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Reviewed by Katelyn Hensel for Readers' Favorite
When the average person considers matters of philosophy or the psychology of the mind...probably one of the last things you think about is Hiphop. However, rapper and author GaKnew Roxwel challenges those norms with his new book, Under the Influence: Where Hiphop Meets Psychology. A combination of autobiography and the author's realizations and thoughts regarding the world, I have to say that it was quite interesting. You get a look at Calvin Lloyd and his journey from an abusive youth to growing and developing into the person he was always meant to be. I wasn't sure if it was a fictionalized drama or some kind of self-reflective exercise, but whatever it was, it holds your attention and makes you think about the way the world is. If you don't question what's happening in your world and why, what's the use of living in it?
The author's history is somewhat shocking, but it’s that initial shock from the premise that pushes interest in the topics discussed in the book. I enjoyed the song lyrics as reference tools that GaKnew used to illustrate the points he is making as he goes through his ideas. While some of the thoughts I found hard to follow, due to my unfamiliarity with Hiphop, for the most part everything could be easily understood by the lay person. This could read as the text of the under-appreciated men and women who suffer every day through the violence that rules their lives. A compelling read and one that really made me think.
