Let Me Hear a Rhyme

“Everyone’s watching, waiting to see if Mom, Carl, and I will crack so they can open us up and see our insides. The hood is filled with nosy people, sucking up all the air, standing in the buffet line snaking out of our kitchen. How could anyone eat after seeing a body lying in a casket?”

This quote highlights The Complexity of Grief. Although funerals and funeral receptions are community events for grieving, Steph’s funeral and reception and are counterproductive for Jasmine’s grieving process. She’s not able to grieve properly people are too concerned with gossiping and being nosy.

“Whenever we chill on the corner, we got to play our positions: me, posted up against the wall; Quady sitting on milk crates; and Steph leaning against the lamppost outside Habibi’s bodega […] The spot Steph would’ve been standing in is looking mad empty now that he’s gone. […] Never thought my first funeral would be for someone I really knew like that. I thought it would be a random kid from school or some great-aunt back in Jamaica. Not my main man hundred grand. I used to wonder what Peter Parker felt when Uncle Ben was killed in Spider-Man. How it felt to lose someone you looked up to, someone you cared about. Now I know. The shit aches, and the thoughts are giving me ruthless bubble guts.”

This quote also underscores The Complexity of Grief by showing how death and grief defy expectations. Jarrell is caught off guard when his best friend, someone his own age, dies, illustrating his own naivete of youth in the reflection.

“A blue Toyota Camry rolls by, his chrome rims gleaming in the sun, blasting Tupac’s ‘How Do U Want It.’ […] Funny how over a year ago, no one would be caught dead rocking to Tupac like that. During the East Coast vs. West Coast beef, we rep hard for Biggie, and the whole Bad Boy family heavy. But in the end, it didn’t make no sense. Tupac’s gone. Biggie’s gone. Now Steph’s gone.”

Jarrell’s reflection shows how needless fighting does not strengthen—it just creates losses and deaths. Just as the conflict between east coast and west coast rappers is shown to be counterproductive, the conflict between the community and the police is later also shown to be counterproductive, because both groups become stronger when they work together rather than against each other.

“‘That’s what it’s like when you lose family,’ Steph said. He was familiar with the shape mourning leaves you in: bent, broken, shattered, grasping at anything that would make you feel whole again. Music healed Steph after his father died. Biggie healed Steph. Now, they’re both gone. […] Steph remained silent, lost in his own thoughts. The weight of grief settled like dust upon his skin. How could he lose the two men that shaped him? Why do the people that he love got to die? And how does he protect everyone left who’s important to him?”

This passage emphasizes The Complexity of Grief by showing how grief can be compounded when more than one person is lost. Having relied on Biggie’s music for help after losing his father, Steph feels at an even greater loss now that Biggie is dead, too. This mirrors Jasmine’s compounded grief after losing both her father and Steph, and her feeling like she needs to fill both their shoes in the present.

“This whole East Coast-West Coast beef never made sense to me. They even said it in Vibe–it was just a bunch of ‘he said, she said’ shit. And look what it cost us. Two of the best rappers alive. […] Tupac was the man, and I was shook to listen to him ‘cause cats were wildin’. Why can’t I rep for Bad Boy but fuck with an artist on Death Row? Good music is good music. Point, blank, period.”

Quadir also argues that the conflict between east coast and west coast rappers is pointless and counterproductive. This concept is difficult for some characters to understand, due to their concept of loyalty. However, Quadir feels that someone can appreciate music artists from different areas without being disloyal.

“Wish Mom liked my natural hair like Daddy did. Daddy had to fight her not to put a perm in it. Said it made me stand out from the rest of the weaves. I mean, why would I want to look like the people who stole us from our home, enslaved us, and murdered our ancestors? Why we worshipping white as beautiful when we were queens?”

Jasmine articulates the misogynoir behind certain hairstyles that appear to whiten Black women’s hair. Jasmine does not think looking whiter is preferable, and argues that racialized beauty standards are harmful because they perpetuate white supremacy. Jasmine prefers wearing her hair natural so she can celebrate her own beauty as a Black girl.

“Steph’s death was nothing but a paragraph in the Daily News: ‘Teen Found Dead in Housing Projects,’ buried somewhere after page six. Since then, I’ve been brainstorming new headlines for a follow-up story:

Friends Nearly Die of Boredom after Teen’s Death

Slain Teen Leaves Friends Mad Confused.”

When the news finally has time to mention Steph’s murder, the story doesn’t do Steph’s life justice, so Quadir makes up his own headlines. Although Quadir’s headlines may come closer to the truth than the actual news article did, they, too, fall short, demonstrating how death and grief are too complex to encapsulate in a news story or a short headline.

“Jarrell’s shoulders tightened. He hated lying to his friends. Yes, he ‘paid’ for it, but not nearly the amount it was worth when it mysteriously fell off the back of a delivery truck. Not everyone was as lucky as Steph to have a father to steer him down the right road. Jarrell had bread crumbs to follow rather than a real map. That’s where Mack stepped in. Steph’s father may have taught Steph how to be a man, but Mack had taught Jarrell about the streets and how to survive. And when you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to tell which lesson should be above the other.”

