Reviews

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib

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baj's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

I'm not the biggest tribe fan and the last time I really listened to them was in my late teens when I was familiarising myself with classic hip hop records. Upon reading this, I find myself looking at Tribe differently. I only listened from a difference so I never considered looking into the human nature of the group. I think if anyone wanted to look at human character development they should look no further than studying music groups. A Tribe Called Quest is a great start. how people change and how that affects the work and other things. there's a lot to think about really.

wetdirtreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

dr_awkward's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

rvlgonzalez's review against another edition

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5.0

Nif!!!!!!

You could feel how much the author loved the band and rap/hip hop in general in a true, smart, and poetic way. I know a little of Tribe's music and had a similar level of familiarity with a lot of the music Abdurraqib talked about, but I was (and still am) far from a real scholar about it. Even so, the book was enjoyable and interesting.

I audiobooked this and listened to a whole lot of it while sectioning brains. It was a really beautiful experience. This cryostat was a new-to-me machine and it always takes a while to get the hang of how they handle. Go Ahead was buoying during the frustrating start. Then, when things got rolling, the beauty of a (well-sectioned) brain section combined with the beauty of Abdurraqib's writing. Just an incredible vibe. Seriously, have you ever seen a brain section? Have you ever heard someone talk so beautifully about something they love? INCREDIBLE.

One thing I'll note, I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading this in as all-in-one go fashion as I did. I think this happens with almost all essay collections I've read, but it can get repetitive. Essays are typically written as separate bits then stitched together. There are things you need to re-intro or re-contextualize in the segment in which it appears. It's totally expected and reasonable and would be so helpful if I hadn't read the previous part, like, a couple hours ago.