---
product_id: 316536927
title: "Let Me Hear a Rhyme"
price: "NZ$38"
currency: NZD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 5
url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/316536927-let-me-hear-a-rhyme
store_origin: NZ
region: New Zealand
---

# Authentic '90s hip-hop culture YA historical fiction vibe Brooklyn 1998 setting Let Me Hear a Rhyme

**Price:** NZ$38
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🎧 Let the beats of Brooklyn’s past drop into your present — don’t miss the story that’s rewriting hip-hop history!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Let Me Hear a Rhyme
- **How much does it cost?** NZ$38 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/316536927-let-me-hear-a-rhyme)

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- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
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## Key Features

- • **Cultural authenticity:** Richly woven references to iconic artists and venues make this a must-read for true hip-hop aficionados and nostalgic millennials alike.
- • **Dive into '90s Brooklyn:** Experience the raw energy of the late '90s hip-hop scene through a gripping narrative set in Bed Stuy.
- • **Unforgettable YA storytelling:** Tiffany D. Jackson’s layered, multi-perspective approach brings complex characters and emotional depth to life.
- • **Critically acclaimed & highly rated:** Ranked top 20 in multiple YA categories with a stellar 4.7-star rating from over 270 readers.
- • **Powerful themes of friendship & legacy:** Follow three teens’ daring mission to immortalize their friend’s music and confront harsh realities of street life.

## Overview

Let Me Hear a Rhyme is a compelling YA novel by Tiffany D. Jackson that captures the spirit of Brooklyn’s late '90s hip-hop scene. Centered on three teens who strive to posthumously launch their murdered friend’s rap career, the book blends historical fiction with authentic cultural references, delivering a powerful story about friendship, legacy, and resilience. Highly rated and celebrated for its emotional depth and nostalgic vibe, it’s a must-have for millennials craving a connection to hip-hop’s golden era.

## Description

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. "Jackson scores a bullseye with her passionate homage to Black city life in the late ’90s." ( Publishers Weekly , "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List")

Review: Must-read - If there was ever a book written that speaks directly to the soul of 14-year-old me, it is Let Me Hear a Rhyme. On its surface, it’s a touching story of a group of friends refusing to let their friend become another anonymous victim of street violence. But it really feels like a long-overdue homage to the New York hip-hop scene at one of its most pivotal periods. The story takes place on the heels of the Notorious BIG’s murder, and opens with the funeral of Steph, a 16-year-old aspring rapper. With that major spoiler out of the way, the book turns to his sister Jasmine and his two best friends, Jarrell and Quadir, as they reckon with his loss and attempt to secure his legacy as one of the best to put on for Brooklyn. During their quest, they discover that each of them knew less about Steph’s life than they could have imagined. Let Me Hear a Rhyme doesn’t leave out any of the memorable people, places, and sounds of the New York hip-hop scene in the late ‘90s. Anyone who was a hip-hop head at that time will appreciate how Jackson weaves her story through the streets of Brooklyn. What’s most impressive is how seamlessly Jackson name-drops the biggest stars, club-commanding hits, biggest venues, and seminal events of the time. I can’t recall a time when I’ve read about The Tunnel — outside of maybe The Source or XXL — that appropriately revered the legendary club for how critical it was in the careers of so many artists, producers, and DJs and what an integral part of the hip-hop scene it was for everyone else. Overall, Let Me Hear a Rhyme is written with a level of care and authenticity that’s not always found. It doesn’t sugar coat the reality of Steph’s environment, but it also gives an inside glimpse that humanizes a community that’s often given short shrift in mass media. Reading Let Me Hear a Rhyme was certainly a nostalgic experience for me. Although I wasn’t in New York, it was definitely in my heart. Jasmine was a particularly relatable protagonist; I’ve never known another girl to get as excited as me to rush home to listen to Brand Nubian’s Foundation album. She could be me. Perhaps that’s why it’s so easy to empathize with what are otherwise risky and rash decisions of all three lead characters. For all their seemingly foolish bravado, it’s also simple to empathize with how and why they’re willing to take on what seem like impossible endeavors to not only break Steph into the music industry but to also find his killer. One of Jackson’s signatures is her approach to storytelling that blends present and past with multiple character perspectives. This style is particularly apt for Let Me Hear a Rhyme, because it highlights the nuanced relationships Steph had with his friends and family and the secrets each held with him. While this works well to get inside the heads of each character, it can be confusing at times trying to figure out the overall timeline. For me, it meant a lot of jumping back to previous chapters. If you’ve read Jackson before, this will feel familiar yet not quite as complicated as in Monday’s Not Coming. Once again, Tiffany D. Jackson has presented a book that tells a layered story in a captivating way. It’s clearly meant for a young adult audience, but I can’t help but recommend this to anyone who’s on the cusp of being a Gen Xer & millennial. It is technically historical fiction, and it brilliantly captures what hip-hop felt like back then, for better or worse.
Review: Jackson brings the '90s back to life - There is so much I loved about this book yet so much that frustrated me at the same time. The book is based back in '97/'98 and the storyline is about 85% about music. The problem with this is every time a song or artist was mentioned I just had to listen to them. Unfortunately this is a YA book and I think the Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G, Lauryn Hill, and Lil' Lim mentions may be lost on the younger generation. I even had to look up some of the music myself. This was the third book I've read by Jackson and regrettably I did not see an improvement in her writing since her last book. The language of the characters was most definitely better and it was Brooklyn all over but the book itself had many flaws that an editor should have picked up. The same phrase was used by different characters on almost every other page plus there were many grammatical errors. Although my review of the book hasn't been as good as Jackson's other novels, I have to give Tiffany thanks for renewing my love for '90s music and returning it to my current Spotify play list.

