9780062914323
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Let Me Hear a Rhyme audiobook

  • By: Tiffany D. Jackson
  • Narrator: Korey Jackson
  • Length: 9 hours 31 minutes
  • Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
  • Publish date: May 21, 2019
  • Language: English
  • (4688 ratings)
(4688 ratings)
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Let Me Hear a Rhyme Audiobook Summary

In this striking new novel by the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly and Monday’s Not Coming, Tiffany D. Jackson tells the story of three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he’s still alive.

Brooklyn, 1998. Biggie Smalls was right: Things done changed. But that doesn’t mean that Quadir and Jarrell are cool letting their best friend Steph’s music lie forgotten under his bed after he’s murdered–not when his rhymes could turn any Bed Stuy corner into a party.

With the help of Steph’s younger sister Jasmine, they come up with a plan to promote Steph’s music under a new rap name: the Architect. Soon, everyone wants a piece of him. When his demo catches the attention of a hotheaded music label rep, the trio must prove Steph’s talent from beyond the grave.

As the pressure of keeping their secret grows, Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine are forced to confront the truth about what happened to Steph. Only, each has something to hide. And with everything riding on Steph’s fame, they need to decide what they stand for or lose all that they’ve worked so hard to hold on to–including each other.

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Let Me Hear a Rhyme Audiobook Narrator

Korey Jackson is the narrator of Let Me Hear a Rhyme audiobook that was written by Tiffany D. Jackson

Tiffany D. Jackson is the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly, Monday’s Not Coming, and Let Me Hear a Rhyme. A Walter Dean Myers Honor Book and Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, she received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, earned her master of arts in media studies from the New School, and has over a decade in TV and film experience. The Brooklyn native still resides in the borough she loves. You can visit her at www.writeinbk.com.

About the Author(s) of Let Me Hear a Rhyme

Tiffany D. Jackson is the author of Let Me Hear a Rhyme

Let Me Hear a Rhyme Full Details

Narrator Korey Jackson
Length 9 hours 31 minutes
Author Tiffany D. Jackson
Publisher Katherine Tegen Books
Release date May 21, 2019
ISBN 9780062914323

Additional info

The publisher of the Let Me Hear a Rhyme is Katherine Tegen Books. The imprint is Katherine Tegen Books. It is supplied by Katherine Tegen Books. The ISBN-13 is 9780062914323.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Emma

April 17, 2019

4.5 Stars! Review to come.

Tiffany

May 12, 2020

I mean...it was okay. 😏

Jananie (thisstoryaintover)

September 08, 2020

ahh i loved this SO MUCH. loved each of the characters and what they did for Steph and what he meant to them all

