The Holy Profane

"Explores the strong and sometimes contradictory presence of religion in the secular music of 20th century African American artists such as Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, and Tupac Shakur."—Tulsa World

"A scholarly yet accessible examination of just how often the sacred and the secular have been interwoven in the popular music of African Americans and how their coexistence has reflected an ever-evolving Black religious consciousness."—Arkansas Review

"Her treatment is, of necessity, multidisciplinary, providing data and challenging ideas that will attract the attention of individuals well past the fans of pop culture."—Choice

"Should interest all who are curious about the development of the sounds of yesterday and today."—Marietta (OH) Times

"Reed examines the link between West African musical and religious culture and the way African Americans convey religious sentiments in secular styles such as blues, soul, funk, and gangsta rap."—McCormick (SC) Messenger

"Well told and full of strong anecdotes, Reed's book is a fine example of how the study of popular culture can be informed by the study of religion."—Publisher's Weekly

"Students and scholars of African American history, religion, and musicology will no doubt appreciate this timely contribution."—Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"A cultural study that aims to convey the religious consciousness of the African American community through its secular music, examining the expanse of secular genres from blues to gangsta rap. . . . Reed's work is part of a new generation of scholarship making a timely contribution in this area of research."—American Music

"Extremely timely . . . this refreshing work is full of intimate insight, critical analysis, and rich research. Teasing the boundaries of the sacred and the secular, The Holy Profane is highly recommended reading for those interested in Black popular music and culture and mandatory for anyone interested in uncovering the hidden essence of American popular music."—Emmett G. Price III, Northeastern University

"Filled with insightful deductions and brilliant interpretations of developments and events related to the music of black Pentecostalism, the blues, the word-song of black preachers, and other musical genres, including the God- and Jesus-sprinkled Gangsta-rap of Tupac Shakur. Reed's unique, remarkably well-informed, accurate, well-written book—especially her potent and eloquent interpretive epilogue—will be grist for future interpretive work on contemporary popular and religious music."—Samuel A. Floyd Jr., founder and Director Emeritus of the Center for Black Music