Everything Abdurraqib writes is almost an immediate 5 stars for me. His interweaving of music and performance history with personal experience and stunning lyricism makes this a beautiful addition to the growing group of books I would recommend in a heartbeat. Vacillating from joy to tragedy and moments of movement to stillness, his work here invites readers (quite literally, by addressing us several times) to share in his experience of Black performance. Whether nodding along to his assertion that you don't invite Beyonce to guest at your Super Bowl spot if you don't want to be upstaged (here's looking at you Coldplay) or expanding upon the importance of the great Josephine Baker, Abdurraqib highlights the cracks in recognizing performance in America without remembering the contributions of Black performers. As his essays continue, slowly Abdurraqib reveals the layers of not just performance on a stage, but code switching as a form of performance. Gorgeously written, and a necessary work in every sense of the phrase. Abdurraqib is one of the greatest living writers, and perhaps one of my favorite writers of all time.