Cornel West's influential work, Race Matters, ignited a crucial dialogue on racial issues, fulfilling its intended purpose as a vital contribution to discussions on race. This significant text is part of a broader trajectory in West's oeuvre, which includes earlier explorations such as Prophecy Deliverance! An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity (1982) and Prophetic Fragments (1988). These works scrutinize the interplay between religious traditions, Marxism, and race, setting the stage for West's subsequent forays into philosophical pragmatism with The American Evasion of Philosophy: A Genealogy of Pragmatism (1989), where he examines pragmatism's relevance to racial discourse.

The collaborative effort with Bell Hooks, titled Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life (1991), further illustrates West’s commitment to encouraging intellectuals to actively engage in political and social issues affecting African American communities. Though Race Matters takes a step back from explicitly invoking religious or Marxist frameworks, traces of these influences resonate in West's examination of African American struggles and the "progressive" strategies he advocates.

Following the impact of Race Matters, West continued to expand on its themes with works like Keeping Faith (1993). This book employs “prophetic criticism” to delve into the dynamics of power and race, broadening the philosophical discussions initiated in his earlier works. Despite West’s status as a “celebrity” intellectual, a label that could potentially overshadow scholarly achievements, his contributions to intellectual discourse remain undiminished, embodying a blend of academic rigor and public engagement.