5 comments about The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop.

1. The Dead Emcee Scrolls start out with a great new poem called NGH WHT. After that, a good deal of the material is from older poems that he has in some cases edited, while in others, left mainly the same. NGH WHT is filled with subtle nuances that are not always easy to pick up on, so multiple reads are likely merited.
   
   While a bit repetitive for die-hard fans, the work gives a very strong representation of where his work comes from, but also has some great new material. As to where he will go from here, that is anyone's guess.



2. I first heard about this book on a message board (I think it was the one from DaveyD.com) and I really enjoyed reading the publisher's excerpt, and it was just the introduction. With it, I didn't know how to take it. Whether it was truth or just a very well worded story from Saul Williams. Either way, I could feel the vibe of Hiphop Kulture coming from it. So of course, I went out and bought it.
   
   I was blown away.
   
   I first heard of Saul from the book ", said the Shotgun to the Head." So I already thought I knew what to expect. But I was completly blown away by the deepness of these poems. Whether really taken from a strange manuscript in an old spray can or just a way to publish his own poems about Hiphop's preservation of love, peace, and unity, this was great. I recommend it for anyone who like poetry, spoken word, rap music, or just books. Very good.



3. i've written tons of academic papers (including my current thesis) on williams; his work is unbelievable and should be taught everywhere. his attempt to uplift hip-hop is honorable and appreciated.



4. This is Saul Williams but it is not a book of poetry. It is well written and I would recomend it to anyone who likes Saul Williams, poetry, hip hop or both.



5. Saul Williams, hip-hop's so-called "poet laureate," can comfortably add "hip-hop mystic" to his résumé with this collection of excellent poetry. His rhymes drip with the religious symbolism of ancient Mystery cults (most notably, Isis) as he journeys with the reader on a path to self-discovery, spiritual fulfillment, and ethical reasoning. In hip-hop Williams sees ancient drums and chants, camp-fire storytellers whose power has been hijacked by capitalist greed, materialism, defeatism, and chauvinism. He teaches through twistable and irresistible verse that the power of history's lessons and thought can change worlds by changing words.
   
   I admit that I am not a hip-hop fan, per say. I do enjoy a select few artists (Williams included), and have studied African American history/culture, so I was not entirely unfamiliar with the themes/issues of this book. I am, however, a lover of poetry, truth, and vulnerable strength, which Saul Williams encapsulates perfectly. Truly, one need not know much about hip-hop to appreciate this book. No matter one's musical preference or cultural background, Williams speaks truth, and therefore can be embraced by all. "Word is bond."

5 comments about Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey.

1. Covering a subject as broad as this is difficult and most readers will take exception somewhere since the author deals with such a subjective subject. However, I enjoyed both the exhaustive research and obvious passion that went into this work. It's a must, not only for DJs, but for any fan of music made for the dancefloor.



2. Written by two former editors of Mixmag (the magazine bible of club culture and dance music), this 400-page book provides a deep, well-researched history of the club DJ. It follows the evolution of the live performance DJ from a human record changer, to a macro mixer of individual platters, to a micro mixer of record segments and sounds, to a full-fledged music producer. In doing so the authors document the impact that DJs had on the music itself, first in selecting what they played, later in demanding what they needed, and lastly in creating what they wanted.
   
   Although the book opens with a short chapter on radio DJs (all of twenty-one pages), this story is about the club DJ's rise to musicianship. The book charts the live DJ's beginnings as a record spinner in large halls, follows the DJ-fueled Northern Soul scene in the UK, threads in the revolutionary work of Jamaican DJ sound systems, and returns to the US for a lengthy exposition on disco, hip-hop, house and beyond.
   
   The disco chapters, though at times devolving into discussion that's more of the music than the DJs, are among the book's most interesting. They explore the movement's organic New York roots, contrasting them sharply to the genre's publicly refuted commercial apogee. One might argue with their contention that the "disco sucks" backlash was a homophobic reaction (particularly when they do such a good job of describing the commercial overexposure that led to disco's mainstream repudiation), but their descriptions of the era's seminal underground clubs and DJs bring context to disco that was completely lost in its mainstream incarnation.
   
   Two chapters on hip hop show both its evolutionary and revolutionary forward steps, with the DJ becoming a producer and musician. Fresh interviews with the major players are skillfully woven into a compelling narrative of the genre's birth and growth. Club music's transitions between house, techno, garage and other variants are layered with reporting on the stage-setting cultural environments and geographic movements of key players. These latter chapters read more as anthropological catalogs than the you-are-there accounts of disco, so while they're informative, they're a bit dry.
   
   A good deal of the text devolves into a history of the music, leaving the DJs temporarily on the sideline. But given the intimate intertwining of DJs and music, and the reciprocal impact they had on each other, this is probably unavoidable. Unless you're an avid dance music fan, some of the authors' points, hinged upon references to specific songs, will fail to resonate.
   
   The authors make a compelling argument for the DJ at the center of the vortex that created disco and morphed it into house, techno, acid house and more. Unlike music that was a product of artists, record companies and radio, dance music is a product of dancers, clubs, DJs and producers, with the latter two categories merging more and more over time. The added element of geographical isolation is shown to have had a major impact on numerous scenes (northern UK, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Europe) and the development of their respective musics, and the commercial needs for starless music created a vacuum into which DJs could step.
   
