5 comments about The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck?.

1. This book really influenced the way I write. Ice-T's "I don't give a fuck" attitude encouraged me to express my true feelings on paper. The part of the book where he talks about the origin of the L.A. gangs was very interesting. Ice-T is a tough philosopher in the tradition of George Jackson, Eldridge Cleaver, Iceburg Slim, KRS-One, and TuPac Shakar. A must read for rebels looking for a cause.



2. Ice T.always comes on point on Social Issues.He doesn't second guess himself.he comes straight out with the way he sees the World&The World at Large around him.His Honesty&Directness are to the point.He is a Very Deep Thinker who wants a Better World.you have to Wonder Why a Segement of Society has to Go through so Much Negativeness?very Enlightening Book.



3. From gangs, to drugs, sex, rap, religion, politics, women, racism, freedom of speech - Ice-T has an opinion just like the rest of us. Ice has an interesting and somewhat unique perspective on all these topics, and life in general. It was very enjoyable and though provoking to read. And if you don't agree with everything in the book, that's okay, how gives a ?



4. T is fabulous! I had no idea the breadth of his vision. He reminds me of a modern-day Clay Aiken.
   
   Never one to pull punches, T will pull on your funny bone until it hurts. T's insights on gardening, wine-tasting and antiquing are refreshing and suprising with someone of T's on-screen persona. But that's just it -- in this deliciously dire read, he's telling the world, "Look, I am human and vulnerable. I hurt too. I feel lonely when it rains. I prefer kittens to pit bulls. And darnit! despite prevailing public opinion, I thought "Cheers" actually got better after Shelley Long left."
   
   Bravo T! Thanks for showing us that all former rapping and break dancing gang members are not predisposed to lives of anger and misogyny, but beauty, diet lemon-lime slice and hummingbirds.



5. I read this book after reading Iceberg Slim's last novel Doom Fox and found that Ice T had written an incredible and very telling introduction.
   
   A friend of mine recently asked me `hey, why are reading that?' and with a tone that inferred that there was probably nothing to be gained or redeemable from the book whatsoever. I was a little shocked, but I guess that's probably how some people would approach a book like this ... with really low expectations. I guess that aint too bad if all you expect out of T anymore is Law & Order re-runs on cable. But speaking for myself, I came with an open mind and I wasn't let down at all ... and I happen to like his character on Law & Order enough not to be "hater".
   
   T wraps a lot of what he's saying in the experience of the Los Angeles Riots that occurred in 1992, his time on the streets and his strange but fortunate journey to being famous. But reading his words 13 years later, everything that plagued the city and was a major problem back then, is still up in the forefront of seemingly unsolvable problems and on the front page and not just for Black culture, as he pointed out then, but for most cultures as it is now. Los Angeles comes off as the beautiful place that it is, for some, but as a jail cell for others, even while they all `equally' enjoy their so-called freedoms. T paints the picture of the inner city that you may have thought has vanished but is still as dark, depressed and full of struggle as it was back in the 70's. Ice T started off in the military but moved on to a career in burglary and other nefarious activities that he very candidly re-tells, but does so without glorifying crime or the machismo behind his decisions.
   
   Ice T tells it like it is and this is a difficult to find book now as some of the other reviewers have pointed out. It's a worthy read and a skillfully told testament about a young man's journey through a world full of prison, police and temptation.

5 comments about Hip Hoptionary TM: The Dictionary of Hip Hop Terminology.

1. I highly recommend this book to scholars, parents, and students. From the very beginning of the intro, Westbrook draws you into "the flowering of Negro expression". Turning our attention to our ancestors, which used slave songs to communicate messages, explaining rap is continuing to do the same. It's play on words are in your face, raw and real. As a result, has brought different cultures together to blend and mix. This book brings it all together.



