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.

5 comments about There's a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs.

1. If you like H.I.P H.O.P you must get this book. It is very informative to a person who doesn't know as much about this music. Lyrics are cited and they a rated in 17 catagories! But.... the ratings I find are a little off. Listen to this. Big L is not even mentioned!!! One of the greats! I am not a huge eminem fan but the guy is far better than mack 10 or lil kim. Mos and Kweli are great poets and they are not considered better than snoop dogg! Also Guru and Black THought shold have been higher up but what can u do. Towards the end of the countdown the book get a lot better. But anyways it is not for me to decide, when I bought the book i wanted to see Kool Moe Dee's POV and thats what I got. So all in all you must buy it to see and trust me you will learn a lot of stuff. So buy IT!



2. First of all this book is only for people you actually have a mature level of reading comprehension and discipline, who are true aspiring emcees with a passion for the craft of lyricism, who are actual hip hop enthusiasts who STUDY and LIVE the CULTURAL ROOTS since it truly embarked on the world around 1972-1974, and who are not just fans due to mainstream hype and fantasyof the material world.
   
   If you are a Tupac fan you should be offended by Mo Dee's personal rankings because that is what your heart has been consumed with in your collection or peer influences based on your age group. In your eyes maybe Tupac never did any wrong. Maybe you never read his interview in Vibe magazine during 1995 or 96 (Ricky Powell) behind bars in Riker's Island for rape saying "thug life is dead" confessing the act was to sell records. Not taking away from the artist that he truly is just blasting the nieve perception of Tupac the juvenile fantasy. Believe this, Tupac,could have been greater if he did not take the industry high road of marketing fake images for less money like Rakim and KRS. Maybe Tupac would also still be alive today.
   
   If you failed to read Chuck D's prolouge; failed to read Mo Dee's foreward and afterward to establish his thesis and end his POV; and you dared to jump to top 10 rankings to see if your "boy" or "girl" made it there on his list (because you have your own list which consists of a short history of experience)then you should be offended! Rule of thumb, "never start cutting the backyard until the frontyard is done first!"
   
   I am now considered an old school head when I ripened in the culture from the mid to late 1980's, but was born in it from the early seventies because that was life for what it was then until now. I am an all around Hip Hop Culture Artist as a graf writer, emcee, and producer. Only thing I did not fully do was DJ, and break. I was too much of an illustrator and lyricist with an ear for tracks I wanted to write my rhymes to.
   
   Me and my old crew have debated the future of Hip Hop for years since the late 90's with all the studio gangsta and crunk rappers bling blinging all over the place.Image is not everything just a part, and as much as many charts and music magazines get bought out of calling an album a 2.5 star for a 4 star rating (over a gram of cocaine and some champagne roomtime) 85% of the current total Hip Hop population would never know the truth of who is really good. Hype has replace your sense of talent because hype does not rely on intellect or true appreciation of substance.
   
   Hype is like only eating McDonald's cheesebugers as your beef source your whole life and never eating grilled sirloin because there was not a clown serving it to you out of a drive thru window with sugar on top.
   
   This book was written in 2003. Eminem and Ludicrous at that time only made 1 or 2 albums to truly be considered. In the mid 90's Chino XL did not do enough, and I believe he hurt himself more for releasing a Tupac diss just a week or 2 before his death in Vegas. He was really good. I do feel Big L should have been on the list, too, over Pun when it came to dead emcees. Big L was deadly. Maybe just an oversight on Mo Dee or maybe L was not that good live or subject matter and industry impact was not enough to consider. Big L only wrote battles, and Pun did have content. Too many great emcees through the years to discern or see live, too. I do not believe Doug E. Fresh made the list, but Doug E. is a self proclaimed entertainer (than an emcee) who set the throne for Missy Elliot to take. God Bless Her.
   
   Listen, this is not for your average rap fan. This is for the true school heads out there who want to master this craft. This book is about the naked stripped down thruth of Mo Dee's POV. That is it. It is a Technical Emcee Bible from truly one of the great emcees of all time in style, battles, and lyrics. If he writes this book again in 5 years the top 50 will change. This book is not a diss by any means.It is a seed for the future of Hip Hop's safekeeping. Emcees need an enema or an urgency to never quit being a student or to finally become a student. Maybe Pastor Troy really has the gift to write real rhymes if he at least studies this book. You can only go as far as you know and experience.
   
