It's everywhere man. It's just like you know with rock 'n roll, it became a part of the American fabric. I mean this book, I wrote listening to music. A lot of Al Green, you know Al Green kind of permeated the whole book in a lot of ways. I just love Al Green's music.
Music is just very essential to black literature historically.
And so that's what I'm talking about when I say there is an integral relationship between music and literature. You write very poignantly about the pangs of growing up and living poor, black, young and male in America and the challenges that this reality presents. Wow, I mean one book is not going to do it. But, even if I can just touch a couple of people along the way, and have some critical dialogue. I've got to be a voice for the kids who are in South Central, who are in Jersey City, where I grew up, who are in Brooklyn where I live now.