2. There are numerous problems with this book.
   To start, it is DEFINITELY outdated.
   There are many terms which are missapplied. For example, "coconut" is a term that applies to people of West Indian descent who "act white." In the book, it simply says "hispanic." Another problem with this one is that it is not labeled as being an offensive term, which it most definitely is.
   This is not an isolated incident. There are words all throughout this book that have definitions very different from what is written.
   There are words which are related to each other in definition and/or derivation, but are not noted as such.
   The problems go on.
   Do I, a 20 year old white girl (I will not say caucasion because my descent is not from the Caucus Mountains), know more about the origins of words and phrases in hip hop culture than the writer of this book? Probably not, but I've still been correcting my own copy with what limited knowledge I have.
   Oh, and guess what? My black friends are pissed off that I even payed for it. After reading it, I am too.



3. Disregarding word type (you know -- noun, verb, adjective, and whatnot), full of errors, misspellings, and antiquated expressions, this book is easily the worst hip-hop cash-in I've ever seen. Herein you will find many superfluous definitions of pre-hip-hop parlance such as 'boob tube,' 'nips,' ('Asians: offensive') and 'ticked off.' Absent are such basic expressions as 'acting the fool,' 'be-be kids,' and 'big up.' In just one of many appalling errors, the book defines 'baby daddy' as 'the mother of a man's child.' Avoid!



4. All you have to do is read the good reviews on this book. Notice what the pattern is??? People who have no concept of what Hip Hop is, let alone the terms used in Hip Hop Culture. I should write a book called "Rock and Roll's Killer Dictionary" and get it published immedietly. If the money is on the table, why not grab it?



5. This book is a must have if you want to understand youth today. The Author is right on....

5 comments about Spin It Like That (Kimani Tru).

1. I purchased this book because the author is such a talented editor; I knew she'd be a great writer. I was not disappointed. Congrats, Chandra. This is a wonderful read with an awesome message. I truly enjoyed the book and have passed it on to my daughter. Thanks for sharing your inspirational work. I pray for your continued success.



2. Congratulations again, Chandra on a job well done! I enjoyed reading the book so much, I finished it almost in one sitting. Your characters Jasmine Richardson, her brother Derrick and all of the other characters seemed so real. I look forward to your next book and I wish you continued success.



3. This book is right up my alley because I love music and dee-jaying. It shows the connection between friends and family. The book shows the value of working hard and living through your dreams to accomplish things; in this case dee-jaying to have money for college. The book also shows teens how negative influences and people can change the direction of your life. You have to be careful who you associate with and make wise decisions even when people try to steer you in the wrong direction.



4. This book was so good! I liked it because it talks about teenage life styles and the music industry. The more I read the better the plot became!
   The characters were like people I know and the story made you really care about them. The ending was not what you expected .



5. 
   Spin it Like That, was pretty good. It draws you in from the very beginning.
   Spin it like that addressed problems that a regular teen goes through everyday and also provided you with the consequences so you could see how not to get yourself in those situations. while it did all that it still managed to keep me entertained with a fictional plot.

2 comments about Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child: The Stories Behind Every Song.

1. My 3 star rating isn't really a put-down. 3.5 is probably more accurate. The overall content and presentation are fine and there's alot of useful information in here. My problem with it is that I'd hoped to read a bunch of stuff I'd never seen elsewhere. But in fact, I didn't find much of anything that I hadn't already read elsewhere. Of the stuff that is here, some isn't even as detailed as you'll find in other books like Setting The Record Straight or Shadwick's Musician.



2. I am a huge fan of Jimi Hendrix. I listen to his music every day, and it never gets old. I've listened to all of the essential albums (and many more) but have never actually read any book on him and his music. I saw this book in the music part of the book store. I quickly looked through the pages, and was very intrigued, since I'd never heard where he got his inspiration from. And I must say this book will intrigue you as well. It really fills in the gaps on some of Jimi's songs, such as on Castles Made of Sand. I didn't know that the first verse was about Jimi's mom and dad fighting and eventually splitting up. Or the second verse was about his troubled brother Leon. And the third verse was about Jimi's mom dying. These interesting facts and more are in this book. If you own a lot of Jimi Hendrix CDs out there, and you're asking yourself: How did he do that? Where did he get that idea for a song? or Who is that song about? Then buy this book. It's a very informative and an interesting read.