   There are not enough lyricists out there with a sense of art or perfection; pushing the poetic or rhyming envelope. Regardless of the rankings, a true emcee will test Mo Dee's theories. This is not about the greatest all time emcee because Hip Hop is not dead yet. This is alot to do with where we are today from where we came from. If you really want to know how good an emcee is? Turn off the music, and listen to him or her go acapella. Do their words incite visuals and syllables create their own rhythm?
   
   Believe this to be more than likley true: Nas, Tupac, Biggie, Eminem, Xzibit, JayZ, and Pharrell Monche all or would have supported the technical aspect of this book's overall focus and point to save the emcee craft and the Hip Hop culture...
   
   ...because fanboys and girls are guilty for killing it because some clown is selling them anything sugary through a drive-thru window.



3. Good Book but I disagree with some of the rankings and some of the people who made the list and some who did not.
   
   KMD did a good job on breaking down the way the emcees were effective, but I disagree with somethings in this book.
   
   For instance how can Foxxy Brown & Lil Kim be on the list, when Andre 3000 & Eminem are not. How is Will Smith rated above Busta.
   
   I do like how he did pay respect to the old school, many rappers who are not well known but who truly belong on this list.
   
   The main thing I disagree with is Rakim's ranking. Rakim should have been number 1. Rakim is your favorite rapper's, favorite rapper. True there are other rappers who may have things that Rakim does not have, but his all around skill is so great that he more than makes up for it.
   
   But all around this book should be on the shelf of every true hip hop head, who knows and understands the history behind the music.



4. alot of the top ratins are rated well, but when he gets downs the list wit the more main stream rappers, i think he gets way off. for example he says ice cube has no metaphors in his lyrics, when ice cube is the king of metaphors. He also puts fat joe, foxy brown, jay-z, will smith, busta rhymes, snoop dogg, lil' kim and mac 10 in the list, i have no idea why. I cant believe he put them in the list and not Dre, eminem, B-real and other such rappers. Im guessin he didn't put in some good underground rappers because they didn't make it big in the game. I personally think krs is the best MC but i can see why he didn't make it to #1 (u gotta look at the stats and how he rates it to understand why, so look at that b4 u start to disagree). It's still very interestin so i gave it 5 stars.



5. I made it a priority of mine to get this book. I read the intro, and I thought I was going to read one of the most intelligent discourses of hip-hop in the field of ranking of emcees. And I must say, I was greatly disappointed.
   
   The book does provide some interesting info on certain artists and overviews of their careers. He even highlights how innovative certain artists were in the department of lyrics and flows, and how others excelled and impacted the genre. The one positive thing I can say about the book is this. It strictly judges emcees in technical abilities (lyrics, flow, substance, charisma, etc.). Production is completely thrown out the window as a factor. Therefore, he set-up an interesting rating system.
   
   But the book falters greatly in the rankings themselves and the amount of points granted in the ratings for certain artists. Kurupt before Slick Rick? Kurtis Blow before DJ Run? Latifah before Pac? Mack 10 on this list? Will Smith number 23? It is disgusting.
   
   One thing that had me confused was how he said, Rakim is the greatest emcee of all-time. Yet he was number 2. And put Melle Mel ahead of him simply off the strength that Mel was one of the first to rhyme at a high level. Too many inconsistencies from Mr. Moe Dee. It's a good read but the ratings are way off.

5 comments about John, Paul, George, Ringo and Me: The Real Beatles Story.

1. There are so many Beatles books they are divisable into categories: memoirs of those involved, technical/reference works on recording and performing specifics, those that cover specifc periods and projects, and the most useless of all, overviews of their entire lives by those with no special connection to the Beatles or no special access to historical materials.
   
   Barrow, was of course, an employee of Brian Epstein's NEMS organization and as such, his memoirs are worth reading. He had special access.
   
   The good points: his section on the many disasters of 1966 is fantastic and his presentation of this year has made me think of it in a whole new way. His depiction of the butcher cover controvery, the awful Manila and Tokyo episodes, as well as the fear of bible-belt assassins all through the summer tour of the US is compellingly written and detailed.
   
