Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah has written for The Believer, The LA Review of Books, Transition and The Paris Review. "If He Hollers Let Him Go," her essay on Dave Chappelle, was a 2014 National Magazine Award finalist.

"So the stakes are high. I’m not just writing this to write. I’m writing because I think there’s something I need to say. And there’s something that needs to be said. ... What I hope is that a young kid or an older person will see that you have choices, that you don't have to accept what people hand to you. That you have control."

Thanks to TinyLetter for sponsoring this week's episode.

Show Notes:

the-rachelkaadzighansah.tumblr.com

[:30] "If He Hollers Let Him Go" (The Believer • Oct 2013)

[15:15] Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix (Charles R. Cross • Hyperion • 2005)

[17:10] "What Lured Hemingway to Ketchum?" (Hunter S. Thompson • The National Observer • May 1964) [Google Books]

[19:45] "Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You: The Roots Are One of the Most Respected Hip-Hop Acts in the World; Why Can’t They Leave the Sad Stuff Alone?" (Capital New York • Dec 2011)

[24:40] "He Shall Overcome: Jay-Z Is $450 M Beyond the Marcy Projects. Where Does He Go From Here?" (New York Observer • Dec 2010)

[27:16] "The B-Boy’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Review of the RZA’s Tao of Wu" (Transitions • Sep 2012)

[27:52] "When the Lights Shut Off: Kendrick Lamar and the Decline of the Black Blues Narrative" (Los Angeles Review of Books • Jan 2013)

[29:37] "We a Baddd People" (VQR • Jun 2014)

[35:15] "Stakes Is High—and Black Lives Are Worthy of Elaboration" (Kameelah Janan Rasheed • Gawker • Jun 2014)

[44:25] Miles: The Autobiography (Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe • Simon and Schuster • 1989)

[48:20] "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You: The BeyHive" (NPR • Mar 2014)

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