Booktastically

August 28, 2021

*leans close enough to megaphone to eat it*Lads, Gentles, and Villains... I hereby present y'all with the following information.*runs out of podium*Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.3 ('well, that was unexpected' stars)I HAVE OFFICIALLY READ ALL OF TIFFANY'S BOOKS.CAN YOU TELL I'M MILDLY FREAKING OUT?BECAUSE I OBVIOUSLY CAN'T.I'M SUPER CALM.THAT'S NOT SWEAT, THE HEAVENS JUST BLESSED ME WITH MIST.GHUIKUJHYGTFRDFRTGYUIKJHGFTOTALLY NOT FREAKING OUT.I am zen. I am stress-free. Ahahahaha, as if I could ever be.Y'all, this has been such a bloody painful journey (no pun intended hehehe, if you know how his author works, you'll for sure get that, pfft), filled with potholes of plot twists, short cuts that have led to gruesome discoveries, mental asylums where everything isn't as it seems and finally, a book about a found family, revolution, and bittersweet endings. (I swear my lip is trembling because I'm cold, never mind that my fan is at the highest capacity and even the walls are perspiring)I've ceremoniously cursed this wonderful author, thrown tantrums because IT IS INCREDIBLY NOT FAIR WHAT YOU MADE THESE CHARACTERS SUFFER-, and deemed her as blessed as a devil amongst clueless people. Cruel, and befitting of an award for her skills of hiding in plain sight. Someone like that is totally not human, I'm SURE of itWithout further ado, or with a lot of ado, without further interruptions. I'm so sorryI need to go scream and dramatically have an argument in the bathroom. Excuse me.Hello, I see you have not gone away yet. Are you procrastinating because studying gives hernias? I'm totally not doing that, there are absolutely no more things I need to do. *side eyes 4-page assignment due four days from now* *silently slides it off of desk with a satisfying thump*I shall dip into the pool of the plot because it deserves to be swum in and caressed by children who aren't yet potty-trained but who, nonetheless, enjoy the cool feel of the water. This was absolutely and confusedly different from any of the author's previous books (I'm completely milking the fact that I actually read an author's books in total. First time! Never mind that I'll never be the same after all that-). In other words, it wasn't gory, didn't have enough mental and emotional trauma thrown at my face with the intent of breaking my nose and possibly giving me a concussion (as thrillers books should), and frankly, it wasn't as disturbing as say... the rest. I loved the topics it discussed, enjoyed immensely the entertaining pace that made me jump from page to page in search for answers, and the oh so sweet release of anxiety strangling me as I tried to cope with the fact that a lot of things didn't make sense at the moment. (Typical Tiffany, by the way. Just bookly (definitely a word) kill the reader in hopes of reeling their corpse to shore afterwards. Hahahahahahaa, totally smart, RIGHT?) The themes were current with the real world and painful to experience through the eyes of one personally suffering it. In shorter terms, pain everywhere. In my heart, too.I just can't find more words to describe the writing, really. The last review I compared it to donuts, I'll compare it again with some other thing... oh! A grave. Yes, deep, meaningful and life giving. Meaning the maggots in said grave, of course. The corpse is me. Like, I've mentioned before, this author just has something different. (maybe her psychopathic ways of destroying my soul-)Then we have the characters. I just had chills and I don't know if it's because of the fan literally acting like a tornado less than two feet from me, but I'll say it was the book.I really had no idea this book was not going to be a thriller, so what did I expect? One of them being a cold-blooded murdered. What? My past experiences have honed my brain to expect the absolute worse (COUGH, child killers) and I was a little confused when that didn't happen. The MC were multiple ones, since they were divided into different POV's (that again, I obviously thought one of them was going to start pulling out knives and telling us how he ended people before). *I am completely mentally fine*Jas, dear one, I'm so mega proud of you for resisting punching those guys. Seriously, if I could gift you a trophy in the form of a fist, I would. I adored her strength, resilience, come-and-catch-me-if-you-can attitude that ignited my love for strong female figures in books and her sassy comebacks! Honestly? *bows down* *to fix shoe* Not bowing level yet, but you have so much potential.Quadir, was, unexpectedly, a complete sweetheart. And by complete, I mean, not completely but for the sake of better enunciation, it shall stay that way. Pfft. That guy was kind, strong, didn't care if he showed emotions and baby? Even though I didn't love you, I'm sure about 6789 other people do. Now, if you could jump down into a train and be run over by it, I would feel extremely compensated for the sexist comments you made. And lastly, we have Jerell. Holy mold on a silver bullet, I didn't expect for him to be the GOAT of the guys in this book. *pulls hair back in Jesse fashion* His humor, sarcasm, quick thinking, comebacks, attitude, everything that made him, well, HIM, was fantastic. Of course, I wanted to kill him sometimes, and of course that feeling lasted for a few pages, but he was as addicted as a Soap Opera. Dramatic, enthusiastic, and probably illegal in other places. (have you ever actually listened to a Telenovela dialogue? W H E E ZE)The rest of the characters, like dear Steph and Jasmine's mother and a whole lot of others I'm unable to remember as of now, were insanely drawn together with the string of good character building. I just- darn it, I need another book.The romance was cute. Yep.I'm a new person.I don't rant against romance anymore.........ahahaha, as if. The romance was okay, not great but, didn't suck. At this point, that's the best I could hope for.And oh my gawd, did I forget to mention the friend interactions?? HAHA my bad. *starts full on sobbing* Why was that so BeAUtIfUL??? Why is that not ReAL???Stupid reality with stupid pandemics and stupid studies and stupid people and stupid- I'll stop.On a closing note, am I about to cry if I don't have White Smoke in my hands? Nah, those aren't tears, they're um... rivers of life. This book, nay, this whole story, touched subjects that are real and painful and heartbreaking and goshdarnit should not exist in the first place. Any and every race should be respected because we're all different for a dang reason! To bring different ideas, different points of views, different skin colors, different shape of eyes, different style, different languages, different life stories! Steph was taken too soon, like many others, but the fact that Tiffany took the time, patience and *gags* love, to write this in such a beautiful way makes me a little more bendable to forgive her for shattering my will to live on previous books.No I did not get what I expected, no this is not a bloodthirsty story, but the life lessons it brings, amidst the torture of reading a new chapter when it got difficult, was something I would never regret having.P.S: The fact that everyone referred to anyone as queens and young kings... I'm totally not preordering White Smoke.Totally not.Breathe through the pain, Booksy, breathe through the pain...............................Hold up, that’s it?! The end? Nuh uh, I am not ready. NOT READY.Darn it, Tiffany, why you gotta do my heart like this-My lungs can’t even function.Literally,SHOOKETH..................The book is literally there.I need to sleep.But it. is. there......................The worse that can happen is that I'm left as an emotional corpse.Right?

