Boyz N the Void: A Mixtape to My Brother

G'Ra Asim

Writing to his brother, G'Ra Asim reflects on building his own identity while navigating Blackness, masculinity, and young adulthood--all through wry social commentary and music/pop culture critiqueHow does one approach Blackness, masculinity, otherness, and the perils of young adulthood? For G'Ra Asim, punk music offers an outlet to express himself freely. As his younger brother, Gysai, grapples with finding his footing in the world, G'Ra gifts him with a survival guide for tackling the sometimes treacherous cultural terrain particular to being young, Black, brainy, and weird in the form of a mixtape. Boyz n the Void: a mixtape to my brother blends music and cultural criticism and personal essay to explore race, gender, class, and sexuality as they pertain to punk rock and straight edge culture. Using totemic punk rock songs on a mixtape to anchor each chapter, the book documents an intergenerational conversation between a Millennial in his 30s and his Generation Z teenage brother. Author, punk musician, and straight edge kid, G'Ra Asim weaves together memoir and cultural commentary, diving into the depths of everything from theory to comic strips, to poetry to pizza commercials to mapping the predicament of the Black creative intellectual. With each chapter dedicated to a particular song and placed within the context of a fraternal bond, Asim presents his brother with a roadmap to self-actualization in the form of a Doc Martened foot to the behind and a sweaty, circle-pit-side-armed hug.

IntroductionAfrica Has No History:An Annotation of Anti-Flag’s “A Start”Evidence of Things Unscene:An Annotation of Propagandhi’s “Less Talk, More Rock”Marching Through the Mosh Pit:An Annotation of Operation Ivy’s “Room Without a Window”Ace Up My Sleeve:An Annotation of the Matches’ “More Than Local Boys”Mad Props to Madness:An Annotation of Bad Religion’s “Pity the Dead”Ever Since I Was a Little Grrrl:An Annotation of Black Kids’ “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You”To the Edge and Back:An Annotation of Brand New’s “Sic Transit Gloria . . . Glory Fades”American Idiolect:An Annotation of Fefe Dobson’s “Stupid Little Love Song”PMA (Positivist* Mental Attitude):An Annotation of Bad Brains’ “Attitude”Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What Omnaut:An Annotation of Masked Intruder’s “Take What I Want”AcknowledgmentsNotes