   Though this is very well written, though there are nits to pick. Their anti-academic disclaimer is unnecessarily reactionary, and not even particularly true given the amount of original research they conducted. Their text on drug influences ignores numerous earlier drug/music interactions, such as in jazz and rock. Their lack of detail on radio DJs is a reasonable choice, but one not explained by the book's title or subhead. Their geography is UK/US-centric, and limited in the US mostly to New York, Chicago and Detroit. Whether or not those three cities were host to the only innovations worth reporting upon is questionable.
   
   Structurally the book follows a linear timelines through the disco era, but later chapters have timelines that overlap. For the unschooled, it's difficult to really see how innovations in different places were influencing each other. The book's appendices include priceless club charts that provide useful guidance in assembling a soundtrack but it's unclear where these charts came from.
   
   Quibbles aside, this is a great read for anyone who wants to learn about the DJ's critical role in the development of dance music. For disco, in particular, the DJ booth point provides an excellent view into the scene's true history. Brewster and Broughton write lively, engaging copy and have based it on thorough original research. Highly recommended! [©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]



3. The only thing that kept me reading this book was that it contained information I didn't know. I found that skimming helped reduce the groaning and eye-rolling caused by poor organization of the material. Much of it was just fine, but parts of the book are difficult to read because the authors couldn't devise a smooth transition from one chapter to another. Other than that minor complaint, this is a great book!



4. The book has an extensive history of the life of the DJ. Anybody interested in the profession or what it takes to be a DJ, should at least read it. You'll be surprised at what you find.



5. This book is yet another goldmine of anecdotes for dance fans. It will also be educational for lovers of any type of music. The author goes through the music scenes in many countries and genres, from the WWII era when the disc jockey had to cobble together his own setup of speakers, to the Northern Soul scene when obsessive music lovers would drive for hours just to reach a place that would play a few new tracks that night, and so on up to our own day. Ever since Thomas Edison started messing around with really big earphones, there's been a story ready to hatch. Dip in and enjoy.

5 comments about The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats.

1. Over the last five years or so, as hip hop culture has moved into its third decade, there have been more and more books published about its early days. Books like Yes Yes Y'All and Can't Stop Won't Stop have sought to trace the development of b-boying, DJing, MCing, and graffiti from their disparate origins in the early 1970s into the unified "street" culture and big business hip hop has become. This autobiography by one hip hop's pioneers traces the early years of this evolution through the personal story of someone who was there from the start.
   
   In many respects, Flash's story (at least as he presents it), is a classic American rise and fall story. We meet him as a child with an abusive father with a killer record collection, who ditches the family and a mentally ill mother. Then through a succession of foster homes, the calm of The Greer School in upstate New York, and then back to the Bronx and Gompers VoTech High School. During these teen years, the slightly nerdy kid with a love of music and electronics manages to marry the two and more or less invent turntablism. Through hard work, innovative techniques, and the help of friends, he rises to local fame as a street and then club DJ. Then the perfidious Sugar Hill Records scoops him up, uses him up, and dumps him. Oh yeah, along the way he succumbs to the classic "rock star" pitfalls of not keeping his business affairs in good order, getting wrapped up in partying, women, and drugs. By the mid '80s, he's become an out of control cokehead who is rescued from ODing in a crack house by his older sister. Years pass as he lives on his sister's couch, with no income, struggling to put his life back together. Eventually, he finds some manner of spiritual peace, find closure with his father, and rebuilds his music career and rescues his reputation.
   
   In many ways, Flash's story is predictably sad: the broken home, the signing of a record contract without understanding it, the allure of cash and flashy cars, the betrayal by friends, the coke, the dog-like behavior with women (he has children by five different women). And yet, there's a lot to like: from his confession that he tried b-boying and tried graffiti and failed at both before hitting on DJing as his ticket into hip-hop, his scavenging dumps for parts to build his own sound system, the combination of trial and error and inspiration it took to figure out how to cut beats and breaks and mix on the fly, the hours spent digging through record crates looking for obscure material, how "Big Bank Hank" stole the rhymes for "Rapper's Delight" from a friend, how Flash had nothing to do with the hits "The Message" or "White Lines," the crooked dealings of Sugar Hill Records (not to mention their silent mob-connected financier).
   
   The book is probably at its most engaging, however, when describing the early days of hip-hop in the Bronx. The days of sound systems in parks and playgrounds, with street gangs in charge, and everybody out to have a good time. Flash's memories bring that all to life quite effectively and colorfully (as do many of the interviews in Yes, Yes, Y'all). One quibble I have with his account about these early days, is a failure to explain how what was happening on the street of the Bronx in the early '70s was replicating what had gone down in Jamaica ten years earlier. DJ Kool Herc, who figures prominently in Flash's account of the early years, lived in Jamaica until 1967, and the scene was exactly the same: competing street sound systems, with competing DJs who would take the labels off records so spies couldn't find out what they were playing, gangs, violence--all the same. Even MCing was preceded in Jamaica by "toasters" like King Stitt, U-Roy, Alcapone, and others, who would do rhymes over backing rhythm tracks. The line from '60s Jamaica to '70s Bronx is a pretty clear one, and it's a shame that Flash either never realized it, or chose not to mention it. (I've heard that a decent account of that Jamaican ancestry can be found in the early chapters Can't Stop, Won't Stop, although I haven't read it myself).
   