Celia

January 13, 2019

HOW DARE THIS BOOK COME INTO MY HOME. How dare it put me through a torrent of feelings. In the place where I sleep. Where I watch Netflix and eat jalapeno Cheetos. Thank you Edelweiss and publisher for the honor of reviewing this title ahead of its release date. This is the first book I’ve read by the author, but believe me, I’m scooping up her other titles shortly. This book follows three friends who, after the murder of their friend, set out to 1.find out who killed him and 2. Show the world his music. Set in the late 90’s in Brooklyn, Jackson throws into a world of hip hop, the daily struggles of teens and that of black families and in the injustices they face. It hit me emotions like the ones I got reading THE HATE YOU GIVE and DEAR MARTIN. This story is told by three points of view as well some past third person throw backs. I’ll usually feel overwhelmed by so many alternating perspectives, but this one didn’t bug me much at all. Read this book if you love: Old school hip hop references to make you feel old (or discover new ones if you’re not as old as I am)Strong friendships Amazing writing Don’t read it if you’re heartless and prone to shedding your snake skin at night.

CW ✨

March 12, 2022

An incredible tribute to the 90's hip-hop and rap scene and a heartfelt story about friendship, music as community, and grief. The story follows three Black teens who devise a plan to turn their murdered friend, Steph, into a rap star by pretending that he is still alive and packaging his music into an album. When their plan succeeds and his music is played in the hottest clubs and across their neighbourhood, the three friends race to keep their secret and prove Steph's talent from beyond his grave.I just loved the premise of the story - three friends who try and keep their friend and brother alive through his music and talent. At its heart, Let Me Hear a Rhyme is really about how powerful and influential voices are taken away from us too early. There is an element of mystery underlying the story, as Jasmine tries to find out who killed her brother and why. The story has fantastic emotional beats that land (parts of this made me sob), and the three perspective characters are engaging, interesting, and fully realised.I highly recommend the audiobook. The narrators - Korey Jackson, Nile Bullock, Adenrele Ojo, Adam Lazarre-White - were phenomenal; their performances make this book one of my favourite audiobooks of all time.

