Hip Hop & Hymns

by Mawunyo Gbogbo

A memoir of loving hard, falling apart and fighting back, set to an unrivalled playlist.

‘Hip hop and hymns: the two would always go hand in hand for me. My life would always straddle both. The sacred and the profane, all living on the same block, all divine in the end.’

Mawunyo Gbogbo is a church-going African Australian girl growing up in the sleepy mining town of Muswellbrook, NSW. At home, her parents argue all the time, and sibling rivalry runs deep. At primary school, Black Is Beautiful until a racist bully dares to tell her otherwise. But at high school, she falls in love with two things that will alter the course of her adult life: the seductive thrill of hip hop music and charismatic bad boy Tyce Carrington. Tyce also feels like an alien in Australia, despite his Aboriginality – or because of it.

When Mawunyo’s offered a chance to further her budding media career in New York City at the Bible of hip hop, The Source magazine, she throws herself headlong into the city’s heady buzz and hustle – but even as it lures her in, it threatens to derail her dreams.

Hip Hop & Hymns is a tussle between the search for belonging and ultimately accepting who you are, and a clear-eyed, heartfelt story about daring greatly and what it can mean to be Black in Australia.

Genres: Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

Published May 31, 2022

About the author

Mawunyo Gbogbo isn’t a hip-hop artist. Nor has she ever wanted be. The only place she dares sing is the shower. Oh okay, maybe in church, but she’s not part of the church choir. A friend once told her she’s the second worst Black person he’s ever seen on a dance floor. That’s right - she wasn’t even distinctive enough to be the worst. So she’s not a rapper, singer or dancer.

Mawunyo is a writer. An author, journalist and songwriter - but she only writes the lyrics - she’s more than happy to stay in her lane and leave the music part to the experts.

Mawunyo’s debut book is called “Hip Hop & Hymns” because those are two things that define her - hip-hop music and Christianity - but she’s tussled with both. “Hip Hop & Hymns” is about that tussle. It’s a coming-of-age memoir that explores love, family, faith, career, identity, the criminal justice system, mental health, and resilience.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It cost an arm and a leg just to live on your knees,

And I'm trying to keep my sanity, God help me please"

- Snoop Dogg, Midnight Love

As an 80's kid growing up in Australia, Hip Hop & Hymns provided the nostalgic trip down memory lane I didn't know I was craving until after I'd consumed every crumb off my plate. Commonwealth Banks' Dollarmites program, Bi-Lo, The Source - these were parts of my childhood I got to relive through the authors' easy flowing writing style. Yet, Hip Hop & Hymns takes the trip further, providing a behind the curtains look at a perspective most Aussie kids aren't privy.

"To make bread I gotta steal for sport,

So I stole the show and made some pennies for my thoughts"

- Onyx, Last Dayz

Dabbling in petty crime, exposure to drugs and alcohol and making bad decisions with members of the opposite sex paints a picture a lot of teenagers can relate. The raw honestly is refreshing and welcome. The ying to the yang in the ups and down of life is so eloquently depicted in Hop Hop & Hymns.

"I rap divine Gods check the prognosis, is it real, or showbiz?

My window faces shootouts, drug overdoses,

Live amongst no roses, only the drama, for real"

- Nas, Memory Lane

While there's plenty of drama, the strife life in Hip Hop & Hymns is accessible and relatable. The influence of circumstance and situational bias we experience as teenagers resonates throughout our adult lives and is beautifully articulated here. It's so pleasing to feel the profound impact rap has on author Mawunyo Gbogbo, equally as much as it has had in this reviewer's formative years.

True, there's a distinct lack of shootouts or drug overdoses in this memoir (per the Nas reference above), however the themes of hardship, perseverance, resilience, and survival in the face of adversity resonate throughout the chapters. Despite featuring little reference to the Queensbridge emcee; Nas' early albums Illmatic and It Was Written were playing on constant rotation in my head as Mawunyo Gbogbo took me by the hand and walked me down her memory lane, not shying from any truths or tribulations as she laid bare her story for all.