Jarrell thinks that in the absence of morality, he can at least learn how to survive and make money. However, even when Jarrell is telling himself Mack is a useful friend, he can already sense this isn’t true. This foreshadows how Jarrell will eventually learn that Mack is an even worse friend than he ever imagined.

“Biggie was a lot of people’s brother. He was a father, a husband, and a son. But that don’t mean shit. Why? All ‘cause of some code about snitching, and now his family can’t get justice. […] What if someone did see something, would he blame them for not coming forward, if only to protect his or her own family? He’d do anything to protect his. Wonder what Pops would say about all this, he thought. He wasn’t down with the no-snitching rule. He was all about protecting the community at all costs. Even if that meant losing his life to prove that point.”

Steph argues with Jarrell about snitching; Jarrell thinks it’s unacceptable, but claims he’d tell Steph if he knew anything about Mr. Davis’s murder, because Steph is Jarrell’s brother. Steph points out that every murdered person was important to someone, and that all these people deserve justice and closure. This complicates The Limits of Legal and Extralegal Justice by showing how the no snitching rule perpetuates harm in communities.

“‘Making these demos, it’s like he’s still with us…but not the way we want. Not in the way we need…you know? All this, and we still don’t know what happened to him.’ […] I thought the demos would be like a Band-Aid and help kill time while we heal. But for Jasmine, it’s like being cut over and over again. Because she still doesn’t have answers, she still doesn’t know who killed her brother, she still doesn’t have closure. ‘Time’s been going mad slow. Summer just flew by and then…it happened. I mean, we didn’t even get to go to Coney Island or nothing.’”

This passage develops The Complexity of Grief in that the same strategy that Quadir thought would be helpful is actually re-traumatizing for Jasmine, showing how context matters. Listening to Steph’s voice over and over makes Jasmine feel stuck in a stage where she still doesn’t have answers or closure.

“‘Pain…it can either make you or break you. And we trying to get made out here. You gotta keep going and remember who you doing this for. ‘Cause you ain’t just doing this for Steph; you doing this for you.’ […] I shake the tremors out of my hands and close my eyes, searching for that note, deep in the pit of my stomach. But in order to find it, I have to think of Steph. I have to focus on our memories. I have to fully feel the pain I’ve been wishing away. I think of the last time I saw him, and my stomach tightens.”

Singing after Steph’s death is difficult for Jasmine because singing reminds her of him. To grieve Steph properly, Jasmine must confront the reality of his death and feel her emotions.

“‘Weeksville Village was made up of seven hundred freed slaves. It was one of the country’s first free black communities where blacks owned property and ran businesses. I mean, they had their own schools, churches, newspaper, even an old-folks home.’ […] ‘[A]in’t that fly, though? All these black people living together like one big tribe, working in unity, keeping each other safe. That’s what my daddy wished B-Voort could be for us. A village, helping one another.’ ‘Maybe we already are.’ ‘If so, then someone would know what happened to my brother.’”

Jasmine describes Weeksville Village and argues that the same solidarity and unity could exist in B-Voort, but it doesn’t, because if it did, Steph either wouldn’t have died or would have at least had his murder solved. The no snitching rule, allegedly meant to help the community, caused Steph’s murder and now prevents Jasmine from learning what happened, illustrating The Limits of Legal and Extralegal Justice.

“Quady, you are the king of white lies. […] [I]t’s one of the things I love best about you. You lie to protect people’s feelings, thinking you know what’s best for them. But do you ever think that maybe telling the truth works just as well? […] You need to start being straight with people. The truth will get you farther and faster than lying. ‘Cause every lie gotta be followed up with another lie, and sooner or later you lose count.”

Quadir’s mother’s words hit him harder than anyone else’s words have, and he takes them to heart and starts being honest after her advice. He also takes her words to their logical conclusion and decides that snitching is the right thing after all, because snitching is really just code for telling the truth.

“And that line about snitching…I can’t even front, son has a point. ‘If you keep being quiet, you only a chain on the neck of violence with your silence.’ Yo, he talking about being an accessory to murder, son.”

Steph’s lyrics illustrate how remaining silent about a crime is tantamount to being an accomplice. Silence allows murderers to remain at large, get away with past crimes, and potentially to continue murdering more people.

“‘But no one knows who he is.’ […] ‘He’s on his Clark Kent, Superman ish.’ […] ‘Or Spider-Man.’ ‘Nah, Batman,’ I say. […] ‘See, Superman, he’s an alien,’ I explain while packing up my bag. ‘And Spider-Man got them silly strings. Plus, Spider-Man’s from Queens—don’t disrespect homie like that. But Batman, he’s just a regular-shmegular everyday brotha doing extraordinary things for Gotham. He proves that you don’t need no special powers to save the city. You just gotta have heart.’”