   In the end, Flash's life is a quick read broken down into lots of bite-sized chapters. The writing isn't the best, and some of the stylistic tics are kind of clunky and cheesy, but it's definitely worth checking out if you're interested in the history of hip-hop, and turntablism in particular. Possibly worth checking out if you're interested in how urban subcultures rise and thrive.



2. I too bought the book when it came out, and finished it in three days.
   I consider Grandmaster Flash to be the best DJ ever. I was a bit taken by some of the incorrect text, Flash writes about one night in 1975 when Pete Jones was spinning "I will survive" and "Lets Start the Dance" - both songs were released in 1978!. Also, too much on the Sylvia Robinson scenarioes, and absolutely nothing on the Elektra years, thats the reason I bought the book, as some of his finest work was during that period.
   We all know the Sugar Hill story from other books. I wish I could be kinder, but as a b-boy and a music historian, I was left with a void.



3. The Adventures of G.M. Flash is a very quick and easy read. I grew up a huge fan of Flash, but anyone interested in reading a firsthand account of a culture that he helped create and see it evolve, then you must read this book. His personal story is full of more tragedy than triumph so it is remarkable that he survived everything to become a living icon.



4. This book is killer and yes there is some missing data but who cares. What makes me sad is the simple fact that it is NOT gracing the chains of Americas Books stores.
   The clueless idiots wouldn't be able to grasp how profound a character GM Flash is. Sadly they need more shelf space for another yet to be published WHO KILLED TUPAC Book
   
   Freddy Fresh
   Author of Freddy Fresh Presents The Rap Records and DJ/Artist
   Producer of several GM Flash Tracks for Marlborough Music
   [...]



5. It's a good book.
   
   At times when I read this book it made me realize that it really isn't 100% about hip hop, but about a man's struggle. How everyone's life can go zig zag zig... forward, back and hopefully forward again.
   
   It shed light on a few things for me: Like why Flash has such an articulate vernacular (read, nerdy sounding speech), whether all the rumors of him hitting rock bottom were true or not, & how he had an almost obsession w/ bettering Kool Herc, the originator of the Hip Hop style of dj-ing.
   
   The book is made up of very concise chapters that are quick and easy to read. There are a couple of things that I liked about the writing style too. There is an ongoing theme of how Flash relates everything to two records spinning, from the wheels on his bike to watching clothes spin in a laundromat when he is flat out busted and broke. Also at times the end of one chapter would purposely blend into the next chapter. Pretty much like Flash quick mixing at a set. And from a visual perspective, sometimes when there is an ascension or de-escalation of ideas or thoughts in a paragraph, the placement of letters in this paragraph were made to mimic this theme to form a set of steps or the like.
   ..
   
   In narrating his story Flash does skip or neglect to elaborate certain points quite often. I would have wanted to know a lil more of his dealings with Enjoy Records, how much he got from that "Flash Former" gadget, how successful he was after he split with Furious and then recorded w/ Electra, how he felt when he eventually went up against Kool Herc, etc., etc. etc.
   
   I dunno, maybe this just didn't fit into the way the book was set up. Maybe it would have killed that rise-fall-rise human drama theme that the overall book is exhibiting. I dunno. Maybe the authors thought that the average Joe w/ no knowledge of the Boogie Down Bronx wouldn't care or know better anyway?
   
   And yes there isn't really a significant amount of info about the early beginnings of hip hop. Perhaps the thinking is why retread that which can be found over and over again. The book "Yes, Yes, Yall" speaks encyclopedic volumes to that and is suitable for the layman and b-boy alike.
   
   The good thing here is that we get the opportunity to learn about Flash's early early life. He candidly speaks on things I never heard mentioned in previous interviews w/ him, like his parents, sisters and schooling. Not to mention how, although a self admitted nerd, he spins thru females like they are records, sometimes quick cutting, sometimes back spinning, sometimes just riding the groove out. All these things go on to shape him later in life.
   
   We learn about the young dj Flash before he was the Grand Master and how he always had to deal w/ the weight of being really skilled, but chained to a rag tag homemade sound system. One that the literal as well as musical "giant" of the time, Herc, would laugh at.
   ..
   
   I too give Flash dap for admitting that he was flat out afraid of Sylvia Robinson, Queen of Sugar Hill Records. Flat out afraid of losing his crew, having the haunting feeling that he as a dj, and not the now all important mc, would be relegated to the back of the bus.
   
   You feel for Flash when he comes to the realization that his place as a non-rhyming dj, at Sugar Hill Records, Sugar Hill Studios & the Sugar Hill mansion is no place. You feel for him when his very first mc, Cowboy, spits at him "It ain't about you no more Flash". And when childhood friend EZ Mike takes his place in a reinvented lineup, who can't help but see the correlation of Brutus thrusting the final dagger into the chest of Grand Master Caesar.
   ..
   