   Also very interesting are the depictions of how the Beatles fan club and the Beatles Book publication worked with Barrow, as the chief PR man, to spread the image of the lads. Barrow, like many old timers, is quick to remind us how much today's entertainment industry sucks compared to the old days. I can't say he's wrong there.
   
   There's an excellent photo supplement as well, including a number I haven't seen before.
   
   On the other hand, there are, as is inevitable in these memoirs, errors of fact or contradictions. Here are three I spotted on first reading:
   
   1.) he accuses Alistair Taylor of "defect[ing]" (p.236), yet a few pages later Taylor is sacked by the dreaded Allen Klein (p. 248). According to Taylor's own recent memoir, the latter is certainly accurate.
   
   2.) Barrow says that Lennon and Cynthia were divorced in November 1969 (p.241). But...didn't he marry Yoko in March of 1969? And wasn't the single, "The Ballad of John and Yoko," descriptive of their travails in trying to get married, released in May 1969? Unless bigamy was legal in the UK in the '60s....how could this be?
   
   3.) There's one bit of confusion in the chapter, "The End of the Road," where Barrow calls the Dodger Stadium show, Aug 28, the "penultimate" show. Because he describes that show--perhaps it would be better described as "tumultuous"--AFTER the actual last show of the tour, Candlestick Park on Aug 29, it sounds as if he's made a chronological blunder.
   
   (my own facts are checked against Mark Lewisohn's epic and indispensable, "The Complete Beatles Chronicle.")
   
   The title of the book isn't fantastic and reminds me of
   "John, Paul, George, Ringo... & Bert," a 1970's
   play by Willy Russell. The cover art is just bizarre. The Fab Four are shown in sharp black and white glory while the ghostly image of Barrow hovers below. Weird. The index sucks.
   
   Entertaining and specific, despite the occasional mean-spirited comment.



2. This is a somewhat disappointing book because of Barrow's writing style, what he chooses to focus upon and what he leaves out. He had tremendous access to the Beatles, but one gets the distinct impression that he never really knew them, except superficially. Though he claims he eventually got close to John Lennon, he only bothers to detail one evening where the two got drunk. He was never in their houses, invited out with them and was never in the studio. He also never saw the boys after their split in 1969, which makes it obvious he was never that close to any of them. This leaves a large gap in the volume which Barrow chooses to fill with stories from his own life or from the life of Brian Epstein.
   
   However, there are some fascinating aspects to the book and parts of it are riveting. Barrow devotes a chapter to dissecting each Beatle personality and this by far the most interesting section of the book.
   
   Paul comes across as charming, adorable, press-savvy and hugely ambitious. Barrow makes the note that it was always Paul who checked his looks in the mirror before every photo shoot. George is portrayed as a decent, friendly and amiable bloke, but one whose psyche was destroyed by Beatlemania and the rigors of touring. Barrow does go into some detail about George's prodidigious womanizing, which dwarfed even Paul's exploits with the ladies.
   
   The section on Ringo is interesting and it's obvious Barrow never really got to know Starr. He paints the Beatles drummer as a silent person unable to make conversation because he felt he had "academic deficiencies" and because he was a late-comer to the group. I was a little offended that he basically portrays Ringo as a stupid man incapable of small talk beyond a few pithy one-liners. Anyone who has seen Ringo in interviews knows he abounds with charisma and humor. Barrow makes it out that Ringo was an inconsequential member of the group, musically inferior and just along for the ride. Nothing could be further from the truth.
   
   Barrow's recollections of John are the most seering. John's caustic and often cruel humor was directed against Barrow for several years. The press chief relates a story where John deliberately embarrassed Brian Epstein by grabbing him in the crotch during a business meeting. Poor Brian stood there, gasping in emotional and physical pain, while John plopped down in his chair, laughing.
   
   It's hard to tell who Barrow liked the most of the Beatles, though one senses it's John, despite the fact that Paul was the friendliest, most self-effacing and approachable.
   
   Barrow also brings out new information on the Beatles manager, Brian Epstein. The chapter on Brian is both riveting and extremely sad. Talk about self-destruction! His chapter on the Beatles in Japan contains much new information, as well as their hellish experience in Manilla. Barrow also dishes up new information on John's mental state in the aftermath of his "The Beatles are more popular than Jesus" remark in 1966. Who knew that prior to the press conference, John buried his head in his hands and cried?
   
