Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib (born 1983) is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic. He is currently a columnist at MTV News, writing about music, culture, and identity. Willis-Abdurraqib was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus is also the setting for his first book, a poetry collection called The Crown Ain't Worth Much (Button Poetry, July 2016). Publishers Weekly's review said, "When Willis-Abdurraqib meditates on the dangers of being young and black in America, the power of his poetry is undeniable," and the Indiana Review calls the collection "expansive and rich...compassionate, elegiac." Fusion called his "poetry a crash course in emotional honesty." Writing of the collection's titular poem, The Huffington Post said Willis-Abdurraqib's "chilling take on black death is heartbreakingly