Katie

August 28, 2019

Well, that was a surprise.The only other book I'd ever heard of by Tiffany D. Jackson is Allegedly, a (I THINK?) crime/trial/general suspense thriller, and that never sounded like my cup of tea. But I saw Let Me Hear a Rhyme on the YA shelf at our public library recently, and, drawn by the vibrantly colorful cover, I decided to give it a try. Best. reading. decision. of. the. year. Because this book is a GEM, folks. Basically, Let Me Hear a Rhyme follows three teenagers in Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York, in the late 1990s--Jasmine, Quadir, and Jarrell--as they swing a craaaaaaaaaazy plan to turn Jasmine's brother Steph into a hip-hop star AFTER his murder. Without telling anybody he's gone. Because, no matter how big a lyrical genius Steph may be . . . no record label will sign a dead kid. Tiffany Jackson called her book "a love letter to Brooklyn," and that's exactly what it is. Every single sentence pulses with sheer love for the place she (and her characters) call home. Every single sentence adds another tiny, shimmering piece to the mosaic she's building; quite possibly the most vivid setting I've EVER seen in a contemporary novel. [Yes, I would categorize this as contemporary--technically--I don't think 20 years is enough to make it 'historical.'] All Jackson has to do is drop a few well-chosen words, and boom, I see it in my mind: Jasmine's Afro puffs, Quady's bright jacket, Jarrell's crammed apartment with its overworked radiator blowing steam into frigid November air. The little store at the corner, where the boss slices deli meat and quizzes local kids on African-American history. The bleak, newspaper-strewn lot where Steph bleeds out from a gunshot wound, at age 16 . . . just for trying to protect the ones he loves. I would say Let Me Hear a Rhyme is less explicitly political than something like, say, The Hate U Give. Please note, I'm NOT saying that in approving fashion, like "politically charged stories are Bad (TM)." I'm also not saying the book is apolitical? I'm more saying, Jackson weaves bits of political ideology and historical observation in there along with everything else, but she's not [in my view] pushing a coherent political MESSAGE so much as simply saying, "This is how I remember life in Brooklyn in the '90s." Thus, we see police portrayed as both good and bad; we see drug dealers portrayed as both good and bad; and more than anything else, we see ordinary members of the community just . . . living their lives. Trying to survive. Trying to thrive. Which, in itself, is super important. I tell you what. Reading this novel was one of the most emotional experiences I have had in a LONG WHILE. At times, it seemed every other sentence would bring a lump to my throat: but not from an excess of sentiment or from cheap "tear-jerking" writing. Nope, it was Just That Good. Steph is gone, forever; and he could have done so much more with his life, his gifts, his brain; and the author never lets you forget either one. Jasmine, Quady, and Jarrell don't forget, either. A lot of books which use a pre-story death as the catalyst of their plot kinda . . . shove the death aside, after a while. Folks just stop talking about it. Not here. Oh, gosh. There was one scene where Jasmine is holding her brother's recordings in her hands and thinking "this is the closest I will ever get to hearing his voice again" and I was just like "HELLO I'M DONE." *sobbing* It's more than a love letter to Brooklyn. It's a love letter to the power of art. And a love letter, I would say, to anyone who's ever lost a brother.Can I also just say: the romance between Jasmine and Quady? YES. YES. YES. A THOUSAND TIMES YES. #friendstoloversdoneright Content: Ummmmmmmmmmm, extremely frequent strong language? Which I myself have no problem with, because a) realism, and b) I've heard it alllllllllllllllllllllll before; but some of my younger or more conservative pals (You Know Who You Are ;-) ) might have issues with it. Honestly, though, that's my only real caveat in recommending it. There's some innuendo, some talk of sex, but zero sex scenes [yay, YA! You're getting better at this!] A bit of on-screen violence, but nothing I was personally uncomfortable with; and y'all know I have a low tolerance for violence. Read it, my dudes. "Spread love. That's the Brooklyn way."

Claude's

August 15, 2020

A brilliant book about three teenagers commitment to realising the unfulfilled music career of Steph, their friend and brother. Steph was shot and killed in his own neighbourhood. Using some of the music he recorded before his death they pretend he is alive in order to secure a record deal. The message in the book was incredibly poignant. Steph lived. He was someone. He had incredible potential and because of a violent crime he was robbed of the opportunity to follow his passion, and in turn, the world was robbed of the opportunity to hear his gift. As a further gut punch, his sister and his two best friends are individually living with the fearful secret that they may have been responsible for his death. The book was incredibly well crafted with flashbacks that allowed us to get to know and care for Steph. The story skillfully unfolded a layer at a time until the truth of the killing was laid bare. The characters all felt relatable and the bond between them believable. An important and engaging book.