   The low points of the book are Barrow's tendency to write about himself, particularly in the first few chapters. Readers want to know his recollections of the boys, not details about his own life. A brief synopsis of his own life would have sufficed. Barrow's style is also bare-bones and spare, with little pizzazz.
   
   There are some errors of fact and Barrow gets his dates wrong in several places. He also throws in some dubious quotes which contradict the actual facts. For instance, does anyone think John really said, "Pete Best was a great drummer, Ringo was a great Beatle?" Lennon has often been quoted as saying Pete was sacked because his drumming was not up to snuff.
   
   Barrow's section on the Beatles famous meeting with Elvis in 1965 is one of the high points of the book. But his version flatly contradicts the Beatles own version, where they all claim (except John), that they never jammed with Elvis. Yet Barrow has Elvis and his sychophants providing guitars to the boys so they could sing "I Feel Fine." This strikes one as ludicrous since George, Ringo and Paul have all been adamant that they never sang or played with Elvis. Something is definitely wrong here.
   
   I read the book in one evening and if you're a Beatles fan, this is essential reading. I just wish Barrow would have revealed more and gone into greater detail about personalities and lifestyles of the Fabs.



3. I've always thought Tony Barrow should publish a book about the Beatles, but my idea was slightly different. I used to read those articles he would write for the "Beatles Monthly Book" and find them very interesting. Tony's challenge was to look for something new to write about the Beatles at a time when their story had been exhaustingly told in countless biographies. So he would choose a specific topic and explore it in full, thus providing us with up close views of different aspects in the life of the Beatles: "The Beatles and Money", "The Beatles were Night People", "The Beatles in Clubland", "The First Record John ever bought", etc. I've always thought he should select the best pieces and publish them in a book. Together they would form an original and detailed mosaic of those hard days and nights from an insider's perspective. Instead, Tony chose to give us just another Beatles biography. That makes "John, Paul, George, Ringo and Me" rather predictable at times. After all, the Beatles' chronology will always be the same, whether told by an insider or by a researcher. Most of us know the sequence of facts by heart, now, and reading this book feels like watching a familiar scene from a different camera angle. Whatever exclusive views Tony has to share are few and far between and concern mostly his work as the Beatles' press agent. Perhaps this is a book Tony felt he had to write. As someone who was once close to the Beatles, at least on a professional level, maybe he owed it to himself to write his own Beatles biography. The outcome is nothing spectacular, but still a worthy read for any Beatles fan.



4. The people who actually surrounded The Beatles in their heyday were few, so it's good to get their perspective. While there are some parts of the book that drag, for the most part it's an interesting read by a 'regular guy' who didn't seem overwhelmed by the superstars he was working with. There are some factual errors that even the most basic Beatle fan would catch, as when he says Ringo wrote many songs, but only a few were recorded by The Beatles (there were two).
   Barrow often focuses on his job as publicist, sometimes offering trivial info. Still, it's good to get it on the record. He knew Brian Epstein well, and gives him a lot of ink. This is not a book for the casual Beatle fan, but if you've read the rest of them, you will probably want to check it out.



5. Very interesting insight into the life of the Beatles. Tony Barrow reports first hand his experiences as their PR person.

5 comments about The Billboard Book of Top 40 R and B and Hip-Hop Hits.

1. Any avid follower of R&B and hip-hop hits will have to make Billboard Book Of Top 40 R&B And Hip-Hop Hitsa part of their collection: it does far more than detail hit charts; it provides artist and song title for quick reference, extensive biographies of artists and groups, lists of record holders, and more. Author Joel Whitburn's company Record Research has compiled extensive references to music based on Billboard charts: Billboard Book Of Top 40 R&B And Hip-Hop Hits is one of the best of his works, packing in a wealth of information. A 'must' for any serious follower of the genre.



2. Any avid follower of R&B and hip-hop hits will have to make Billboard Book Of Top 40 R&B And Hip-Hop Hitsa part of their collection: it does far more than detail hit charts; it provides artist and song title for quick reference, extensive biographies of artists and groups, lists of record holders, and more. Author Joel Whitburn's company Record Research has compiled extensive references to music based on Billboard charts: Billboard Book Of Top 40 R&B And Hip-Hop Hits is one of the best of his works, packing in a wealth of information. A 'must' for any serious follower of the genre.



