“Michael Jeffries has written an important book. Beautifully written and replete with original insights, Thug Life brilliantly integrates interesting interviews of black and white hip-hop listeners with a careful textual analysis of hip-hop narratives. Readers are rewarded with a sophisticated, definitive analysis that not only captures the similarities and differences of black and white hip-hop followers, but also severely challenges conventional wisdom about this important worldwide social movement. With its impressive interdisciplinary scope, this book is a must-read for scholars and students interested in literary and cultural criticism as well as the sociology of race, class, and gender.”--William Julius Wilson, Harvard University

William Julius Wilson

“This is a finely developed and sophisticated analysis of the complex terrain of hip-hop. Rather than celebrate its obvious achievements or denigrate its equally evident blemishes, Jeffries chooses instead to probe the vibrant world that hip-hop continues to create with honesty and integrity. His discussion of masculinity in hip-hop is subtle and smart as he moves adroitly across the everyday fields in which expressions of black manhood matter most as well as the commercialized spaces that are integrally involved in the production and performance of black male identities.”--S. Craig Watkins, University of Texas at Austin

S. Craig Watkins

“Jeffries’ contributions in Thug Life are multiple; he adds depth to our understanding of how hip-hop is understood and valued among its racially diverse audiences, and he provides a truly inspired analysis of masculinity and thug identities by embracing the too often ignored components of compassion, vulnerability, and love. This is a necessary and important intervention in hip-hop studies.”--Murray Forman, Northeastern University

Murray Forman