About the Book
Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971-1996) was an American rap artist, actor, and social activist. More than seventy-five million of his albums have sold worldwide, making him one of the bestselling music artists in the world. Rolling Stone magazine named him the 86th Greatest Artist of All Time.
Shakur also gained notoriety for his conflicts with the law and time spent in prison.
Most of Tupac's songs are about growing up amid violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, other social problems, and conflicts with other rappers during the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry.
In September 1996, after attending a boxing match in Las Vegas, Shakur was shot four times and died several days later.
Shakur's double album, All Eyez on Me, is one of the highest-selling rap albums of all time, with more than five million copies of the album sold in the United States alone. A Vibe magazine poll in 2004 rated Shakur "the greatest rapper of all time" as voted by fans. In 2010, he was inducted to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.
More than a decade after his murder, Tupac Shakur is even more loved, contested, and celebrated than he was in life. His posthumously released albums, poetry, and motion pictures have catapulted him into the upper echelon of American cultural icons. In Holler If You Hear Me, "hip-hop intellectual" Michael Eric Dyson, acclaimed author of the bestselling Is Bill Cosby Right?, offers a wholly original way of looking at Tupac that will thrill those who already love the artist and enlighten those who want to understand him.
*Produced by Buck 50 Productions
About the Author :
Michael Eric Dyson is one of America's premier public intellectuals and the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tears We Cannot Stop and What Truth Sounds Like. He occupies the distinguished position of university professor of sociology at Georgetown University, is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and is a contributing editor of the New Republic and ESPN's The Undefeated. Ebony magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans and one of the 150 most powerful blacks in the nation.
Cary Hite has performed in several theaters across the country as a cast member in the longest-running African American play in history, The Diary of Black Men. He also appeared in Edward II, Fences, Macbeth, Good Boys, Side Effects May Vary, and the indie feature The City Is Mine. He has voiced several projects for AudibleKids, including Souls Look Back in Wonder, From Slave Ship to Freedom Road, and Papa, Do You Love Me?
Review :
"This book should be an instant classic--not because it is above criticism, but rather because it provides the most profound analysis of the significance of Tupac Shakur and the most sophisticated understanding of the complexity of today's hip-hop culture and the plight of its major creators--black young people."
-- "Cornel West, New York Times bestselling author"
"Holler If You Hear Me not only analyzes the conflicted workings of a young man gone too soon but considers how Shakur's life and spirit, in ways good and bad, continue to challenge popular culture and inform the world he left behind."
-- "Boston Globe"
"[Dyson] makes a distinctly substantial contribution to deconstructing the mystique of Tupac Shakur...By focusing sincere academic attention on significant aspects of Tupac Shakur's life and art, Dyson has provided an indispensable text for the university courses on Pac that have already cropped up nationwide."
-- "Village Voice"
"A major American thinker and cultural critic."
-- "Philadelphia Inquirer"
"A well-written, intelligent, and energetically investigative work."
-- "Library Journal"
"An earnest attempt to explain the ever-growing appeal of 'the black Elvis' to fans' parents, and even more so, to cultural critics and academics...It is worth reading."
-- "Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
"At last, one of our most talented critics and writers, Michael Eric Dyson, explains the myth and meaning of Tupac. Holler If You Hear Me is a riveting read that brings together the wisdom of people who knew, loved, and thought about his lost talent. Miss this book and you'll lose a chance to understand the enduring creativity and power of black youth, those roses that grow from concrete and that flower in even the most harrowing circumstances."
-- "Quincy Jones, composer and producer"
"In literate and streetwise style, Dyson describes and dissects Shakur's world...Piquant and analytical, Dyson's is arguably the best 2pac bio 2 date."
-- "Booklist"
"In this elegantly written and extremely well-researched book, Dyson...helps To illuminate the internal struggles of Tupac that were manifested in such spectacular fashion. It is a sympathetic, but not sentimental, look at a young man who although only twenty-five years old when murdered left a legacy...that will undoubtedly live on for a lifetime."
-- "Detroit Free Press"
"More than a music bio, the book will draw the attention of socially conscious readers who are interested in how hip-hop affects society."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"Paints a nuanced picture of his subject while illuminating the effect hip-hop has had on America."
-- "New Yorker"
"Perceptive, informative, and certainly timely."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Riffs with speed, eloquence, bawdy humor, and startling truths that have the effect of hitting you like a Mack truck."
-- "San Francisco Examiner"
Without question, Michael Eric Dyson is among the most dynamic teachers that I have ever met. His insights are deeply rooted in an understanding of history, and our people's place in it, as is abundantly clear in Holler If You Hear Me. These qualities appear in all of his writing, which not only make his work enjoyable but vital. He is remarkably informed and equally approachable. And on top of that, he ain't no square. You gotta love that."
-- "Mos Def, rap artist"
