Rapper's debut to be broken down
09:00PM ET November 6, 2009
Contributor : Nadine Graham
A Rocky Williform Company

Nas is the latest rapper to have his lyrics spelled out and pieced back together in the form of a book. Writers Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai have collaborated in presenting the words of a young (age nineteen!) Nas in their upcoming book, Born To Use Mics. His 1994 album, Illmatic, will be the focus of the literary work. The album is one of the smartest debuts to be released in that era and it has remained one of the most critically acclaimed bodies of work in the hip hop culture, as a whole. The book itself will feature commentary on each track from contributors such as: Adilifu Nama, Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr., James Peterson, Marc Lamont Hill, Mark Anthony Neal, Kyra Gaunt, Eddie S. Gladue, Jr., Imani Perry and others.