Nate Marshall

Kevin Coval

A first-of-its-kind anthology of hip-hop poetica written for and by the people.

"Turning the Tables" - Joel Dias-Porter aka DJ Renegade

"Wednesday Poem" - Joel Dias-Porter aka DJ Renegade

then close the folder and slump in a chair.

Which student could these pistils protect,

here where it’s natural to never see seventeen?

"Old ladies and dope boys" - Idris Goodwin

Detroit blocks. Old ladies and dope boys stand off on porches, unafraid. Neither buying what the other is selling.

"We House: after Krista Franklin’s Definition of Funk" - Britteney Black Rose Kapri

as in white flight. as in redlining. as in naming the train that separates us the red line. as in you ain’t even trying to hide that shit.

Because there is no Amber Alert for the Amber Skinned Girls!

"Blueprint for BreakBeat Writing" - Nate Marshall

We write to assert the existence of our selves, to assert our right to our own lives and bodies.