Antebellum: A Novel

R. Kayeen Thomas

Jun 2012 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

A thought-provoking novel about African American culture seen through the eyes of a famous rapper who is transported to the days of slavery and forced to experience it firsthand.

When Da Nigga is sent back in time, he finds himself a slave forced to live the life of his ancestors. A rapper in current time, Da Nigga must confront the reality of the African American experience as slavery challenges everything he holds dear from his fellow rappers and their lyrics, to the executives and their motives.

Antebellum is the hard-hitting, gritty story of Da Nigga. From rap superstar to broken slave and back, Antebellum will have readers on the edge of their seats and keep them talking long after they put it down.

Ratings and reviews

Sooooooo it started off good. Sex, drama, drama, drama. Then Stereotypical rapper gets shot but then has a revelation so decides to embrace his cultural and heritage by becoming racist. Yup, in a nut shell. It's indeed something to read but I had to force myself through the last 3,4 chapters because the story made a huge u turn on the highway right to hell.

This book is the most amazing piece of literature I've gotten my hands on in a long time. I just finished reading it for the second time. It should definitely be required in school.

About the author

R. Kayeen Thomas is an author, poet, playwright, hip-hop artist, journalist, and social justice advocate. He self-published his first book, Light: Stories of Urban Resurrection, during his junior year at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. His novel, Antebellum, has garnered praise from such notables as Dr. Michael Eric Dyson and received acclaim from numerous publications, including Publishers Weekly. It won the 2013 Phillis Wheatley Book Award for First Fiction and was a 2013 Literary Work-Debut Author nominee for the NAACP Image Award. He resides in Washington, DC, with his wife and daughter.