June 06, 2006 @ 1:34 pm

Bronx Biannual

Felicia Pride

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In his introduction, editor Miles Marshall Lewis, author, hip hop chronicler, and Bronx native, remarks that the creation of Bronx Biannual, “the journal of urbane urban literature” follows in the footsteps of prior journals linked to cultural movements including Fire!!, published during the Harlem Renaissance, L’Etudiant Noir, created on the brink of the Negritude movement, and Yardbird Reader, founded on the heels of the Black Arts Movement. While such comparisons provide the intellectual setup, this is still hip hop and only one goal really matters: “to publish some dope stories.” right There’s a breadth of style and substance included in the collection from Greg Tate’s sci-fi story of a female body snatcher to newcomer Reginald Lewis’s stylistic account of strangers intersecting on the train. Lewis recruited some great writers like Adam Mansbach and Donnell Alexander to expose the uninformed, to some genuine hip hop fiction that incorporates cultural elements as well as the swagger, wit, and wordplay seen in the music. Not to be confused with street fiction, which like gangsta rap, reflects only a part of the literary genre. It was good not to see any bitter musings about the state of hip hop, but overall the nonfiction compiled in the journal needs a booster. Ferentz Lafargue’s essay dissecting Sex and the City versus Girlfriends is in theory, questionable, and in execution, dull. And perhaps the biggest disappointment is KRS-One’s submission. Most people, when seeing the visionary’s name as a contributor, will assume that the teacher drops knowledge or blazes some rhyme-infused poetry. Nope. Instead, he prophesizes for more than ten pages with the intent to “inspire the reader to reach for the Christ within one’s self.” While you have to respect his lofty ambitions, there is definitely an awkward pause in the journal’s flow. It’s like the DJ flipped the script when you least expected. Speaking of flow, an urban lit journal could benefit from publishing more poetry, not just because it’s so closely related to rapping but also because there are fewer and fewer print outlets for poets to shine. muMs provides the only poem, “Angels in the Realm of Paranoia,” a surrealistic trip with young gods wildin’ in Eden. Divided in thirds, it’s three times dope and represents nicely. For this hip hop baby with a love of literature, Bronx Biannual is destined to be the hybrid I crave. I definitely look forward to peeping the next issue while listening to some Little Brother. Read more vibe.com reviews.

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