"So put your money on the bread winner.

I kick lyrics so dope that the brothers call em head spinners."

- Lady of Rage, Afro Puffs

I get a kick out of reading 'feel-good stories', particularly those where real people overcome hardships, personal demons, and bad situations for the betterment of their growth and maturity. It's inspirational and relatable. Hip Hop & Hymns makes for a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.

[Linda (Lily) Raiti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hip Hop & Hymns
Mawungo Gbogbo
Out now RRP $34.99

Wow! What a beautiful surprise. I don’t read many memoirs, something I’ve been meaning to change, this wonderful, often heart wrenching debut has sparked that change. Many thanks to the wonderful team @pengui for my gifted copy and the opportunity to read #hiphopandhymns

A memoir of loving hard, falling apart and fighting back, set to an unrivalled playlist.

‘Hip hop and hymns: the two would always go hand in hand for me. My life would always straddle both. The sacred and the profane, all living on the same block, all divine in the end.’

It's about a Christian African Australian growing up in a predominantly white town in rural New South Wales during the 80s and 90s… and yet it’s so much more! Mawungo doesn’t hold back, she is brutally honest describing her journey of questionable choices, her struggles with mental health and systemic racism she cruelly had to endure.

I thoroughly enjoyed her “voice” and candour, and especially loved the accompanying play list, it gave even more insight into her story. I loved her resilience in the face of adversity and wrestling with her identity, overcoming her own demons. Overall, an authentic, engaging and significant read. Highly recommend it!

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then a book pops up unexpectedly and leaves a surprising impression. I found Hip Hop & Hymns to be exactly that kind of book.

On the surface it is a simple, well told memoir of a girl growing up in Australia. It’s engaging and easy to read and Mawunyo’s voice is down to earth, engaging and authentic. I felt deeply at home listening to her story.

But that’s not to say that this is a light read. It is a deep and compelling story about wrestling with identity and value in an uncertain and sometimes cruel world, and I utterly loved it. It is unflinchingly honest - Mawunyo describes her struggles with mental illness, sexual experiences, her spiritual journey and battles with racism with great insight and vulnerability.

Memoir is not my go-to genre, but it is a brilliant way to understand the experiences of others, and that’s why I think this is such a significant read. I highly recommend it, whether you like audio or paperback - I loved it so much I bought both!

[Jacm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly honest and heartfelt autobiography reflecting on race, growing up in a country town, music, love, relationships, mental health and the power of faith.

[Savanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly stunning memoir to finish off my Goodreads challenge for this year.

[Simone Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Debut author Mawunyo Gbogbo poured her heart and soul into the pages of this memoir.

Throughout, she openly grapples with her conflicting worlds - the rough edges of rap culture and the smooth path of salvation - all the while growing up Black in a white country town.

Hip-Hop & Hymns will undoubtedly be a favourite of young readers of colour in Australia (and the world) for years to come; future generations will feel both seen and less alone.

[Bree T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It’s a really engaging story of a young girl growing up in a very predominantly white area of Australia during the 1980s and 1990s. Mawunyo was born in Ghana, but moved to Australia with her parents when she was still very young. We’re quite similar in age, she’s a couple of years older than me and we grew up not too far away from each other – I lived in a town a few hours north of where she did and the town I grew up in was also very predominantly white.

In high school, Mawunyo finds solace in music, predominantly the music of Black American hip hop artists, which speak to her in ways that she hasn’t experienced anywhere else and with anything else. Secure in herself until someone she is forced to sit next to in primary school made her feel inferior for her skin colour, the music is a way to reclaim herself and to have pride in herself as well. She voraciously explores new releases and back catalogues, finding favourite artists and blasting new songs. Mawunyo finds an interest in journalism as well, and moves first to Bathurst to pursue this degree, before also getting the opportunity to study overseas, connect with other members of her family and even intern at a hip magazine. All throughout this time and after, well into adulthood working for the ABC in Sydney, Mawunyo is repeatedly drawn back into a relationship with a man named Tyce, who she knew as a boy when they grew up and went to school together.