3. Any avid follower of R&B and hip-hop hits will have to make Billboard Book Of Top 40 R&B And Hip-Hop Hitsa part of their collection: it does far more than detail hit charts; it provides artist and song title for quick reference, extensive biographies of artists and groups, lists of record holders, and more. Author Joel Whitburn's company Record Research has compiled extensive references to music based on Billboard charts: Billboard Book Of Top 40 R&B And Hip-Hop Hits is one of the best of his works, packing in a wealth of information. A 'must' for any serious follower of the genre.



4. I highly recommend this book to any fan of the music genres charted in Billboard's R&B Top 40. If you grew up on music like this, it's perfect for review during the years when you were in school--no matter if it was back in the 40s, 60s, 90s or 00s. You'll be surprised of all the music you have forgotten, you'll then find yourself looking for it to bring back fond memories.
   
   If, like me, you grew up during Hip-Hop's baby years (early 80s to early 90s), some great jams didn't make the top 40. Keep in mind that Hip-Hop from that period was not fully appreciated until recently, and Billboard recognized mostly Pop-Rap that crossed over like "Parents Just Don't Understand", "You Can't Touch This", "Wild Thing" or "Bust A Move" at that time. For those jams not on the list, you'll see the artist's music from the sophomore or third album (which happened to A Tribe Called Quest and Big Daddy Kane).



5. This book is an Essential as a Gift to a FAN(s) of These GENRES old & New.From the Ink Spots to Jermaine Jackson from Ja Rule & Ashanti to Ray Charles & Al Green this Books got'em All!Find Out How Successful in Sales & Airplay The Hits You Remember down to Your Bone Thugs N Harmony to Anita Bakers/Your Body+Soul.This Richly Illustrates in printed form some of the most premier recordings of pre-rock era soul to todays Rappers.Highly Qualified Purchasing Quotient & Highly Enjoyable esp4 Fans!

No comments about Lil' Wayne (Hip-Hop 2).

No comments about Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture: A Critical Reader.

5 comments about I Make My Own Rules.

1. I'm not a person who has a lot of respect for rappers or hip-hop. Yes, it's a legal way for black people to make money, but I have a major problem with the imaging, content, and attitudes of most hip hop artists who are our most visible representatives to the world. And the way they behave has a trickle down effect on me and every other black person regardless of the way WE behave. Being black and from the ghetto doesn't make it okay to be devoid of class and dignity. Our behavior puts us in the doghouse more than our color does. And I don't see much respectable behavior in hip hop.
   
   Nevertheless, I find LL Cool J more respectable and likeable than most of them; and his story is an interesting, worthwhile one. Maybe if the public were more exposed to the real, living, breathing individuals in rap music rather than just the "star" we could empathize more with their situations and be less critical of their flaws.
   
   LL gets emotionally naked as he informs his readers and fans alike of his life: from growing up to becoming a man with superstar status and millions of admirers.
   
   He discusses...
   
   ...his relationship with his father who severely wounded his mother and grandfather with a shotgun; and his stepfather who physically and emotionally abused him behind his mother's back.
   
   ...his sex life with women: including groupies, Quincy Jones' daughter and his current wife.
   
   ...his career
   
   ...his ability to forgive and to mature in order to survive and stay relevant



2. What a good book! He has a very deep history and I love the fact that he was not at all trying to brag about being rough when he was young (help him with a"ganster rap" image) or by how big he has become. He is a very REAL human- down to earth. You feel it in his music, but really get to learn through this book. Just a great guy!



3. If you are as much as an LL Fan as I am, then you won't want to miss out on this book. LL doesn't hold back anything in this book. He reveals it all. Everything. From his wild experiences with groupies, his relationship with Quincy Jones's daughter, his trials and tribulations, and even the abuse that he suffered as child by his step father.



4. Good book, not great. A look into the life of L L. It's a very positive book. I was disappointed that he wasn't more specific on some issues. He only very briefly talks about Fubu. He doesn't mention the controversey with the Troop clothing line at all. He doesn't include his famous rap battles with Kool Moe Dee or Ice T or the battle he had against Jay Z. He talks briefly about how he almost went broke but he doesn't specifically cover how he was losing so much money. He doesn't talk at all on what made him get more involved in body building. I hoped the book would be more; but it's still good. It's a "feel good" kind of up book. It's good reading for any age.



