Famed author Michael Eric Dyson, named by Ebony as one of the hundred most influential black Americans, is the author of sixteen books and a University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University. He also is fascinated with Nas. Dyson will be releasing his seventeenth book entitled “Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas’s Illmatic” on January 12th, 2009 according to their official site.

“Every song on Illmatic will be analyzed, interpreted and then re-articulated in a kind of intellectual sense from his own base in Hip Hop and we‚Äôre trying to deal with that seriously,” Dyson told AllHipHop on Wednesday.

The book will be published under Civitas Books with major retailer and online distribution. Official description as follows. No word yet on the book cover art but it can be assumed it will be based off the “Illmatic” album. (Source)

From the moment then nineteen-year-old Nasir “Nas” Jones began recording tracks for his debut album the hip-hop world was forever changed. Released in 1994, Illmatic, was hailed as a masterpiece and is one of the most influentialalbums in hip-hop history. In Born to Use Mics, Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai have brought together the brightest minds to reflect upon and engage one of the most incisive sets of songs ever laid down on wax.

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