5 comments about Bad Boy: The Influence of Sean "Puffy" Combs on the Music Industry.

1. Album in stores in February. T Piddy and the GK family present HELLA. Go cop that.



2. Many people might not know about this book since it was released in early September of 2001. But Ronin Ro's Bad Boy is a must-read work. Instead of rehashing details about the coastal rap rivalry he already covered in Have Gun Will Travel, Ro presents an entirely different tale, in an intriguing new voice, but with the same eye for the telling detail. For the first time, a book details every stage of Puffy's career--Ro describes his days as an ambitious aspiring music executive, his first steps at R&B/rap label Uptown and his apprenticeship under Andre Harrell, his contributions to the rap remix format, his rise in the industry(precipitated by well-placed acquaintances at various rap magazines), and his relationship with the late rapper Notorious BIG (covered through a mix of Big's lesser-known interviews and compelling and exciting interviews with label insiders, associates and more). Bad Boy also reveals the creative process behind the label's string of hit albums during the 1990s, how Puffy marketed and--in some cases--watered down his artists' music and how he scrambled to save face after some, including The Lox and Mase, abruptly left the label and the man who claimed to have made them famous. Anyone expecting another book-length retread of the Bad Boy Death Row beef might want another book. Bad Boy is more than that. For a balanced look at Sean "Puffy" Combs and the empire he tried to build, the most in-depth portrait of Biggie Smalls ever offered, and a gripping account of Puffy's 2001 criminal trial, read this book.



3. I enjoy reading about entrepreneur and learning about how they built their particular business into a success. If you are looking for the same thing in this book you will be very disappointed. The book goes through a blow-by-blow account of P Diddy's problems and ultimately questions his ethics. I believe the book is written objectively, but very few pages are are actually dedicated to expalining how he actually made the leap from intern to a CEO of a multi-million dollar company. That was the story I really wanted to read about. Unfortunately, I learned more about Puffy's legal trial than I did about how he built his empire. If you want an entrepreneurial focused book buy Russell Simmons' Life and Def instead.



4. I read this book in about 3 days and I couldn`t put it down. Ro echoes the sentiment of a Hip Hop patriot and tells just how doctored the music that we integrate into the fiber of our egos is. I would read anything else that he writes and he has great journalism skills. It is also super educational for would be hip hop r&b artist looking to learn about the harsh realities for the music bizz without reading a dry ass law book(law books have their place) but this makes the info a lot more palatable. I feel that the material here does not deal with Puff Daddy unfairly and it didn`t make me hate him , on the contrary I actually like him a little bit more then I did before. At the end of the day hes just a guy trying to make a profit off of the kids just like all the other CAPITALIST. I no longer dichtomize him into good or bad. I salute you Ro. Keep writing good work and I wanna hear that work. Big difference between social political artistic hip hop and doctored market commidity Rap. Drop Me a Line!!!



5. This book offers a very detailed and accurate chronological compilation of monumental and pivotal events in "Puffy's" life and Bad Boy's history. While it often portrays Puffy as determined and focused, it also depicts him as an egomaniacal and self-serving tyrant. All the people who have played a key role in helping him build his Bad Boy Brand and near billionaire status are woven throughout this story of his meteoric rise to fame including Biggie; Craig Mack; Mase; The Lox; Black Rob; 112; Carl Thomas; Faith Evans; Mary J. Blige; Heavy D; Dream; Andre Harrell; LA Reid; Russell Simmons; and Clive Davis.
   
   You will discover things about Bad Boy that you didn't know (such as Biggie selling his publishing rights to Puffy for $150,000), things that you wish you didn't know (like how Puffy used the tired 60s tactic of buying cars for highly pursued or recently signed new artists with their own money and used it as a smokescreen to blind them to inequitable business practices), and many other serious music business lessons. Despite the fact that this book ends abruptly, it's rivetting, entertaining, and highly informative. Ronin Ro should definitely update this. There's a lot that has happened with Puffy and Bad Boy since it was written.