   Like I mentioned earlier there may have been issues with editing & also trying to cram things into such a concise format. I can see a couple of errors w/ records not correlating with dates. And on the technical side, in one passage he mentions a device he made for himself to aid in mixing records, the peek-a-boo system, as if he had mentioned it earlier in the book when he had not. There are also slight grammatical & spelling errors here & there.
   
   Also, Flash goes a hell of a long way to mention how he developed his mixing technique. He deals at length w/ that and I can only think someone who has never gotten behind 1200's or a pair of Thorens :) might be lulled to sleep by it. But of course this is exactly what defined a "kid named Flash"!
   
   Also I see a lot of books and movies that use devices or techniques to make the style, flow or storyline of the book more cohesive. You yourself can sometimes right off the bat tell hat it has been made up, sometimes not. (Take for instance in the Movie "Malcolm X", The guy that teaches Malcolm the knowledge of self while he is incarcerated. That character was made by Spike Lee to tell the story more smoothly and didn't actually exist in the book or reality.)
   
   Flash relates of a friend who helped him see the light, helped him get on track when he needed it, helped him sort the b.s. out when it was tuff. I really hope that this wasn't just a contrived literary device and someone that was really on the real. Because that is someone or something that we all need in our lives now and then :)
   True dat.
   
   At times when I read this book it made me realize that it really isn't 100% about hip hop, but about a man's struggle. How everyone's life can go zig zag zig... forward, back and hopefully forward again.
   
   It's a good book.

5 comments about It's No Secret: From Nas to Jay-Z, from Seduction to Scandal--a Hip-Hop Helen of Troy Tells All.

1. This book was pretty interesting, but I couldnt believe she could have done some of the things she did. Thats not the life a woman with a daughter should be living.Overall if a good book if you are into gossips.



2. I never did get through this book. It was poorly written and seemed as though she just wanted to "speak out" because I guess she saw how much attention and fame it generated for Karrine Stefans. This was a poor attempt especially when you don't have much to tell..



3. The book was good enough to read and pretty much get an insight of how her relationships with Nas and Jay Z really went . I enjoyed the book not the best book i have ever read but it will do if you are a die hard Jay Z or hip hop fan like me. It was a look inside their personal lives that you very rarely get to seeas far as african american celebrities lives go.



4. Waste of time. It's like re-reading a book by Karin Steffans B.K.A "superhead". This isn't no hip-hop Helen of Troy as the title states. She got her 15 minutes of fame. Now it's time to get a real life and move on.



5. I bought this book because I was tired & bored of reading "serious" literature. It took 6 months for me to finally pick it up and read it and all I can tell you is that it's a waste of time. If you have graduated from high school or have even obtained a GED - don't read it. Its an insult even to a mentally challenged persons intelligence. This chick is nothing but a bird. Three quarters of the book made me angry at her. One that she is a woman and two she is black. She is no Helen of Troy - she's not even a Flavor of Love chick.

5 comments about The Pirate's Dilemma: How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism.

1. I have spent the last two years reading on pirates and piracy, from the pirates of the Caribbean to the p2p pirates of "The Pirates of the Caribbean", and any and everything in between. It is an extraordinarily rich subject that is deeply embedded in local and global social, economic, political, legal histories.
   So with great expectations I have started to read this book.
   
   And what a disappointment! I am devastated! Matt Mason tells stories about various innovators, renegades, avant-garde artists, oddballs, and labels all of these people as "pirates", though they share little more than the fact that they are being labeled by the author as pirates. The background he offers to accompany these stories is shallow and reflect the attitude of what Mr. Mason really is: a music magazine journalist, who needs not be neither deep nor very sophisticated in his studies.
   
   It is insult to injury that Mr. Mason as he wrote for VICE should be, but is not funny or even entertaining. He tries though, but with dreadful results.
   
   I would recommend this book for transcontinental flights if it wasn't a too long and unfunny thing to spend 8 hours accompanied by.



2. This book is slightly maddening. The intention is valid: to steer people towards thinking about piracy in a new light. The "pirate's dilemma" is whether to persecute and shut down piracy, or to recognize it as a kind of creative competition. If you can't beat them, join them. The thrust of Mason's argument can be summarized by the two models of music industry approaches to P2P file sharing: either go the route of Apple and create a cheap, viable option for consumers, or the RIAA route and sue its customers.
   
   As a former DJ, Mason cuts and pastes his way through the book with anecdotes. At first I found the approach a little obnoxious-- a kind of overly cheerful airline-style of magazine writing. As a former punk, I found the whole chapter on punk capitalism a little superficial, which lacked a discussion of a really important DIY capitalist, Discord Records. The section of the "Tao of Pirates" was also missing an important discussion of pirate culture, i.e. the black beard types that are so discussed so interestingly in Wilson's Pirate Utopias. I think the word pirate is used too general. Basically, anyone under 50 is a pirate these days, and I don't thing that's true. Also, the remix section failed to credit Dada.
   
