Hanif Abdurraqib

Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His first collection of poems, The Crown Ain't Worth Much was released in 2016 and was nominated for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. His first collection of essays, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was released in fall 2017 by Two Dollar Radio.
Can a Tribute Album to a Fallen Artist Help Us Heal?
Reflections on suicide, survival, and the new tribute album to Scott Hutchison.
Mourning Dr. John
Mac Rebennack was a musical preservationist. That work is especially important in places like New Orleans, where, for many reasons, it is all too easy for people and history to be forgotten.
Jamila Woods' New Album Brings Iconic Black Artists Back to Life
"Legacy! Legacy!" is a revelatory concept album that puts Jamila Woods' voice in conversation with black creators from the past.
The Resurrection of Aretha Franklin in 'Amazing Grace'
The newly released concert film is a joyous celebration of faith—and of how Aretha moved even secular audiences toward the holy.
Honoring Hal Blaine—and the Other Unseen Laborers in the Music Industry
Often relegated to the small print, session musicians helped create the most iconic songs of the last century. Hal Blaine was one of the greatest, and quietest, among them.
Why I Walked Out of 'Green Book'
Don Shirley's actual life was remarkable. In the movie, he's a prop for a white person.
Why Did 2018 Feel So Long?
The Trump presidency feels built to wear people down.
Why Do We Speak Ill of the Dead?
For people who exercise great power, accountability after death is a small price to pay.
'Widows' Is a Thriller About Women's Liberation
In director Steve McQueen's new movie, the heist is about much more than money.
Has the Trump Administration Changed the Way My Brain Works?
If I spend enough of my lived experience fighting my way out of lies, I might find myself too exhausted to receive the truth when I'm done.
Why Do We Expect Victims of Racism to Forgive?
The common script is for the oppressed person to offer absolution. But who is served by such forgiveness?
A Politics That Requires Taylor Swift Is Not Healthy or Durable
The singer made news with the first real political statement of her career. It was overdue—and oddly depressing.
Who Gets to Control a Killer's Story?
On Botham Shem Jean and the American obsession with criminalizing dead black people.
Too Much and Still Not Enough: Mourning Aretha Franklin
The funerals of my Muslim childhood were quick and modest. But I've learned to love the extended gospel funeral. Aretha's homegoing reminded me why.
'BlacKkKlansman' and the Art of Code-Switching
Beyond tics in dialect, code-switching often requires a shift in ideology.
What I Learned From Mister Rogers
It's in times of tragedy and shame that I miss Fred Rogers the most.
What's the Purpose of Empathy?
People love to romanticize empathy. But do they ever act on it?
How I Said Goodbye to the NFL
It finally got too hard for me to separate the sport from the league's flaws—especially its glaring refusal to countenance protest.
Scott Hutchison and How to Mourn Tortured Artists
Suffering songwriters have long helped listeners feel less lonely. If only we could repay the favor.
Why Is Kanye West Sounding Like the Alt-Right?
West's outlook, like that of the alt-right, claims underdog status as a way of selling an ideology of power.
How Basketball Briefly Saved Me From Politics
In the last month, I watched every Timberwolves game in an attempt to tune out something larger.
What the Terrorist Steals When He Takes His Own Life
What happens when suicide forestalls any possibility of justice?
A Guide to the Hidden Political Poetry of the American Midwest
Celebrating three poets whose work is as trenchantly political as anything on an op-ed page: a poetry of labor, of representation, of hope.
After the Parkland Shooting, Listen to the Teens
Young people have been leading protests for decades. What makes Parkland different?
Watching the Patriots Lose Is My Favorite Sport
There are a lot of reasons people dislike the Patriots. Many of them are rooted in the intersection of politics and sports.
'Proud Mary' and the Pressure on Black Audiences to Support Black Movies
Analyzing the persistent pressure on black audiences to root for products that aren't always very good.
The Selling of Two Timberlakes
A look at Justin Timberlake's rare flexibility in self-fashioning—a flexibility that his idols didn't always enjoy.
'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' Is Hopelessly Bad on Race
Many critics have praised Martin McDonagh's nuanced portrayal of bigotry. But his black characters are mere devices—and the bigot's redemption never really feels earned.
Christmas Carols Are the Purest Expression of Christmas. Why Save Them for December?
For me, Christmas Carols evoke hope in a way that Christmas itself never can.
Billy Dee Williams, the Only Black Man in the Future
Remembering Lando, and Colt 45.
Fear and the Future of Live Music
The very things that make outdoor concerts so special—freedom, escape, intimacy with strangers—are the first things that the terrorist tries to take away.
Macklemore Finds Himself, With No One Watching
Macklemore has taken a break from checking his privilege. The results are deeply refreshing.
How 'Girls Trip' Helped Me Escape the Madness of Trump's America
I have seen the movie seven times, and it helped me survive the summer.
The Best Dick Gregory Story
The comedian was able to cross over to white audiences without ever bowing to those audiences.
Black People Didn't Die So You Could Learn a Lesson
Detroit is yet another example of America's need to exculpate itself by watching black people die.
Lana Del Rey's New America
Why the pop maven ditched the American flag.
Vince Staples Is Reporting the News
On his new record, Staples comes across as an archivist, a relentless world-builder, a griot on the porch.
America’s Most Electable Fictional Presidents
Tired of these petty, increasingly irrelevant real-life candidates? Here is a deep and methodical analysis of our fictional presidents, and whether America deserves them.
My Demons and My Dog and This Anxiety and That Noise
Anxiety is clearest when it’s loud—and most dangerous when it’s quiet.
Marvin Gaye and the Unlikely Patriotism of Resistance
Marvin Gaye and the unlikely patriotism of resistance.