They Can’t Kill us until they Kill Us

Hanif Abdurraqib is one of the artist/writers/creators that I’d have at my fantasy dinner party. I admire the way he sees the world and the connections he draws from seemingly disparate topics and the way he puts his thoughts out into the world. Plus, I would imagine that he could have a fascinating conversation with just about anyone — the perfect person to have at a dinner party where you can invite literally anyone. James Baldwin & Margaret Mead, David Bowie, Kate Beaton, Aaliyah.

I’ve been reading one of Hanif’s books of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, which juxtaposes his personal experiences with social issues against his thoughts on music and culture. I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite of the essays contained within the book — they all have their own flavor and they just hit differently on different days. Today, the one that resonates in my belly is “Tell ‘Em All to Come and Get Me,” an essay about Kendrick Lamar (and so much more). An excerpt:

“The truth is, once you understand that there are people who do not want you to exist, that is a difficult card to remove from the table. There is no liberation, no undoing that knowledge. It is the unyielding door, the one that simply cannot be pushed back against any longer. For many, there are reminders of this every day, every hour. It makes "Alright," the emotional bar and the song itself, the best there is. It makes existence itself a celebration.”