They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us

A stunning collection of essays using music as a vantage point through which to examine and interrogate the world we live in, culturally and politically.

In an age of confusion, fear, and loss, Hanif Abdurraqib's is a voice that matters. Whether he's attending a Bruce Springsteen concert the day after visiting Michael Brown's grave, or discussing public displays of affection at a Carly Rae Jepsen show, he writes with a poignancy and magnetism that resonates profoundly.

In the wake of the nightclub attacks in Paris, he recalls how he sought refuge as a teenager in music, at shows, and wonders whether the next generation of young Muslims will not be afforded that opportunity now. While discussing the everyday threat to the lives of black Americans, Abdurraqib recounts the first time he was ordered to the ground by police officers: for attempting to enter his own car.

In essays that have been published by the New York Times, MTV, and Pitchfork, among others-along with original, previously unreleased essays-Abdurraqib uses music and culture as a lens through which to view our world, so that we might better understand ourselves, and in so doing proves himself a bellwether for our times.

Auteur

Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His essays and music criticism has been published in The FADER, Pitchfork, The New York Times, and MTV News, where he is a columnist. His poetry has been published in Muzzle, Vinyl, PEN American, and various other journals and he is the author of the poetry collection The Crown Ain't Worth Much.