No matter if hip hop isn’t your music of choice, I think it will be easy for many people to connect with Mawunyo’s story as she talks about finding solace and understanding in music, using it to question what happens around her, her experiences and those of others. Music is a rite of passage for many teens, no matter their background but this book also pays homage to Mawunyo’s heritage, her birth in Ghana, what it was like growing up in a rural NSW mining town being probably the only African family there for part of it (and the racism that she experienced during this time), her parents and their constant fighting, her mother’s religious fervour and the way in which Mawunyo’s own faith developed. Also I think it’s easy to relate to the relationship you can’t let go of, the boy that maybe ‘got away’ in your younger years. Mawunyo gets another chance with hers but it’s a troubled relationship and Tyce has many demons, many of which revolve around his Indigenous background and the way that shapes his experiences.

I appreciated this insight into Mawunyo’s life, her schooling in a rural town and the different ways in which she was casually treated by some people, was eye-opening even if it wasn’t particularly surprising. I enjoyed her desire to become a journalist and the path that took her on (meeting Bruce McAvaney, being part of the coverage for the Olympics), heading overseas to study and the different ways various members of her family viewed her appearing. I also felt the insight into her family dynamics were very interesting and the way that her parents shaped her growing up and into adulthood as well, particularly around her journey with religion.

A very interesting memoir detailing an African-Australian experience, and although hip hop wasn’t ever my ‘thing’ I was surprised how much the mention of some of these artists and songs kicked up memories of my own time in high school.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***

[Mawunyo Gbogbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book for people like me. People who've loved. People who've laughed. People who've cried. People who've fallen. People who've brushed themselves off and got right back up again. And people who've triumphed. I poured my heart and soul into Hip Hop & Hymns. And it's such a privilege to be able to share it with you. I'm not going to write too much more here because I've said it all within the pages of this book. I hope you'll cop it, love it, share it, and spread the word. And if you do just that, my sincere thanks to you. It means the world to me. Much love. Stay blessed.

[Rhoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Australia for sending me a copy of this book to review!

This is the memoir of a church-going African-Australian girl who grew up in the country town of Muswellbrook in New South Wales. The book covers what it meant to be Black growing up in a country town in the 80s and 90s, the author’s love of hip hop music, her spiritual journey, being on the receiving end of racism and struggles with both mental illness and domestic violence.

The author decided that she wanted to be a journalist at a young age and despite not getting the marks for it, her utter determination and willingness to give things a go ensured she achieved that dream - she is now an ABC journalist specializing in popular culture.

This was an engaging and interesting memoir that I devoured in just a couple days and really enjoyed. The author is a great storyteller and I was appreciative of how much information was shared and that she was willing to portray herself in both good and perhaps not so good ways. It felt very authentic and candid.

The author’s resilience is inspiring and it was so interesting to see life through her eyes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Mawunyo Gbogbo for this gift of a book. At times it had me bopping my head to the hip hop lyrics and other times shaking my head in utter sadness and frustration from the overt racism and microagressions she endured. For me, it was completely relatable as a first generation women of African descent, who was born and raised in Canada. Never quite Ugandan enough. Never quite Canadian enough. Forever displaced. I was rooting for Mawunyo during her many highs and clutching my heart during her setbacks. I’d highly recommend this book to old school hip-hop heads and anyone who’s grown up in a regional town but particularly young adults from Black, Indigenous and minority backgrounds. Mawunyo’s memoir is gritty, entertaining and honest. “It’s all good (It’s all good). And if you don’t know, now you know.” - The Notorious B.I.G.

[James Cogswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so refreshing to listen to a memoir founded on no-holds-barred honesty. Many of these stories will offer comfort to anyone who has faced struggles in their younger years, however they are told from a perspective that may be less familiar to the reader (that of an African Australian growing up in rural Australia). The musical education is just a bonus! A must read / listen.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a memoir of a young woman growing up black in a very predominately white town in rural New South Wales, Australia in the 80’s and 90’s. It is a story about first loves, teenage mistakes, finding out who you are outside of the family home, growing up, and following your dreams. This is Mawunyos story about her search for individuality.

