Rap and Redemption on Death Row: Seeking Justice and Finding Purpose behind Bars

by Alim Braxton, Mark Katz

Imprisoned since age nineteen, Alim Braxton has spent more than a quarter century on North Carolina's death row. During that time, he converted to Islam and dedicated his life to redemption. Braxton, a rapper since the age of thirteen, uses his rhymes as a form of therapy and to advocate for prison reform, particularly by calling attention to the plight of the wrongfully incarcerated. This book, a hip-hop-rich prison memoir, chronicles Braxton's struggles and triumphs as he attempts to record an album while on death row, something no one has done before.

Braxton's world is full of reflections on guilt, condemnation, incarceration, religious awakening, and the redemptive power of art. Ultimately, Braxton shows us that even amid the brutality of our prison system there are moments of joy, and on death row joy may be the most powerful form of resistance.

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2024

Reviews

[Elizabeth Deters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a critical perspective--it is written firsthand from a man currently incarcerated on Death Row in Raleigh, NC. Alim connected with Katz, a music professor at UNC, asking Katz to assist him in producing a rap album. This book shares some of Braxton's rap lyrics in addition to his story. Society tries to tell stories about who is locked up in America's prisons. This book is one way we can combat the stories told about those in prison by listening to stories from someone in prison--specifically someone with a death sentence. I recommend this book to people who enjoy music/rap, people who are interested in carceral issues, and especially for those who want to reexamine their prejudice/preconceptions about who someone on Death Row might be.

[Colin Asher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many prison memoirs - The Joint, Soledad Brother, In the Belly of the Beast, and a handful of others. And Braxton's book deserves a place among the best of them. In it he's reflective, and confessional. He writes in a conversational style (probably a reflection of the fact that the book is epistolary) that gives the text and intimate feel, and his choice of subjects is enjoyably idiosyncratic - "Why Rappers Should Listen to Country Music," for instance.

[K2 ----- · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way this book came together is nothing short of a miracle, and Mark Katz deserves more than a gold star on his locker for all the work he has done to arrange Alim's own words so artfully. Just that deserves four stars.

Alim is a complex character, and his journey inside will give readers insight into all that determination can accomplish when mixed with hope, intelligence, and talent.

I am now Team Alim.

[Aish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had the opportunity to meet Mark and hear from Alim on their collaboration, friendship, and passions and it was incredible to hear from them - read this book!