Jarrell overhears some kids at school debating which superhero the Architect is most similar to. Jarrell’s choice of Batman is significant because he wants to emphasize that Steph was not a supernatural being, but merely a human doing what he could to help his community.

“‘Snitches get stitches where we from. Everybody knows that,’ Rell spits, turning to Fast Pace. ‘And we don’t snitch for nobody, word up!’”

Jarrell summarizes the dominant rule of the community, meaning that people who work as police informants are targeted by murderers. This is largely accepted as justification for not snitching. However, not snitching ensures that additional people will get stitches, so this rule is counterproductive.

“‘I know y’all heard of Fast Pace and this new kid the Architect. But tonight…we taking it back to the corner, back to the streets! Battle of the Emcees, Brooklyn vs. Brooklyn, Fast Pace vs. the Architect.’ […] ‘And only you, ladies and gentlemen, can decide the winner. Tonight, you’ll decide these two brothas’ fate at the Tunnel…’”

Although Pierce’s scheme doesn’t end up harming Steph because Steph is already dead, this same scheme has already been shown to be harmful in the case of Tupac and Biggie. Encouraging competition between people who work in the same field runs the risk of making those people view each other as threats and act accordingly.

“I heard they killed Rashad in broad daylight on the court

At first thought

Sound a little like BUMPY to me, now the whole hoods jumpy

‘cause that bump in streets

But we gon’ pave the road

I’m ‘bout to take it home

Started this verse OK

End it with a K.O.”

Fast Pace takes issue with this verse of Steph’s, in which Steph calls out Bumpy as Rashad’s murderer. Fast Place complains that this verse is snitching, but ironically, this verse would only make sense to others in his own community who know Bumpy. Steph was not just a police informant; he wanted to get the truth out to everyone, not just the police.

“‘I warned him that if he keeps playing with fire, he’s gonna end up burned. He insisted it was the right thing to do. ‘Silence keeps folks ignorant of the truth.’ […] ‘You gotta talk to the cops,’ Quady says. ‘Tell them what you told us.’ Kaven stares at the floor, shaking his head, and I can’t even believe the words coming out my mouth. ‘Come on, it ain’t snitching, man. It’s doing the right thing so no one else gets hurt.’ […] ‘Some codes you don’t break.’”

Characters repeatedly claim that the no snitching rule is a code that cannot be broken, although they give no justification for this belief. This passage reveals that hanging on to moral codes simply because they’re codes is not effective and leads to trouble.

“‘This card…I gave it to your late husband years ago. He was an informant for our department and had given grand jury testimony for two of our biggest cases. He truly wanted the best for his community. Even if it meant doing things…some people may not agree with.’ ‘Like snitching,’ Jarrell says, hard. He shrugs. ‘You can say that. Although we prefer to call it being a responsible citizen.’”

Sergeant Vasquez argues that snitching is really being a responsible citizen. Snitching does not harm anyone except those who have committed crimes, and can help bring justice and closure to grieving members of the community, while reducing danger going forward.

“‘I guess we just wanted our boy…to be somebody. There’s mad kids from the hood who could’ve been famous rappers, singers, poets, basketball stars…but their life got cut short. We just…we just wanted our boy to have a life after death. Steph shouldn’t be just another name on a list.’ […] ‘We want to send a message that you may kill the man, but you can never kill his dream.’”

On Angie Martinez’s radio show, Quadir argues that Steph’s music immortalizes his dream and his voice—his messages to the world. This emphasizes The Power of Music, allowing Steph to speak to others past his death.

“‘It’s time we stop the street violence, once and for all,’ the Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden says to News Channel 4. ‘This young man had a bright future ahead of him. One of many who have died tragically. But it’s amazing to see his family and friends turn this tragedy into hope for the community.’ […] Ms. Davis is stunned. You could see it in her eyes as she cried on every shoulder. She never expected to see so many people show love for her baby. But that’s what we do. We spread love. It’s the Brooklyn way.”

This is the novel’s second allusion to a lyric from Biggie’s 1994 song “Juicy”: “Spread love. It’s the Brooklyn way.” The repetition of this lyric emphasizes the importance of love for one’s community. Love can be spread even in death, as evidenced by both Biggie and Steph.

“Crazy how they say no snitching but cats getting murked ‘cause of a bunch of lip smacking anyways. […] Inside, DJ Cash switches it up and plays Big’s ‘Hypnotize.’ It’s crazy that it’s been over a year and they still don’t know who killed him. They don’t even know who killed Tupac yet! Wonder how long it’ll take for someone to step up and say something. One thing’s for sure, losing them changed the hip-hop game forever. Losing Steph…changed us forever. Death got a way of moving you. Whether you ready or not.”

This quote is ironic because it took the police 27 years to arrest a suspect in Tupac’s murder. Biggie’s murderer is still unknown, although theories exist. These facts call into question the usefulness of the no snitching rule, as Tupac’s and Biggie’s loved ones have been left without closure or justice.