Last year I decided to pick up Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, and was excited when I found out about her new novel and today’s selection, Let Me Hear a Rhyme. Set in Brooklyn in 1998, a year after the death of The Notorious B.I.G, the book follows three teenagers as they come to grips with a death in their own neighborhood, and decide that this time, the young man will not be another statistic or name people read in the newspaper.The Situation: It seems impossible, but Steph has been killed. His best friends, Jarrell and Quadir, can hardly believe it. The spot in Brooklyn where the three of them would hang out will never be the same. Already, their end of summer tradition of visiting Coney Island - a combination of marking the end of summer, and welcoming a new school year - has been called off. Steph’s younger sister, Jasmine, is not only drowning in grief, but she is also attempting to hold together what is left of her family. First it was her father, and now it is Steph. It is while hanging out in her brother’s room after the funeral that Jarrell and Quadir find her, and together they discover the music Steph was working on. All three of them acknowledge he was one of the best. The lyrics he wrote down were nothing short of miraculous, and the rhymes he could come up with on the fly were a revelation. Ultimately, they figure that the world does not have to miss out on hearing them just because Steph is dead.
The Problem: Getting a record deal for someone who is living is no easy thing. Scoring one for someone who is no longer alive is almost impossible...maybe. Jarrell, Quadir, and Jasmine’s plan is simple enough: take the tracks that Steph had already laid down, make a bunch of copies, and get them circulating. Once people hear them at parties, and from the tables of vendors that have agreed to sell them, people will be hooked. They are all both surprised and not surprised at how well their plan works, gaining Steph - whom they have decided to call ‘the Architect’ - the attention of one of the hottest producers around. But the longer they go on with their plan, and the closer they get to finding out what really happened to Steph, the harder it becomes to keep everything going without it all spinning out of control. Soon, all three of them are in over their heads as they each have their own secrets and motives. If they want to bring the right attention to Steph’s talent and finish what they set out to do, they will not only have to stick together, but also do the impossible, and find out who killed him.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel set in Brooklyn in 1998. It is a time when hip-hop lovers everywhere were discussing their theories as to who killed Tupac and Biggie Smalls. Since this book is all about Brooklyn, Jarrell and Quadir naturally align themselves with the east coast rappers like Biggie, Jay Z, Nas, and the Wu-Tang Clan. While Jasmine does not necessarily disagree with them, she also would like for female rappers to gain the same kind of attention, and not because of how they look or dress. She may be younger than her brother and his friends, but she refuses to be treated like a child and like she cannot hold her own. While others may find her love for her natural hair and habit of speaking seemingly random black history facts odd, she keeps at it, even when it makes her feel alone, or not one of the crowd. And then there is Steph, the talented you man who never got the chance to share his skills, so his friends fight to do it for him. They refuse to let him become another black teen killed in the hood, and Jasmine refuses to let whoever is responsible get away with taking her brother from her. Everyone handles grief differently, and these three decide to use it to give Steph what he deserved in life.
My Verdict: In Jackson’s acknowledgements, she states that this is a love letter to her hometown of Brooklyn, to hip-hop, and to those who were taken to soon. It is a lovely tribute to all three of those things, with smart and dynamic characters that are desperate to do right by a friend and brother. Every setting and scene is beautifully set, and the mention of the various musicians that were popular at the time will bring back great memories for anyone who was alive at the time. Even those who cannot remember when Mix CDs were a thing, or when MTV still played music videos, will be able to fully imagine and enjoy 1990s Brooklyn. Add on top of it the mystery as to what happened to Steph, and readers are in for an adventure with a 90s hip-hop soundtrack. At the very least, nearly everyone will be able to identify with the feeling of wanting to do something for someone they lost, even when it seems like there is nothing to be done.
Favorite Moment: When Jasmine’s mom slapped an uppity executive who had the nerve to act a fool in her house.
Favorite Character: I adore Jasmine, and I feel her pain. It can be a strange thing to know that what your likes and dislikes are what make you different, and what make many people not want to be around you, but you also have very little desire to change.
Recommended Reading: Monday’s Not Coming is worth a read, and I also recommend Angie Thomas’ On The Come Up.
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