## Features

- Item Trademark: KATHERINE TEGEN BOOKS
- manufacturer: Katherine Tegen Books
- Item Weight: grams, pounds, 0.61949895622, 281.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #13,610 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #14 in Music Books for Young Adults #18 in Young Adult Nonfiction on Social & Family Violence #167 in Romance for Young Adults |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 278 Reviews |

## Images

![Let Me Hear a Rhyme - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/818985bqw8L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Must-read
*by Y***R on 31 March 2020*

If there was ever a book written that speaks directly to the soul of 14-year-old me, it is Let Me Hear a Rhyme. On its surface, it’s a touching story of a group of friends refusing to let their friend become another anonymous victim of street violence. But it really feels like a long-overdue homage to the New York hip-hop scene at one of its most pivotal periods. The story takes place on the heels of the Notorious BIG’s murder, and opens with the funeral of Steph, a 16-year-old aspring rapper. With that major spoiler out of the way, the book turns to his sister Jasmine and his two best friends, Jarrell and Quadir, as they reckon with his loss and attempt to secure his legacy as one of the best to put on for Brooklyn. During their quest, they discover that each of them knew less about Steph’s life than they could have imagined. Let Me Hear a Rhyme doesn’t leave out any of the memorable people, places, and sounds of the New York hip-hop scene in the late ‘90s. Anyone who was a hip-hop head at that time will appreciate how Jackson weaves her story through the streets of Brooklyn. What’s most impressive is how seamlessly Jackson name-drops the biggest stars, club-commanding hits, biggest venues, and seminal events of the time. I can’t recall a time when I’ve read about The Tunnel — outside of maybe The Source or XXL — that appropriately revered the legendary club for how critical it was in the careers of so many artists, producers, and DJs and what an integral part of the hip-hop scene it was for everyone else. Overall, Let Me Hear a Rhyme is written with a level of care and authenticity that’s not always found. It doesn’t sugar coat the reality of Steph’s environment, but it also gives an inside glimpse that humanizes a community that’s often given short shrift in mass media. Reading Let Me Hear a Rhyme was certainly a nostalgic experience for me. Although I wasn’t in New York, it was definitely in my heart. Jasmine was a particularly relatable protagonist; I’ve never known another girl to get as excited as me to rush home to listen to Brand Nubian’s Foundation album. She could be me. Perhaps that’s why it’s so easy to empathize with what are otherwise risky and rash decisions of all three lead characters. For all their seemingly foolish bravado, it’s also simple to empathize with how and why they’re willing to take on what seem like impossible endeavors to not only break Steph into the music industry but to also find his killer. One of Jackson’s signatures is her approach to storytelling that blends present and past with multiple character perspectives. This style is particularly apt for Let Me Hear a Rhyme, because it highlights the nuanced relationships Steph had with his friends and family and the secrets each held with him. While this works well to get inside the heads of each character, it can be confusing at times trying to figure out the overall timeline. For me, it meant a lot of jumping back to previous chapters. If you’ve read Jackson before, this will feel familiar yet not quite as complicated as in Monday’s Not Coming. Once again, Tiffany D. Jackson has presented a book that tells a layered story in a captivating way. It’s clearly meant for a young adult audience, but I can’t help but recommend this to anyone who’s on the cusp of being a Gen Xer & millennial. It is technically historical fiction, and it brilliantly captures what hip-hop felt like back then, for better or worse.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jackson brings the '90s back to life
*by L***E on 8 June 2021*

There is so much I loved about this book yet so much that frustrated me at the same time. The book is based back in '97/'98 and the storyline is about 85% about music. The problem with this is every time a song or artist was mentioned I just had to listen to them. Unfortunately this is a YA book and I think the Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G, Lauryn Hill, and Lil' Lim mentions may be lost on the younger generation. I even had to look up some of the music myself. This was the third book I've read by Jackson and regrettably I did not see an improvement in her writing since her last book. The language of the characters was most definitely better and it was Brooklyn all over but the book itself had many flaws that an editor should have picked up. The same phrase was used by different characters on almost every other page plus there were many grammatical errors. Although my review of the book hasn't been as good as Jackson's other novels, I have to give Tiffany thanks for renewing my love for '90s music and returning it to my current Spotify play list.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good read
*by A***R on 31 July 2024*

Thought it was a good read like the plot twist

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*Store origin: NZ*
*Last updated: 2026-08-09*