Felecia Pride is an author, speaker and voice of her generation. Her acclaimed book THE MESSAGE: 100 LIFE LESSONS FROM HIP-HOP'S GREATEST SONGS (Running Press, 2007) has been hailed as a "Chicken Soup for the Hip-Hop Soul" and has been used as a tool of engagement by various educational venues around the country. Felicia's other books include the young adult anthology HALLWAY DIARIES (Kimani Tru, 2007) and two chapter books for children--EVERYBODY HATES FIRST GIRLFRIENDS and EVERYBODY HATES SCHOOL POLITICS--based on the award-winning television, Everybody Hates Chris.

T.I.R.M. caught up with the author to talk about the contents of her book, the state of music and more...