She is often reckless & unable to see how her present actions will reverberate through her future, but then isn’t that the story of every teen when they’re learning who they are? While I am not normally a big memoir reader, when Penguin Australia reached out to ask if I would review this book, I decided to head out of my comfort zone and give it a go. It certainly gave a very interesting perspective on how a person of colours experience growing up in the same decades as me can be so vastly different on many levels, and yet so similar on many others. It was a very raw and insightful read, with the pain, heartbreak, joy and the ups and downs bleeding through the pages. I enjoyed the nostalgia of the Hip Hop lyrics throughout the book (because I was listening to the Spotify playlist that went along with the book in the letter I was sent) and they definitely enriched the story, I could almost picture her throughout her life listening to them in various locations.

I liked that the book did not shy away from the harder truths that many in power would love to keep buried, like the systemic racism towards people of colour and Australia’s First Nations people. I struggled with the religious parts of the story, purely because I do not have a comfortable history with Christianity, however it was part of her story and needed to be in the pages to help show the facets of her life. I loved her resilience in the face of such tough odds, she came up against so many people who told her she couldn’t, or she wasn’t good enough, but she persevered anyway despite constantly doubting herself, there were plenty of stumbles but the fact that she kept fighting for what she wanted was incredibly admirable. All in all, an enjoyable and very insightful read.

Thank you to Penguin Australia for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Nadia King · Rating 3 out of 5]

"This attempt to erase my African identity seems absurd to me now, but at the time, it just didn’t seem that cool to to admit that I was from the continent, as obvious as it was – because where were the African role models? Where were the Africans doing big things on the world stage? To even ask these questions I was showing my own naivety."

Mawunyo Gbogbo’s memoir is one of growing up black in country New South Wales. It’s a story about her search for identity, religion, love, and work.

Gbogbo’s story tells what it’s like to grow up in an Australia mining town in the 1990s. She describes being a young woman, who is at times reckless with her future and relationships, and who struggles deeply to find her place in the world.

This is a memoir about rising up despite the challenges and blows of life.

Recommended for those who have an interest in hip hop and what it means to be an African Australian woman. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Australia for sending me a copy to review.

[Miss Z Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was initially really excited by the premise of this book before reading it.

Gbogbo’s memoir attempts to show us her life to date, from her migration to a small country town in NSW from Ghana to her life today. Whilst also giving us hints into her politics and her general worldview.

I applaud the honesty and her ability to be quite vulnerable with the audience, however, somewhere along the way this book fell flat. Gbogbo introduces series of themes, some of which are explored quite well, for example; her relationship with hip hop, her journey with Christianity and her convictions about the plight of our ATSI brothers and sisters. Whilst others only get a really surface level representation, for example; her battle with mental illness; an actual recount of the success in her career as a journalist.

Ultimately, (this is more personal) I think there was a disconnect with Gbogbo’s writing style for me. Whilst I do not regret reading it, I really wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.

[Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

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Thank you Penguin Australia for this book in exchange for an honest review

Hip, Hop and Hymns is a sort of memoir of young adults growing up in not only times of hardship but rough environments. Reading about the struggles, hardships, and person growth of these individuals, as well as seeking refuge and comfort in music.

I have to admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, it was oddly paced so it took ages for me to read this book. It lacked a bit of direction and didn’t build up enough setting around the plot. So other than then the basis of the plot, I wasn’t overly captivated.

[Kaz Apikotoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down when I started reading Marnie's life journey ... it's honest, vulnerable and courageous. A trailblazing voice and true story with so many themes that many girls of colour or any immigrant ethnicity growing up in Australia can relate to (identity, community, culture, family, friendship, social 'norms', racism, hopes, dreams, career, love, heartbreak and healing)! The cherry on top was connecting each chapter with a hip hop song or hymn! A super cool intentional thought that made this memoir even more relateable ♡ I hope this book inspires many more female creatives as it has me :)

[Campbell Gentles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not ready for this book to have ended, to have finished reading!

