The New Hip Hop: A Picture Book Playlist by C.G. Esperanza

A few weeks ago, half asleep and in search of coffee, I stumbled upon Red, Yellow, Blue (and a Dash of White, Too!) at my local bookstore. Better than the strongest triple espresso, C.G. Esperanza’s dynamic debut was like a straight shot of pure adrenaline. A true feast for the senses, the first thing I thought while flipping through the pages of this book was Basquiat after a Skittle binge.

Red, Yellow, Blue (and a Dash of White, Too!) by C.G. Esperanza (Sky Pony Press)

There is a level of confidence to Esperanza’s style that is unique for a debut author–his control of the page is such that he is unafraid to loosen the reins and let the colors run a little wild. The result is thrilling and hypnotic.

After I finally got my coffee, I jumped online to find more information on Esperanza and came upon this interview in Afropunk where he called picture books the new hip hop:

“Picture Books are the new hip hop!” This is a realization I had come to a while ago as I began to write the manuscript for what would become my upcoming debut picture book “Red, Yellow, Blue and a dash of white too!” My name is Charles George Esperanza. I am originally from the South Bronx, NY. Based on my work, many would label me as a children’s book artist and author. But I consider myself to be the original “Visual Emcee”. You might feel referring to picture books as a new form of hip hop is a bold and perhaps incredulous statement. But as Rakim would say, “Follow me into a solo, get in the flow and you can picture it like a photo”.

Having boldly staked his claim as the field’s first Visual Emcee, I decided to invite Esperanza play DJ and asked him for a children’s lit/picture book themed playlist. He kindly obliged and went even further by including a special performance of his own book. The man is all kinds of talented.

So without further ado, let me turn it over to C.G. Esperanza (aka DJ Elebooyah).

(Disclaimer: Some Explicit Content)

I consider myself to be the original “Visual Emcee”