeah. Even though I am from Tucson I am not a fan- ha. Apparently I do not know as many hip hop songs as I thought. Maybe I would have read and enjoyed more than 2 'chapters' had I recognized the songs or at least more than like 7/100. While I am randomly on a life lessons kick, I learned that I happily I favor reading life lessons from hospice patients versus rappers. :)