   But as I read on, I warmed up to the book and found the discussion of guerrilla marketing and hip hop pretty good. There was some history and anecdotes that I wasn't aware of, so I was pleasantly surprised here and there. Still, if you want a more in-depth analysis of the economic situation of open source, read Benkler's The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom.
   
   Ultimately I think Mason's intentions are good. I'm not sure celebrating the cooptation of underground culture by capitalism is something that is to be happy about, but I suppose as the pirates become more mainstream, maybe our society will be better for it, and that to me, is the ultimate Pirate's Dilemma.



3. One the whole, this book offers an excellent snapshot into some of the issues currently driving the online world. While I thought it was an overall good read, this book is not without its flaws. Sometimes the author's opinion is concise and his criticism is well-aimed, such as when he addresses the music industry's decisions to punish its suppliers and its customers for its own mistakes. Especially noteworthy is how he takes what might be run of the mill criticism and offers alternative course of actions, elevating some of the book from the standard armchair quarterbacking into something that could be (gasp!) useful to the reader.
   
   Unfortunately, this book also includes some filler. I am especially disappointed that he spent so much time extolling the virtues of hip-hop as both the original youth oriented remix-friendly music and `voice of the streets' (apostrophes for emphasis, not a quote) while totally ignoring, for example, Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie (and others)deciding to remix their pop music at warp speeds, ignoring the dictum that music should be the background for swing dancers.
   
   On the whole, the book is worthwhile and is significantly better when paired with the companion website (and maybe that's the point).



4. I found this book to be poorly researched, and clumsily written. The opening chapter on punk rock misspells Johnny Rotten's name throughout as "Jonny." The New York Dolls are lumped in with the Velvets as "another band that hung out at (Andy Warhol's) Factory." They had, in fact, no association with the Factory or Warhol. The author describes the reaction in England to the Pistols' appearance on the Bill Grundy show as mass hysteria, which is rather over the top - yes, the headlines expressed shock, no, it did not cause a national strike. The author also manages to use every cliche he could think of, from "too fast to live, too young to die" to describing Sid Vicious (at least he spelled it right!) as a punk martyr. I'll bet he thinks the Ramones were actually brothers.



5. I think, if it had stuck to the brief it claimed to have on the front cover, I would have loved this book. But it didn't at all. This book has it's interesting moments, but it is effectively a chance for a former pirate DJ to try to convince you of three things. (I) Pirate radio is awesome. (II) DJ's are gods of the modern era. (III) Any and all significant cultural advances accomplished since the 60s are solely the result of music's influence.
   Now, your mileage may vary on how useful any of those statements are, but I can't stand radio in any form, and DJ's typically make me want to punch someone, which means that the 3rd statement is the only one that could have any truck with me. Sadly, the book very much puts the cart before the horse. It is probable there's interchange, but for the author's purposes we're to consider EVERYTHING in terms of music. Then there's the way he uses Pirate in the book, it becomes a generalist term that applies to almost all innovators, which kind of misses the point of WHY piracy is an issue.
   The books real gift is in teaching music trivia, and providing some form of introduction to Hip-hop as big business, but here he hardly does anything new, and he mostly hides behind pretentious words to make out that everything has meaning. Fashion is even glorified as emblematic of what our culture should be like. For someone who is on the surface offering a counter-culture account of the changes going on in the world and what the future will be, he doesn't actually attack much of the mainstream.
   His only other really interesting assertion is that new youth-cultures can't form presently due to the instant spotlight effect that corporates give to anything with any promise in the constant quest for marketing. I'd just like to say, this is one of the weakest arguments I've ever heard. It seems fairly evident to me that the reason we aren't getting new large scale youth movements is that the Internet has made most movements small and decentralized, and because WOW is just so awesomesauce that most people don't bother anymore.

5 comments about Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation.

1. Previous reviewers have already brought out the strengths of the book, so I won't extensively repeat them. For me, it was important that he located the development of hip hop in socio-economic contexts of the last few decades. Some were disappointed that this book was not a mindlessly celebratory litany of great artists, but a critical history of great art made by real people with real conflicts. I think we need less cheerleaders and more thoughtfulness.
   
   While everyone has topics that they would like to see addressed, I was surprised that the author overlooked a major controversy in hip hop: the shootings of Tupac and Biggie. I am not nitpicking here, this was more important than the KRS-ONE/MC Shan dispute, y'know? This caused a great deal of anguish within hip hop and reverberated outside of it. Besides refocuing the question of violence in hop hop, it re-raised questions about the relationships between art, race, communitty and commerce.
   
   Perhaps in future editions, something could be added?



2. After reading Chang's book Can't Stop Won't Stop it is amazing how all the pieces come together. He writes with an amazing breadth that captures politics, sociology, history, economics, globalization, exploitation, capitalism, racism, media tricks, etc. and how they have all contributed to the formation of hip-hop and the resulting culture. As I came of age in the mid 90's I became transfixed with gangsta rap and inner city culture, I never realized how all the afore mentioned concepts made up an entire culture that connects with audiences all around the globe or the economics that helped regenerate a struggling economy and an evaporating job landscape. As the new century comes into full swing it is astounding to think of the power hip hop still holds and the mouths it feeds.
   
