Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood sits on the far west side of the city, and represents a largely working-class community with Black, Latinx, and Eastern European residents. Compared to the well-invested neighborhoods in the city’s north side or Downtown areas, it’s not a particularly exciting neighborhood. Something special is beginning to brew in the community now, though, with the recent public launch of the Rapbrary, a new space founded by rapper, librarian, and West Side Chicagoan Roy Kinsey.
The Rapbrary was born in 2017 as a concept inside the basement of Kinsey’s home, which is also the site of our conversation. Along one of the walls is an impressive collection of books where names like Gucci Mane and Jay-Z share the same shelf space as James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. In a time when America’s newest fascist seeks to dismantle anything that relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Kinsey points to a copy of All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, which has recently been challenged and banned in some states. These are precisely the types of books that the Rapbrary seeks to preserve while also honoring the radical traditions of hip-hop at the same time.
