In the Spirit in the DarkNajja K. BaptistLabel: New York University PressDescription: How Black music shapes the political identity consciousness and engagement of Black youthFrom Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar to J. Cole and Janelle Monae Najja K. Baptist shows us how Black music has more than ever before become a form of political participation and resistance that has socialized and mobilized a new generation of Black youth leading them to enter and remain engaged with large-scale activist movements.Drawing on surveys with hundreds of youth interviews with artists and activists and in-depth content analysis Baptist shows us how the creation and consumption of Black music has made movements like Black Lives Matter possible. As Black music both responds to and educates its listeners about catalytic political events like police killings it simultaneously heightens develops and sustains the political consciousness of Black youth particularly in the age of social media. Baptist finds that music predicts – and further shapes – their larger public attitudes toward government political leaders and policies in addition to encouraging more traditional forms of political participation such as organizing and attending protests.Ultimately Baptist invites us into the fascinating often-hidden space where young Black political consciousness is born and cultivated driving many to become agents of change.