   As I dig deeper into the sociology of this last statement I can't help but think while hip hop has revived industries like music, fashion, and film and laced corporate pockets with green the conditions that breed hip hop still have not changed. The current Bush Administration is continuing where Reagan and his pops left off by gutting social programs and destroying education while offering hope through the army only to die for a country that doesn't give a damn about a better tomorrow only a richer, whiter one. Hip Hop heads are still seen as criminals in broader society, still harassed by police and still followed around the stores their culture helps feed.
   
   Perhaps Hip Hop can be the vehicle that delivers a unified front to reclaim this country from corporate interests and the carnivorous capitalist system. It has the power to reach audiences of every creed and the prophets to deliver the message.
   
   Jeff Chang is a prophet of history. Thanks for writing this book and teaching me about my past. Because if you love hip hop this history is a part of you.



3. Chang's history of hip-hop starts at the beginning (in the 70s) and examines the phenomenon from musical, cultural, and political viewpoints. His main strength is that he refrains from discussing "current" events, lest the book become dated too quickly. Indeed, only the last couple of chapters deal with the last ten years, and at that it's a cursory look. Chang's writing is outstanding, if a little too focused on certain acts (Public Enemy seems to take up the entire mid-section of the book), but his depth of knowledge of his subject matter and his manner for conveying it are excellent. His primary weakness is that he has a definite political slant to his work, occasionally dropping his journalistic guard to take shots at right-wing causes/politicians. It doesn't get in the way of the text, but it does get annoying. It's hard to write a history of a person/event/phenomenon that is ongoing that actually seems like a history, but Chang has done an excellent job doing just that.



4. As a literate college graduate who loves hiphop and reading, this book bridges the gap by bringing a history of the movement and the place that, more or less, made hiphop. The initial chapters about NYC and Jamaica from the sixties onward really clarified the scene for me: white flight, the major NYC highway projects and the civil strife in Jamaica created a cauldron of creative activity in the center of the greatest city in the world, among its poorest citizens. This book rules, quite simply. I read it over a weekend, while downloading a lot of the music along with it, immersing myself in an epoch and a movement that I have only begun to truly appreciate in the last 3-4 years. Excellent and highly recommended.



5. From Jamaica to Public Enemy all the way to The Source and beyond, this book is just chock-full of really gripping narratives which help hiphop fans really see what shaped the music we all love. My favorite part is the Public Enemy narratives simply because it shows, very clearly, the struggle artists go through. or when Tipper Gore and her gang go from attempting to censor heavy metal to rap. Just goes to show how powerful of a catalyst music is.
   
   A MUST READ FOR ANY MUSIC LOVER.
   
   Rocky

5 comments about The Wu-Tang Manual: Enter the 36 Chambers, Volume One.

1. The Wu-Tang Clan has been of the primary influences in my life, starting my interest in Hip-Hop music and culture as a youth through adulthood. This book is amazing; however, a novice listener of the Wu will not truly understand this book. A bandwagon listener of the Wu will not truly understand this book. This book is for the true heads, the people that have been intrigued with the sound, slang, style and charisma of the Wu-Tang ever since they first dropped on the music scene. If you're one of these fans, buy this book; you won't be dissapointed. For all you corny,wannabe, Johnny-come-latelys that claim to be a Wu fan and only own The W and Iron Flag, do us all a favor and don't buy this book; it will be a piece of genius that will go to waste collecting dust.
   
   Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game!



2. I bought this book because I have been an avid fan of the Wu since high school. I had a feeling it would be good but little did I know that it would be in the tops of the bests books I've ever read in my life. If you've ever listened to a Wu song and wondered what this line meant, or what this word means, look no further. Who knew that there was actual rhyme and reason to ever since word picked for their lyrics.
   
   If this is truely only a volume 1 out of many, I can't wait for the others. No matter what level of Wu fan you are, this will double it at least. Get this book.



3. if you like the wu this is for you. if you like hiphop its a good read. so many little fill ins for missing wu knowledge. the best bits will depend on where you come at hiphop from, as an mc i liked the annotated lyrics section. it is fairly comprehensive overview of the wu and well worth the price. buy it or stay a sucker mc forever.



4. I loved this book, my brother loved this book and I thought the Rza did a great job.....its the Wu FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



5. I must admit I was surprised and a little skeptical when the RZA, whom I have always seen as a stoic hardened man, decided to assemble a collection of his favorite recipes from his childhood as well as a few exotic dishes from around the world. My skepticism quickly evaporated upon receiving this charming tome, however. The Wu-Tang Manual provides the reader with a wealth of quick and easy (and cheap!) dishes that will leave your mouth watering. Whether you're planning a quiet, intimate time for a couple to relax, or a lively group gathering for a shower, graduation, or holiday, there are recipes here for all occasions. You'll learn how to turn out perfect renditions of classics with a twist such as Brown Butter Pecan Muffins, Baked Banana French Toast, and Smoked Salmon Benedict on Potato Pancakes, as well as new dishes to add to your repertory such as Tea-Smoked Trout Salad, and Baked Eggs with Fresh Corn "Polenta" and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes.
   
