This month’s Author Spotlight are Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffery Boston Weatherford, authors Rap It Up!, where aspiring young rappers will delight in this infectious, read-aloud introduction to the poetry and craft of rap.
What was the inspiration behind this book?
Carole: In Summer 2016, I was engaged to present a writing workshop to students at at 21st Century Learning center. Because my book THE ROOTS OF RAP (illustrated by Frank Morrison) had recently released, I proposed a workshop on rap. Jeffery had just completed his Master of Fine Arts and released his debut book and our first collaboration, YOU CAN FLY: THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN. Jeffery is also a rapper, so I enlisted him to co-teach the workshop. Hip Hop Tech, as it was then called, became one of our most popular offerings. Renamed Rap It Up!, the workshop is now Jeffery’s baby, so I’ll let him tell you more.
Jeffery: Hip Hop has always been a love of mine since I first started rapping in my freshman year of college with my roommates. In my journey, I realized that Rap could be used as a learning vehicle for youth and I started hosting Hip Hop workshops to teach kids about the history of Hip Hop, the literary building blocks of it, and how to write and record their own verses. RAP IT UP! is the physical manifestation of those workshops aimed to bring them to classrooms in America and abroad.
Is there a difference between rapping and poetry? If so, what would the main difference be?
Carole: Poetry is an aural art form and rap is on a continuum of African-American oral traditions that include spirituals, sermons, the blues, the dozens, scat-singing, street rhymes, proverbs and so on. What distinguishes rap from other poetry is its roots. Created by Black youth as a means of self-expression, rap has since become the voice and the language of global youth culture.
Jeffery: The main difference between rapping and poetry is simply that rap is typically done over a beat. Poetry is more free form and less strict as it does not necessarily have to fit over a beat in a certain rhythm. You can’t have RAP without poetry as RAP stands for Rhythm and Poetry.
In your author’s note Jeffery, you say, “This book is designed to build confidence through mastery of communication skills”, how can rapping help build confidence in kids when it comes to communication?
Jeffery: Rapping is public speaking. According to a study done by the National Anxiety Center, public speaking is more feared than death. So by engaging in this high pressure activity, one builds confidence in standing in their own truth and speaking that truth in front of others. I have experienced this power first hand and I want to awaken this power in as many kids as I can.
Who is your favorite rapper and poet?
Carole: My favorite poet is Langston Hughes, whose poems I read as a child. My favorite rapper is TuPac.
Jeffery: My favorite poet is Gil Scott Heron, whose revolutionary poetry help shape the way I perform and the messages I infuse in my own art. My favorite MC is an Atlanta based artist who goes by the handle J. Monty.
What did you enjoy most about working together on this collaboration? Did anything surprise you?
Carole: I enjoyed building the bars verse by verse with Jeffery having another wordsmith to bounce lyrics off of.
Jeffery: I enjoy teaching the backstory of Hip Hop to the youth when we do school visits and performing the book as it is supposed to be delivered on top of instrumentals and through a microphone.
Tell us about a librarian or educator who made an impact on you both.
Carole: My elementary school librarian, Gloria Barnes Johnston, had a mellifluous voice, which she used to great effect during storytimes. I can still remember her sharing Ezra Jack Keats’ A Snowy Day–the first book where I saw a Black child–and telling African folk tales such about Anansi the spider. My fifth and sixth grade teacher, Lorraine Hayes, affirmed me in more ways than I can recount. I loved her.
Jeffery: My assistant principal, Joseph Johnson, an artist who took me under his wing between my Junior and Senior year and reframed the way I approach a piece of paper. The one on one attention he provided laid the foundation for the artist that I am today. Without those lessons and my mother’s recognition of my raw talent and the understanding that she had that it needed to be cultivated, I wouldn’t be where I am now.
What was your favorite book when you both were a young reader?
Carole: When I was about 16, I bought Black Poetry, edited by Dudley Randall. The anthology of voices from the Black Arts Movement really resonated with me.
Jeffery: When I was growing up, I loved the Diadem series by John Peel, a book about magical powers awakening in a group of teens and them subsequently having to save the planet. Much like what I feel awakening Hip Hop in the youth of today can do for our planet.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Carole Boston Weatherford is the award-winning author of more than 50 books of poetry, nonfiction, and children’s literature. She is the recipient of a Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Author Honor, two NAACP Image Awards, a WNDB Walter Award, and numerous other accolades. Her books include I, Matthew Henson; Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive; and Be a King. She resides in North Carolina where she teaches at Fayetteville State University.
Jeffery Weatherford is an award-winning children’s book illustrator, spoken word poet/performer, digital designer, and born doodler.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rap It Up!
by Carole Boston Weatherford & Jeffery Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Ernel Martinez
Ages 4-8
On Sale March 18th, 2025
Aspiring young rappers will delight in this infectious, read-aloud introduction to the poetry and craft of rap.
From scribbling words on the page to spitting rhymes on the mic, a joyful narrator guides readers through the emotions, literary techniques, structures and motifs that help make rap so amazing. With vibrant illustrations that leap off the page, this book urges readers to believe in themselves and the power of their creativity.
Celebratory and informative, Rap it Up! invites us to see where our imaginations may lead. Get ready to drop some beats, express yourself, and let the world hear what you’ve got to say!
PRAISE FOR RAP IT UP!
“Martinez, making a picture book debut, follows the protagonist from toddlerhood to childhood in bold illustrations that get at hip-hop’s vital energy…It’s a rhythmic text that offers craft advice alongside a fervent promise of creative fulfillment.” —Publishers Weekly
“A thrilling ode to rap and the creative process.”—Kirkus
“This ode to hip-hop and rap is a perfect partnership between music and literature.“—School Library Journal
