Jason Petty AKA Propaganda released his book Terraform back in June. He’s been prepping his fans for the release of this book for at least a year. With an EP of the same name, Prop’s book takes the reader/listener across the full spectrum of what it means to build a better world. I’ve been a fan of Propaganda’s work since the 2011 released ‘Art Ambixtrous’ project that Propaganda and Odd Thomas collaborated together on. I’ve been trucking with Prop for ten years and confidently declare that Terraform is his best work and you need this in your personal library. Like, yesterday. I have five reasons why I believe you have to purchase this book.
The writing. This book provided the world at large the opportunity to experience what his followers already knew: Propaganda is an amazing communicator. While a lot of us knew that from the music, podcasts, and interviews, Terraform gives folks the opportunity to literally hold his words in their hands. Propaganda has always communicated in a way that those in academia knew he knew what he was talking about, but he always broke things down so that those who weren’t as learned could understand what he was talking about. He has a podcast, “Hood Politics with Prop,” where he breaks down the geopolitical landscape of today by utilizing common sayings and phrases to where those who have been in or around “hood” environments could understand.
Prop doesn’t talk over the heads of his audience, nor does he talk down to them, rather he talks directly to the reader. I read a portion of “The Soil” chapter to my wife and she said, “Wow, this is beautiful. He needs an awesome for this.” The writing is powerful and the points come across clearly. One of my favorite portions of the book was when he captured Daniel in the Bible and his working for in Babylon to someone saying, “Aye, homie, I just work here, I ain’t from here!” Those of us who have been in a similar position can resonate with those lines down to the depths of our souls. There is not a wasted word or sentence in this entire work.
The poetry. Terraform isn’t just Propaganda musing on how to build a better world, it’s also littered with poems that help creatively convey the message. Some are lengthy while others are short but both contain just as much bite. Those who are familiar with his music may find some familiar pieces, but there are many that make their debut in this book. Each poem needs to be sipped and savored like your favorite drink and then revisited. The decision to include poetry in this book was a wise one and makes the book a practical yet creative roadmap to bettering the world around us.
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