Summary

Brittany reflected on the love and power that she found in Black churches in the South and Black hip-hop culture in New York City. She introduced the reader to Corey “Buck” Jacobs as an emblem of the joy of hip-hop in the 1990s. Corey was a promoter for the famous rappers Biggie and his childhood friend Puff Daddy (aka P. Diddy or Sean Combs). He even stood on stage with Biggie at the Palladium in concert in the East Village in July 1993. One month later, he was indicted on 29 charges related to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, even though he hadn’t been involved in the drug trade for a long time.

Brittany began hanging out at Sharanda’s house. Sharanda cooked her delicious recipes and the visits were a chance for an exhausted Brittany to relax on the couch. On one of...