Therapists and counselors looking for a bold new approach to reach their teen clients will appreciate this compendium of guidance techniques, which employs examples from hip-hop culture and its impact on black youth. Professionals striving to speak a language that means something to today's disaffected urban teen will relish the valuable resources and insights on display, from the lyrics of Tupac Shakur as a catalyst for discussion about family life and its challenges to the warning against violent lifestyles that can be understood from 50 Cent's stories of being shot and staying tough. In a commercial climate where too few celebrities take advantage of their marketing power to deliberately inspire the disillusioned who look to them as role models, this book empowers black youths by artfully extracting the positive messages from the people who inspire them the most.