   Though only 26 pages from start to finish, The Wu-Tang Manual is a decadent feast of a read, with usually dry recipes spiced up with some personal cooking anecdotes from the RZA and friends from the Wu-Tang clan. One such tale about the RZA and Method Man's disastrous first attempt at a crab bisque literally had me laughing until I was in tearz.
   
   With mouthwatering photos and sections on menus and sources, The Wu-Tang Manual is all you need to throw a stylish and sophisticated dinner that any chef would be proud of.

5 comments about Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry--from Music to Hollywood.

1. 
   Terrance Dean dances gingerly through glass as he journeys from self-loathing to self-loving in a memoir that is at once brutally forthcoming and surprisingly discreet.
   
   He assigns aliases to the major and minor down low players in the entertainment industry, a world, as any insider knows, is about as gay as pink ink. And it's a good thing he does. Some are so thinly disguised that only the fear of self-outing is, perhaps, preventing legal action.
   
   "Hiding In Hip-Hop" is crammed with enough superstars with cover wives, rappers rolling in the hay with their homies, and enough stellar celebrities and big buff athletes same-sexing it to line a mile of red carpet. Same-sex orgies in private Hollywood Hills abodes and pick-you-out-a-man sex parties in the penthouses of Eastside Manhattan are mere weekly rituals for these brothas (and a whole lot of sistahs) who belong to an exclusive fraternity where effeminate men, overly butch women and openly gay anybodies are strictly forbidden.
   
   These hide-in-plain-site undercover homosexuals believe that they are having their cake and eating it too, but alas, the dark cloud of dishonesty, self-hatred, and the fear of discovery loom furtively above their heads.
   
   And therein lies Mr. Dean's thesis. He judges no one but himself, and in his self-disciplining he does not spare the rod.
   
   From the very beginning, his life, if it were not so tragic, seemed a cruel joke, a set-up for the kind of self-loathing that can prevent a man from loving himself as himself. Mr. Dean's early years factor greatly into his loathing of his sexual nature, just as surely as some others come to hate their dark skin, kinky hair, big noses, African roots.
   
   The first part of the book is gripping melodrama; chronicling events no child should have to go through. Born into the slums of Detroit to a prostitute mother, he was four-years-old when he had a gun put to his head by his mother's rapist when he and his grandmother happened to walk in on the assault. An adult male neighbor later sexually assaults him. His mother contracted AIDS and died of the then deadly disease while he was away at school(he was the first in his family to attend college). His baby brother, born with AIDS, died shortly thereafter.
   
   Arrested for car theft, Dean spent eight months in a Tennessee penitentiary. He remained estranged from his family, except for his beloved Grandmother Pearl. Broke and downtrodden, he resorted to drinking.
   
   Believing that his same-sex attraction was just another tarnish on his young life, he fought his desire for men with a passion.
   
   In spite of all that was going on in his life Dean had been a good student, made admirable grades and, after college, determined that he was going to turn his life around. He ended up in Hollywood, aligned himself with a female friend who was a writer's assistant on the TV show "Friends." He finally landed a job as a production assistant on the set of a porn movie.
   
   Being a hard worker who had made a Scarlet O'Hara vow to himself ("As God is my witness, I'll never go hungry again!"), Dean moved quickly through the ranks, each job better than the next, networking with the movers and shakers of the industry, where he found that most of the black men he knew had the same sexual secret as he. Once it was realized that he could be trusted, he was invited into the inner sexual circle where he found himself routinely getting it on with some of the most recognizable black male stars in the business.
   
   He soon discovered that the down low syndrome was even more pervasive in the hip-hop community, where homosexual hook-ups seemed more the rule than the exception.
   
   Eventually, the constant hiding in this secret society and constantly monitoring his conversations, careful not to use the wrong pronoun, was taking its toll. He began pulling away from the scene and meeting more openly gay men. This was beginning to have a positive effect on him. Dean writes:
   
   "These men were not hung up on what others thought of them. They were proud black gay men who lived their lives without fear or shame...They refuse to be unheard."
   
   The death of a down low friend, Kenny Greene, lead singer of the group Intro, who had broken his silence and admitted to being bisexual and having full-blown AIDS in a Sister 2 Sister magazine article convinced Dean to come out.
   
   As the founder of Men's Empowerment, Inc., an organization dedicated to self-empowering men of color and different sexual natures, Terrance Dean has turned his lemon of a life into lemonade for so many, and his book "Hiding In Hip Hop" is not simply a naughty Hollywood tell-all. It is a life lesson. In these pages we all find another way to look at that man in the mirror and like what you see. Looker: A Novel



2. I first read about this book last year and I decided right then and there that I HAD to get a copy when it came out.I have had some of my suspicions of Hip Hop artists confirmed by this book-and it is very thought provoking,too.



3. I have this book and I haven't finished it yet. It's pretty much about one mans struggle with what is so obvious (that he is so gay). It's pretty frustrating because he goes back and fourth so much. Then there is a point where he is only with men and describing his sex adventures. Then there is the whole spirituality struggle that he is dealing with. This book so far has really upset me with how much denial this person is in and everyone who he describes in his book. They surely don't care about the what they are doing to the black community by being on the "down low". I mean seriously if your mother and little brother had HIV/AIDS I don't think that you would be out here living this secret life, just because you want to be selfish. Like I said though I haven't finished this book and from what I hear I am only in the beginning of this book (page 123) this is still day one but I doubt I will finish it just as I tried to read that other DL book.



