The Message: 100 Life Lessons From Hip-Hop’s Greatest Songs by Felicia Pride is a written testimony to how much music influences us. Each chapter has the title of a song that had an impact on Ms. Pride. She shares with us lessons learned and how relevant the title or lyrics from some of her favorite song titles have been to her. Her love of hip-hop, the music and the culture resonates throughout the book. I could almost hear some of the songs as I read what she had written. In many ways the book reminded me of the movie, `Brown Sugar,’ because of the authentic musical love that shown through. The Message was a book about the music but it was also about the growth of a woman and an artist.

The chapter, `Look into My Eyes,’ is really touching. DMX, a much maligned rapper, performed that song and I was reminded of the first time I heard it. My son played it for me and I could feel DMX’s pain and it allowed me to see beyond his persona into a tortured soul. The author relates how the song made her look beyond the surface of people and how she expects the same from others.

I recommend The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop’s Greatest Songs to all who enjoy the musical genre. However, it is an entertaining, well-written book that can be enjoyed by all who enjoy biographical sketches written to an internal soundtrack.

CLICK HERE to order a copy of The Message.

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