Thank you so much for sharing yourself and your story @Mawunyogbogbo, you have done this in such a raw, open and honest way, and possibly a more vulnerable way.
It has been such a joy and heart ache, feeling it with you all the way. Growing up in NSW at a similar time and knowing a lot of your reference points. So extremely relatable in many ways.

Bonus is the playlist on Spotify too!

Thank you so much for sharing along the way, and it's been such an honour to message back and forth on IG, it's added so much more to your book, and why I stalled at the end.
On a personal side, yes I would have love to know more about your Ghana stories, but thats me and not your journey.
I read half the book in 15 hrs on my flight home, and then it's taken me 3 months to finish the rest.
Please get out and buy Mawunyo's book, and support #blackfemalewriters because their stories matter,
I want to know their stories.

[Larteasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started to listen to Hip Hop & Hymns, I
just couldn't put it down. I loved every single bit
of Mawunyo's story. From growing up in a small
Aussie country town, to her internship in New
York! Her story is so unique, but her character
is so lovable. Her writing is raw, entertaining
and adventurous. Loved that she persisted in
her ambition to become a journalist in the
Australian media industry and that she made
her dreams come true! Inspiring read! A must
read!

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very honest memoir, rich in 1980s nostalgia and evocation of small town life. Gbogbo puts herself and, in particular, her relationship with a lifelong crush, under the microscope, taking swipe at racism personal and institutional along the way. These stories are important, and we are fortunate to now have a publishing industry starting to tell more of the diversity of our continent.

[Bronwen Heathfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I was interested in the life of Mawunyo Gbogbo I found her writing lacked something. I am impressed by her honesty and tenacity and she has certainly lived an interesting life. I don’t know her work and was impressed by her achievements and definitely agree with her politics. However I was expecting a journalist’s writing to be more powerful.

[Penny O'shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Quite an engaging read looking at issues relating to growing up in a country town where no one else looks like you. Tbh I enjoyed the hymns more than the hip hop, only because that’s what I know.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally could not put this down. Stayed up WAY too late reading "just one more chapter".

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a captivating, insightful, eye opening and raw account of growing up black in a very white, small country town. Can’t recommend it enough.

[LUANNE · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly engaging, authentic memoir that I found difficult to put down. Loved this read!

[Chloe Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down! 👏 Highly recommend!

[Pip Snort · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was somewhat stilted and overall the book lacked a narrative direction, which is true of life, but generally doesn't make for a good story.

[Don Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful memoir.

[Jameela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Great coming of age story. Loved to hear about her experiences growing up in Australia + weaving in her love of hip-hop

[Sheree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will preface this by saying that I'm a fantasy reader, not a memoir reader. However as a teacher, including of African and Indigenous students, I found this book insightful.
Mawunyo details her life in flashback snippets, beginning her life in Ghana before moving to a rural NSW town. This town is the setting for much of her life, and it is where she first meets Tyce, the love of her life, doomed to fail.
The story is peppered with bible quotes and song titles, some of the later ones I recognised, having grown up in the 90s.
Not only is this a memoir of Mawunyo's life, but it is a commentary on the systemic racism experienced by Indigenous Australians, much more, she notes, than she herself experienced as an African Australian.
Mawunyo decided early on what she wanted to do with her life and she worked hard to achieve that, despite the side dish of constant heartache the experienced. It is hard to read at times as an outsider and wonder why she doesn't have more self respect and walk, but love does not work like that, and I admire Mawunyo for her faith and the time she took to try to help Tyce, and the small kindnesses like burning some CDs for an Indigenous woman who had shown an interest in Tupac.
Her life wasn't perfect, there was drugs and alcohol, racism and abuse, but Mawunyo is stong of character and faith and it has served her well.

Thank you to Penguin for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.