4. This book was just basically his life story. I did not like the book because he did not reveal any names. The clues he gives does not even give you a chance to narrow the list down. I'm glad that I checked this one out at my local library. Superhead's first book was off the chain. The second one was boring. But I'm glad that I didn't BUY the book. He doesn't even give a good description of the person's apperance. The only thing that I can say is that I believe he is gay because he was molested by a relative. His life may be quite different if he had some source of foundation growing up.



5. I was in Houston visiting a friend when he pulled this book out. I was bored and started flipping through it... and then started to read it. I don't pretend to know ANYTHING about this lifestyle but I do know the book was very easy to read and very simply written - conversational style. I had no knowledge (still don't) of any of the references to hip hop or even the Hollywood references above the glaring obvious. I enjoyed reading this book and it's familiar written prose. Knowing what I know after reading it, I would buy the book. Thank you Terrance. I enjoyed it!

5 comments about The Rose That Grew From Concrete.

1. This book is an awesome piece of art. I liked all the poems in this book and the editors did a great job because some words/letters I didn't figure out on my own. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry and have an open mind. Also...all Tupac fans should have a copy of this book.



2. I bought this book because everyone kept telling me that he was a poet and his words were deep blah, blah, blah...
   
   I was disappointed to find that his poems were simple and not "deep." It is not his best work. His best work will be found in his music, not here.
   
   I had expected a lot more in this compillation of poetry.
   
   Don't missunderstan me, I love the artis and his music. I was just expecting more dept and originallity in the poetry. I think I will stick to the music as his best work! Long live Tupac Shakur!!
   
   He gets two stars because I did like the very last poem.



3. The rose that grew from concrete is a good simple book filled with Tupacs poems on numerous subject matters easily read and understood. Also If you're not familiar with Tupac this book gives you a great insight into the rapper with acknowledgements , preface, foreward and introuduction.



4. I have used this book of poetry with teens to share the beauty of Tupac's writing at the age of 19. His writing is powerful, sensitive, truthful and filled with hope.



5. A window into the mind of a 'rose' that was truncated too young. I think this collection of poems by 2-Pak showed the new direction that he was thinking of for those young men standing around on the street corners of our cities.

5 comments about Confessions of a Video Vixen.

1. I feel sorry for Karrine Steffans, but she CANNOT write! Her editor sucks! She should have had someone else edit her work because neither she nor her editor can proofread. She brags about being a novelist without going to college...that's BS. She clearly should have gone to college or taken some type of writing class, but since she didn't her book turned out like this. I felt like she kept saying the same thing over and over again...and I couldn't even finish the book. I was so bored with the content and the way in which it was delivered. This girl needs help...I do feel bad regarding the horrible things that have happened to her. However, she needs to get a life and this type of nonsense is not the way to go...I'm sure the second book was just as useless as this one...Let's get it together people!



2. This book was full of gossip, she ratted out almost everybody in hollywood that she had been intimate with! She is a prositute and proud of it, if you like hearing about who she has been with sexually, this is the book for you, I didn't learn nothing that I didn't already no, I would'nt get her newest book!



3. Karrine Steffans is a highly unlikable character, which is kind of hard to imagine since I usually feel a lot of empathy towards people who have been reportedly abused and also raped. Not one word from her ilicited anything but disgust from me. Yes, this is an entertaining read, but this book did not make me care about her. She says she wrote this book as a cautionary tale, but when asked, in an interview, would she have lived her life diferently if she got a second chance, she said that she would not, that she would have chosen the same path. I would not suggest this book unless you just really need to know about what some of the celebrities are like behind closed doors



4. I thought that her back story was interesting. But I also think this really became a tabloid story because she never called out a lot of celebs.
   
   She exposed a lot of people for the dirt they did. And while if you're doing wrong in the dark, things eventually come to light, the way she did it wasn't impressive. I did like how she didn't tell on that one specific person, although that got out anyway. But I couldn't blame all the people she mentioned if they didn't have anything to do with her ever again.
   
   The book wouldn't have been interesting at all without the name celebrities she mentioned, though, so that's why they are included.



5. After hearing all the hype of Karrine Steffins book Confessions i had to read it, i had to know who was going to be outed and how her experiences changed her life. To my sadness and my dismay i must say that this is a novel i refer to as a "fake" book. I finish the 250 page book in two hours. The book told me exactly what i wanted to know but in many interviews she told that this was the biography of her life and she couldn't tell her life story worth out mentioning names of the people that played a part in her life i feel the purpose of the book was not to teach young girls to think better of themselves but to put money in her pocket simply because she didn't mention any normal average Joe Blow she was with no the only mention of any men in the book other than her father and the boy who raped her were famous powerful most of them married with children i can not be told that the only men Karrine ever slept with were the rich and famous. I am highly disappointed with her book and will not be purchasing the Vixen Diaries I can simply read the "tell-all" parts in a blog somewhere since that is the only reason worth reading this excuse of a book.