They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us

Part 6 does not have an epigraph, most likely due to the fact that these three essays are “bonus tracks”: new material included in the 2023 edition of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us.

The ending of the six-part Marvin Gaye essay focuses on the recurring motif of fireworks, explaining that Gaye died because his brother mistook their father’s gunshots for fireworks. This is the last image in the essay, and the fading of the bright explosion mimics the fading of Gaye’s life. Abdurraqib’s use of paragraphing and typeface is also significant, encapsulating the theme of Public Versus Private Grief. The bolded “title” runs on for three sentences, whereas the body of this section consists of only one sentence. With the lengthy title, Abdurraqib emphasizes the facts of what happens to Gaye—facts that have been spread (and sometimes distorted) by the media. Abdurraqib then houses the most tender and vulnerable part of the essay in the body.

Abdurraqib’s first car is another image that returns in this section. The accident that killed the man who stole the car harkens back to multiple earlier essays. In “My First Police Stop,” a different electrical error led Abdurraqib to enter his car in an unusual way, causing a resident to report him to the police. The man who stole his car in “On Seatbelts and Sunsets” died while the police surrounded his car with their guns drawn, not doing anything to help him. The fact that this man is strangled by the seatbelt recalls the lynchings in “Blood Summer: In Three Parts.”, heightening the suggestion that the man’s death resulted at least partly from racism. Additionally, Abdurraqib watched the high-speed chase and crash on television, seeing another Black life end on video as he discusses in “Black Life On Film.”

Nevertheless, these essays strike a more hopeful tone overall, implying a belief in second chances. When describing Carly Rae Jepsen’s work, Abdurraqib writes, “She gives us, instead, a never-ending chase where the only thing to fall in love with is the idea of falling in love” (291). These bonus tracks view life, or this chapter of Abdurraqib’s life, as a never-ending chase toward love, acceptance, and safety. In previous essays, Abdurraqib has often made rash decisions to attend music events, choosing to travel long distances to see often mediocre bands. Now he goes to the airport for a quick visit with his crush, unsure if it’s a wise decision at the time but ultimately thankful, as it paves the way for a meaningful relationship. His spontaneous decisions now concern his long-term future, implying growth, maturity, and increased optimism.