Mallory

June 13, 2021

I have read all of Tiffany Jackson’s other books (Monday’s Not coming is my personal favorite!), so I went into reading this one with some big expectations. This book was good, but for my it didn’t reach the same level of greatness that Monday’s Not coming, Grown, and Allegedly hit. That being said it was still a very compelling story full of great characters and it packs an emotional punch. This book takes place in the late 1990’s in Brooklyn and centers around a boy named Steph who was gunned down far before his time. His best friends Quadir and Jarrell and his little sister Jasmine come across some of songs he’d recorded in his room. Suddenly they have something new to distract them from grief - they have a mission to ensure that Steph’s dream of being a signed, famous, artist doesn’t die with him. As they work to make demos and promote his music they also try to piece together the puzzle pieces to try to figure out who killed Steph.

julia ☆

June 05, 2020

4 stars! * Headline: Three Kids From Brooklyn Pull Off the Biggest Heist in Hip-Hop History Let Me Hear a Rhyme was a delight! It had mystery, romance, friendship, and music. The multiple perspective narrative was so so well done that I couldn't help but b swept in by Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine's POVs--and Steph, who we got to know mostly from his music and the lyrics presented throughout the novel. They were all so real and complex and well developed and I loved every single one of them tbh.The plot was so! tightly woven! Not a thread was left behind and I loved the way Jackson put the puzzle pieces together. The way she used language and described Brooklyn in the 90s, with all its hip-hop history and slangs was also so cool and such a rich part of the novel. It was a reality totally different from my upbringing and I really appreciated getting to know it a little bit, even more so with the helpful Glossary at the end of the novel.The pace was a bit slow for me at times? Things slowed down quite a bit during the mid-point and took a little while to pick up, so it felt like things weren't progressing as much as they should. The last 30% or so were so so so good, though, and the way everything came together was *chef's kiss*. I loved how hopeful the final chapters were and how Quadir, Jasmine, and Jarrell achieve their goal: to have Steph be heard.I definitely recommend Let Me Hear a Rhyme to anyone looking for books written by Black authors and that portray Black youth. If you enjoy stories focused on friendship and with some cool lyrics, and a little romance, please check this out! The complex characters and tight plot make for a really entertaining and, at times, emotional story. * POV: Told from Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine's POVs.Content Warnings: (view spoiler)[Brief instance of police brutality. (hide spoiler)]Instalove: (view spoiler)[No. (hide spoiler)]Love Triangle: (view spoiler)[No. (hide spoiler)]Cliffhanger: No.HEA: (view spoiler)[Hopeful! (hide spoiler)]

Léa

May 30, 2021

➶ 2021 books: 72/60I absolutely ADORED this book... there is just something about Tiffany D. Jackson's writing that makes me fall in love every time!From the first chapter, I was instantly immersed into the lives of these characters. The discussions of racism, grief and love were so intricate and I was so intrigued throughout the entirety of the story. One element I absolutely adored was the conversation of fulfilling somebodies dream for them, when they are no longer here. Musically, seeing the characters' dreams come to life and the joy surrounding it was incredibly heartwarming. I recommend this book to absolutely everyone! It was such a beautiful, fast paced young adult contemporary that focused on some extremely important topics. (the audiobook was also incredible)

breana / milkyboos ♡

March 08, 2022

LOVED this one!!! the multiple povs were each written so well and had a unique voice that differentiated them from one another (an issue i run into frequently with mult pov stories)the warmth and love the three mcs had for steph was so moving, and i really empathized with the desire to have someone you love be remembered for more than their untimely death. the flashback scenes with steph were woven in well, though i maybe would have liked a bit more of them to fill in some gaps in the story along the way i do wish i got to spend a bit more time with quadir, jarrell, and jasmine as the ending felt a bit rushed/sudden, but overall this was a very fun read and i’ll definitely be checking out tiffany d jackson’s other books as well!

Elizabeth

July 21, 2020

RTCEasily a top 10 book of the year! I didn't get the chance to add any notes because I had a terrible tootache last night. >_

Yna from Books and Boybands

December 26, 2020

Headline: Three Kids From Brooklyn Pull Off the Biggest Heist in Hip-Hop History"You may kill the man, but you can never kill his dream."I loved this so much! That ending brought me to tears!

Maria

June 18, 2020

An absolute MUST READ! I need time to collect myself, so full review to come!

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