‘They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us’ by Hanif Abdurraqib

Hanif Abdurraqib, poet, essayist and cultural critic, joins Alberto Rios to discuss his first collection of essays, “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us.”

In the wake of the nightclub attacks in Paris, Hanif Abdurraqib recalls seeking refuge as a teenager in music and at shows, and wonders whether the next generation of young Muslims will not be afforded that opportunity now. While discussing the everyday threat to the lives of black Americans, Abdurraqib recounts the first time he was ordered to the ground by police officers: for attempting to enter his own car.

In essays that have been published by the New York Times, MTV and Pitchfork, among others — along with original, previously unreleased essays — Abdurraqib uses music and culture as a lens through which to view our world, so that we might better understand ourselves.