Melanated
Rhapsody
A Black Man’s Views
Written in Verse
Written By
Anonymous Onyx
Copyright © 2004 by Kahlil Winslow
All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the author or publisher
Rhapsody
A Black Man’s Views
Written in Verse
Written By
Anonymous Onyx
Copyright © 2004 by Kahlil Winslow
All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the author or publisher
Review of Melanated Rhapsody (****)
By James D Beckrett
Melanated Rhapsody: The Evolutionary Spoken Words of ‘The Black Man’ Written in the Mood, Vernacular, and Passion of the Moment is the dynamic and explosive collection of thoughts in verse written by new author, Anonymous Onyx. He says his name is to illustrate that he is ‘the every Black man’ and his thoughts reflect the thoughts of all men of African American descent in some way. And in this 240 page volume you indeed find something for everyone. He touches on the state of the black community, male and female relationships, the state of black music, his own personal experiences and the beauty of love, just to name a few subjects.
What I find most intriguing is his ability to capture the mood of the moment and the security to reveal those thoughts and emotions that others would dare not say. Master Fisherman is one of those odes that we all have partaken in but never talk about – Anonymous Onyx does. ‘Broken Glass’, while very graphic, exemplifies the thoughts that an angry man will conjure up in a revengeful rage, but never act upon (at least most wouldn’t). Melanated Rhapsody is for adults with adult content and strong graphic language. ‘Pimped Out Xmas’ is an interesting take on the Santa Claus story. He is a masterful story teller and that comes through in such pieces as ‘The Big Heist’ and ‘The Confessions of A Preacher’.
This work reminds me of the movie the Barbershop where you have an assembly of characters with different viewpoints and issues. In this book you have the militant afro conscious brother, the pimp/misogynistic brother, the corporate republican brother, the Hip Hop/emcee brother, the jealous brother, the in love brother, and the ignorant talking sh__ brother, the spiritual brother, the self motivated progressive brother. Not unlike the movie, this book is also controversial and extremely opinionated. He tackles subjects such as African American self hate and what he describes as the impact of the ‘European Gay Mafia’. In fact, Anonymous Onyx prides himself on saying the things that others want to but are afraid to say. For example, he assumes the character of ‘the Sniper’ in ‘Fear Factor’. But Ladies, let me assure you that he has some heart warming odes to love and relationships such as ‘I Try’, and ‘Mama Sister Lover Wife’. In fact he has a whole chapter of love poems called Melanated Love.
Let me say that Anonymous Onyx will spark debate and while you may agree or disagree with his opinions, or may not be ready for some of his erotic thoughts, you will be touched by his ode to his son, ‘In Da Crib’ and his ode to his friend who committed suicide, ‘Apology to Abadi’. He also has a selection that is entitled ‘Apology to MLK’ which is more like a letter to that great ancestor. My special favorite and the favorite selection among many is ‘What Type of N___ga are you?
Melanated Rhapsody is like black coffee strong and powerful, sometimes with cream and sugar and sometimes without. A must read
By James D Beckrett
Melanated Rhapsody: The Evolutionary Spoken Words of ‘The Black Man’ Written in the Mood, Vernacular, and Passion of the Moment is the dynamic and explosive collection of thoughts in verse written by new author, Anonymous Onyx. He says his name is to illustrate that he is ‘the every Black man’ and his thoughts reflect the thoughts of all men of African American descent in some way. And in this 240 page volume you indeed find something for everyone. He touches on the state of the black community, male and female relationships, the state of black music, his own personal experiences and the beauty of love, just to name a few subjects.
What I find most intriguing is his ability to capture the mood of the moment and the security to reveal those thoughts and emotions that others would dare not say. Master Fisherman is one of those odes that we all have partaken in but never talk about – Anonymous Onyx does. ‘Broken Glass’, while very graphic, exemplifies the thoughts that an angry man will conjure up in a revengeful rage, but never act upon (at least most wouldn’t). Melanated Rhapsody is for adults with adult content and strong graphic language. ‘Pimped Out Xmas’ is an interesting take on the Santa Claus story. He is a masterful story teller and that comes through in such pieces as ‘The Big Heist’ and ‘The Confessions of A Preacher’.
This work reminds me of the movie the Barbershop where you have an assembly of characters with different viewpoints and issues. In this book you have the militant afro conscious brother, the pimp/misogynistic brother, the corporate republican brother, the Hip Hop/emcee brother, the jealous brother, the in love brother, and the ignorant talking sh__ brother, the spiritual brother, the self motivated progressive brother. Not unlike the movie, this book is also controversial and extremely opinionated. He tackles subjects such as African American self hate and what he describes as the impact of the ‘European Gay Mafia’. In fact, Anonymous Onyx prides himself on saying the things that others want to but are afraid to say. For example, he assumes the character of ‘the Sniper’ in ‘Fear Factor’. But Ladies, let me assure you that he has some heart warming odes to love and relationships such as ‘I Try’, and ‘Mama Sister Lover Wife’. In fact he has a whole chapter of love poems called Melanated Love.
Let me say that Anonymous Onyx will spark debate and while you may agree or disagree with his opinions, or may not be ready for some of his erotic thoughts, you will be touched by his ode to his son, ‘In Da Crib’ and his ode to his friend who committed suicide, ‘Apology to Abadi’. He also has a selection that is entitled ‘Apology to MLK’ which is more like a letter to that great ancestor. My special favorite and the favorite selection among many is ‘What Type of N___ga are you?
Melanated Rhapsody is like black coffee strong and powerful, sometimes with cream and sugar and sometimes without. A must read