4 comments about Eminem: Cleaning Out My Closet: The Stories Behind Every Song.

1. I really liked this book. It contains really good pictures of him. It has the reasons for why Eminem wrote all of the songs he did, from the Slim Shady EP, to the Slim Shady LP, to the Marshall Mathers LP, to the Eminem Show, to the 8 Mile soundtrack. It talks about struggles in his life with his mother, Debbie, and Kim. It also talks about his daugter, Hailie Jade. If you are expecting a book all about his life, though, then you shouldn't get this book because it basically describes the reasons for writing each song. I enjoyed this book and if you are a huge Eminem fan like I am, then I think that you will like this book too!!!



2. The book has a great presentation and describes most of the songs Eminem appeared in or wrote. From his first album, Infinite, to the development of Slim Shady in the Slim Shady EP to getting picked up by Dr Dre in the Slim Shady LP to the other songs in Marshal Mathers and Eminem Show as well as collaborations and 8 Mile. Not really a bio, but a good compliment to his books.



3. If you have heard the songs on the albums covered, and ever read the album covers, save the ink trees and paper wasted on this lame caper. The lyrics and songs are full of misquotes, nothing novel or of note was wrote, paraphrasing the misheard words of spitfire rhymes I've heard a thousand times and apparently this punk "author" had transcribed. Other reviewers explained that is was a lame biography but showed stories that transpired that inspired the spirit of the lyrics you hear, but they obviously were as frightfully uninsightful as the writer. Let me save you the six bucks for the used with the truth: When it's slim spittin' about drugs, it's for fun and humor...When it's Em about family, it's addressin' the rumors...When it's a diss it's clear and every lyric is what your hear and means, love Em or hate `im, what is said verbatim.



4. First of all the book is in excellent condition. The book itself is great! I loved reading it....I have had it for about 10 days now and I've already read it twice....cover to cover.
   Definetly a must have item.

2 comments about New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone.

1. finally theres a book out there that latinos of all cultures can relate to, and luckily for myself, Raquel Z. Rivera, was my professor for my Puerto Rican Culture class, and to be able to read her book and hear her story was learning experience i am very grateful for. read this book and you will learn much more than just about hip hop, you learn about struggle and identity, and how being puerto rican goes so much more further than what people assume.



2. I really enjoyed this book. As a Latino who from the Northeast who is now in his mid-20s, I remember the breakdancing craze and many of the hip hop artists Rivera writes about, who were big during my childhood.
   One of the book's strengths is Rivera's attention to social and historical conditions that led to cultural production and social solidarity between Blacks and Puerto Ricans in New York City. As a non-Puerto Rican Latino, I've long been fascinated by the high degree of solidarity and unity between Blacks and Ricans, and Rivera's research shed much light on this topic.
   Fortunately, I had the chance to meet Rivera shortly after reading this boook when she attended a seminar on Latino influence in hip hop in Philadelphia. She's a good author and a great person. Read this book, if you have an interest in either Latino Studies or hip hop's old school days.

3 comments about Hip-Hop Bass: 101 Grooves, Riffs, Loops, and Beats (Bass Builders).

1. This book is full of funky little progressions that really taught me a lot! I've been playing for a few years and wanted to expand my playing style...glad I picked this book up! I highly recommend it.



2. I enjoyed this product Hip Hop Bass very much. Earlier I had bought my first bass book on Funk Bass. After finishing Hip Hop Bass, I can say there are a lot of styles in what we today called Hip Hop. Hip Hop borrows music from a variety of rich sources such as: swing, funk, disco, and a variety of Latin music styles. I feel that my rhythmic abilities have increased because of Hip Hop Bass and that this book really opens you to the different movements such as West Coast, East Coast, and Down South. The first page gives a description of some of the differences between styles and a little history lesson as well. In all, I thought this book was a very good beginning tool to anyone with a curiosity with Hip Hop and an interest in using some of these ideas in their music whatever style it happens to be.



