With art and commentary from voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates, this book contextualizes Kendrick Lamar’s impact and digs into the significance of his lyrics.” - The New York Times
"An in-depth biographical and historical contextualization of one of the decade’s most heralded rappers."—Kirkus
“An insightful deep dive into the mind of Pulitzer-winning hip-hop artist and producer Kendrick Lamar … Lewis paints a captivating portrait of a luminary whose lyrics capture the struggles, triumphs, anger, and hope of an entire generation of Black Americans. … Fans and hip-hop enthusiasts will relish this thought-provoking work.” - Publishers Weekly
“Miles Marshall Lewis is one of the most gifted and eloquent cultural critics of his generation. His astute observations about Kendrick Lamar’s formidable body of work offer ample evidence of the magisterial literacy that courses through Lamar’s densely allusive and complicated lyrics. Promise That You Will Sing About Me is a timely and poignant meditation on the remarkable artistry of our pioneering Pulitzer Prize-winning urban wunderkind.” —Michael Eric Dyson, author of the New York Times Bestselling Tears We Cannot Stop and Jay-Z
“Miles uses his words the way I use my voice: honestly. He’s peculiarly intelligent, the best kind of journalist, fair to the artist without failing to entertain the reader.” —Erykah Badu
“Miles Marshall Lewis is one of the cornerstone writers of his generation, a pioneering voice whose insights into American culture – particularly that outsize portion of it pertaining to black music – have been critical not only to his readers but also the writers who have emerged in his two decades of public engagement. There’s a vast category of writers whose work has been influenced by hiphop; Miles is one of the few who has returned the favor.” —Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker
“MML has been at the cutting edge of black magic in music. He’s listened, contemplated and debated the roots and origins of sound while staying abreast of what’s next, what’s funky and what’s trash. His ear, like his heart, is right behind the beat.” —Saul Williams, author of ,said the shotgun to the head
"Promise That You Will Sing About Me demands you, as the lyric it borrows its name from does, to reckon with a force that interrogates and strips and cleanses and incites and excites and encapsulates and loves us the way Kendrick and Kendrick's music does. Only Miles Marshall Lewis is capable of capturing that lightning and articulating how and why and when it strikes us." —Damon Young, author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker
2021-06-19
An in-depth biographical and historical contextualization of one of the decade’s most heralded rappers.
“Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” was the heartfelt testimonial standout track from Kendrick Lamar’s debut studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, a massive success upon its release in 2012. The album cemented Lamar as one of the new “top dawgs” in the game, much like the record label that incubated his talent, Top Dawg Entertainment. Lewis introduces Lamar via his first interactions with the musician, composing a promotional interview for his second album, the jazz-influenced To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). That award-winning album’s biggest hit, “Alright,” organically synced with the growing Black Lives Matter protests unfolding across the country. Joining Marcus Moore’s The Butterfly Effect (2020), this book uncovers avenues for understanding Lamar’s craft, which potently reveals the upheaval within Black communities and the music industry. A respected intergenerational chorus of Black cultural voices—Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ivie Ani, Greg Tate, Farrah Jasmine Griffin, Jay Smooth, Alicia Garza, and kris ex—offer illuminating commentary, while original artwork and reprinted photography reinforce the magazine-profile aesthetics of the text. Like all good hip-hop fans, Lewis recounts how his own life experiences are enmeshed with the music, and the biography lovingly challenges Lamar, as needed, on themes of political ideology and gender relations. All fans of Lamar recognize that he is incredibly honest, transparent, and vulnerable on his records, all of which so far could be defined as classic for the genre. Yet at the same time, his increasing unavailability to media outlets has created the conditions for veteran cultural insiders to fill in the gaps. Lewis does that well and also creates a shadow historiography of an entire generation of Black urban culture while leaving room for Lamar to remain the master lyricist of his own life.
Feel the wide cultural reverberations of the decade’s lyrical legend from those who felt, wrote, and listened.
