Rap Dad, Juan Vidal
Rap Dad, Juan Vidal
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Rap Dad
A Story of Family and the Subculture That Shaped a Generation

Author: Juan Vidal

Narrator: Juan Vidal

Unabridged: 5 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/25/2018


Synopsis

This timely reflection on male identity in America that explores the intersection of fatherhood, race, and hip-hop culture “is a page-turner…drenched in history and encompasses the energy, fire, and passion that is hip-hop” (D. Watkins, New York Times bestselling author).

Just as his music career was taking off, Juan Vidal received life-changing news: he’d soon be a father. Throughout his life, neglectful men were the norm—his own dad struggled with drug addiction and infidelity—a cycle that, inevitably, wrought Vidal with insecurity. At age twenty-six, with barely a grip on life, what lessons could he possibly offer a kid? Determined to alter the course for his child, Vidal did what he’d always done when confronted with life’s challenges—he turned to the counterculture.

In Rap Dad, the musician-turned-journalist takes a thoughtful and inventive approach to exploring identity and examining how today’s society views fatherhood. To root out the source of his fears around parenting, Vidal revisits the flash points of his juvenescence, a feat that transports him, a first-generation American born to Colombian parents, back to the drug-fueled streets of 1980s–90s Miami. It’s during those pivotal years that he’s drawn to skateboarding, graffiti, and the music of rebellion: hip-hop. As he looks to the past for answers, he infuses his personal story with rap lyrics and interviews with some of pop culture’s most compelling voices—plenty of whom have proven to be some of society’s best, albeit nontraditional, dads. Along the way, Vidal confronts the unfair stereotypes that taint urban men—especially Black and Latino men.

“A heartfelt examination of the damage that wayward fathers can leave in their wake” (The Washington Post), Rap Dad is “rich with symbolism…a poetic chronicle of beats, rhymes, and life” (NPR).

About Juan Vidal

Juan Vidal is a writer, journalist, and cultural critic, who reviews books for NPR and contributes to Vibe, Esquire, Rolling Stone, and GQ. His work has been mentioned in The New York Times and has appeared in Billboard, Complex, HuffPost, and others. Rap Dad is his debut book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Traci on January 18, 2019

I’m not sure I fully understood the point of this book, but I liked sections. I wished the writing went deeper in memoir OR focused on more folks in the rap worlds feelings on parenthood. It felt a little disjointed.......more

Goodreads review by Katy O. on January 22, 2019

I can’t wait to share this book with my husband! The thread of fathers and sons was woven throughout the book, both in the memoir-focused first half and the essay-focused second half. A unique look at fatherhood from a man who, like the majority of his Latino friends he grew up with in South Florida......more

Goodreads review by Breanna on January 14, 2019

I'm really glad I listened to this one on audio or I definitely wouldn't have noticed how almost lyrical the writing is (I have no sense of internal rhythm). It was an enjoyable overall read and beautifully written. However, the book just wasn't really for me. I don't know much about rap so entire s......more

Goodreads review by R.J. on January 11, 2019

I came for the rap... But stayed for the compelling stories about a childhood, growing up, being a young adult traveling the world, and becoming a dad. The stories weave together wonderfully with rap lyrics and anecdotes. Juan Vidal shares the raw stories and struggles in his life and the culture at......more