3. I just received this book a couple of days ago, and it was slightly different than my expectations. This book has a one page introduction, which describes the differences and origens of east coast, west coast, and down south styles. After that, it is 101 grooves, riffs, and loops to practice. Most of these musical examples are 2-4 measures in length and repeat. This is not nessecarily a bad thing, just different than what I had expected. I give the book four stars because even though the examples are great and varied, I was hoping there would be a little more written explanation to go along with the examples to help me understand them better.

1 comments about Bad Rap #16 (Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo).

1. This is my first Katie Kazoo and I want to read another one!

1 comments about Global Noise: Rap and Hip Hop Outside the USA (Music Culture).

1. I waited a long time for this book, and I have to say it's not quite what I expected. First, I was disappointed to see that the essays focus on Europe (France, Germany, UK, Italy, Bulgaria, Holland, Basque country), the Pacific Rim (Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand) and Canada with absolutely nothing about some of the most exciting and vibrant current hip-hop scenes, such as Mexico, Cuba, and especially Brazil (not to mention Africa). Secondly, I was hoping for an accessible exploration of the phenomenon of international rap, but be warned, this is a highly academic collection unlikely to appeal to the average hip-hop fan. Here's just a taste, from the essay "Urban Breakbeat Culture" on the UK:

   "The productive syncretism of diasporic cultures is further demonstrated by the creative use British-Asian musicians have made of hip-hop as the basis of musical-cultural statements about how they are negotiating new ethnic identities. Here again, hip-hop is only one node in a complex web of postcolonial cultural elements."

   It's not that the above is incomprehensible, it's just more academic than I wanted to deal with. The research is pretty impressive from an anthropological sense, however the essays are clearly written for academic purposes and lack the clear prose that might make them more engaging to the general reader. Many also suffer from an abundance of detail and minutiae regarding performers, releases, record sales, and so forth. My third major complaint is that the essays seem somewhat dated-in many of them references to releases and groups end at 1997-98, which is perhaps why places like Brazil aren't covered. Several bear the mark of having been hastily updated just prior to publication.

   All written by different authors, the essays share some common themes. Those that offer broad surveys of a specific country's scene all start out by defining rap/hip-hop as a culture (why not subculture?) comprised of four elements: breakdancing, graffiti, turntablism, and vocal rap. They then go on in most cases to name the early '80s films Wild Style and Beat Street as catalyzing forces leading to a breakdancing fad, which served as an incubator for the birth of a local hip-hop scene. Many of the essays discuss the local splits between "pop" radio-friendly rap and "real" or "hardcore" rap as well as the problems of airplay and distribution.

   The more interesting (and unfortunately, dense) of the essays focus on how hip-hop has been used in various countries as part of a cultural identity and/or political struggle. Naturally, this means a lot of muddled talk about globalism, cultural imperialism, but if one is willing to slog through the denser passages, there is some worthwhile material. There's much detailed discussion of how US hip-hop forms are combined with indigenous or other music styles to make something new and more relevant than whatever is coming from the US. Of course, this means some of the artists being discussed are rather far away from what most US hip-hop fans would consider as part of the genre. The Basque nationalist group Negu Gorriak, for example, is more of a punk band, and more commonly associated with Fugazi than hip-hop. The chapter on "Islamic" hip-hop is sort of a misnomer as well, as the artists discussed (Fun-Da-Mental and the singer from Transglobal Underground) are more part of the Asian beats/dance scene than anything hip-hop.

   In any event, if you're really really into hip-hop, you might want to check this out to see what was going on around the world five years ago and for a limited view of how hip-hop has evolved beyond US shores. Each chapter has a discography at the end, which is helpful in trying to seek out some of the music, and a few websites are listed as well. Otherwise, I would advise leaving this books for the pop culture academics for whom it's clearly intended.