Hanif Abdurraqib is an American poet, essayist, and cultural critic known for his profound and insightful work. Born on August 25, 1983, Abdurraqib has made significant contributions to the literary world with his reflective and incisive writing style.

His debut essay collection, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was published in 2017 and received critical acclaim. Abdurraqib continued to explore the intricacies of American culture and identity in his subsequent works. In 2021, his essay collection A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. That same year, he was honored with a MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as a "genius grant," recognizing his significant contributions to literature and culture.

Abdurraqib's work in poetry is equally compelling, with his 2016 poetry collection The Crown Ain't Worth Much and 2019's A Fortune for Your Disaster showcasing his ability to meld personal narrative with larger social commentary. His 2019 non-fiction book on the American hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes on A Tribe Called Quest, was longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award, further cementing his stature as a vital voice in contemporary literature.

In addition to his published works, Abdurraqib's essays and music criticism have appeared in The FADER, Pitchfork, The New Yorker, and The New York Times, expanding his influence beyond the bookshelf and into the wider cultural conversation.