5. I have been a fan of LL Cool J for a long time, and after reading this book I look at him totally different. I enjoy the fact that he waas honest about his struggles with his readers. This book has help me open my eyes and see him not only as an artist but as a human being,and family man.I love this book and I encourage everyone to read this book.

5 comments about Tupac Shakur.

1. I my self am not a very big fan of rap music however i was intrigued to read this book after looking into some of the lyrics of 2pacs singles they seemed very in depth. After reading the lyrics i felt that his words had a lot of depth and soul attached to them which intrigued me to find out more about the rap star.

   I myself have a genuine interest in politics, philisophy and poetry similarly to 2pac and i felt that i could relate to some of the lyrics he wrote. This book on tupac gives a deeper insight to the rap artist not only his music and talent but to his life it shed light on many differant topics from differant aspects and i found it very inspirational. What i particularly liked about this book was the way it presented both sides of the story (with the rape case) and i felt this ruled out any bias.

   I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for reading regardless of whether they have a genuine interest in rap this book not only looks at his career but looks at his inspiration, ambition, life and above all recognised him as more than a rap artist but as a human being and who he actually was!!!




2. 2pac is a legacy of our generation..he is and will always be the best, not only was he an awesome rapper, but he was also a good actor and poet. This book is very well done and covers so much. When he was shot the first time 5 times..and leading up to his unjustly death..i recommend this book to anyone if they want to learn about 2pac, he wasnt a bad man or a gangsta like most assume, he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time..or he just got involved with the wrong ppl...and like he said live by the gun..die by the gun..and that is exactly what happened to this man...may he rest in peace



3. As a massive fan of the late great Tupac Shakur, there are few publishings that capture as much information and insight into his life and career as this amazing book from the good people at Vibe Magazine. Consisting of every Vibe article and interview written on Shakur between 1994-97, this gives even the most casual of Pac's fans more information than they could ever dream of. With features on his early career, his signing to Death Row, and his infamous interview with Kevin Powell from inside Clinton Correctional Facility where he denounced "Thug Life", it's all here. This book also contains some of the most informative material on the feud between Death Row Records and Bad Boy. You'll get everyone's side of the story on the Can-Am Studio shooting. You'll hear what both Suge and Puffy had to say about the East vs. West saga. You will also get to hear Pac at his rawest and most candid. If you are even the least bit interested in the amazing story of Tupac Shakur, you should pick up this book.



4. When I discovered that my 3rd graders knew who Tupac was, even though he died the year they were born, I felt that I needed to know more about Tupac. This book is published by Vibe, the official scribes of hip hop. It is a collection on interviews and articles that appeared in Vibe and they document the rise and fall of Tupac.
   Tupac had "Thug Life" tatooed on his stomach and he lived the life of a misogynist thug. He was disrespectful to everyone around him. Perhaps, as Quincy Jones suggests in the forward, Tupac could've changed into a positive force had he lived past 25. However, this book, and his own words, show him to be a negative influence on everyone he had contact with. It is very sad that he died at such a young age. It is even sadder that so many youngesters know who he was but cannot tell you about the lives of people who have accomplished great things with their lives. I have my work cut out for me next school year.
   Mark Gast



5. This piece of work created by the editors of Vibe Magazine could easily be appropriately titled "Essence of Tupac." In this collection of previous interviews and vivrant photos you truely get the feeling that you are holding a conversation with The ledgendary Tupac Shakur. This is a must have for all Tupac fans and for anyone wishing to know more about Pac's Life. Good job by the folks at Vibe Magazine.

5 comments about Gotta Get Signed: How To Become A Hip-Hop Producer.

1. I think it was worth my money i got it along with a manual I purchased from Musicbrains.net on producing and selling beats.



2. I read this book and realized I was going about my career the wrong way. In order to be successful in a cut throat business such as this it is easier to learn things on your own and push your way into the door in stead of waiting and ringing the bell. This book also gave me great ideas on how to set up my studio without completely draining my pockets but still manage to make high quality mixes. I also saw the author at a seminar earlier this year, he keeps it real while still being informative unlike many others in this industry who can't tell you how to plug in a light let alone qualified enough to speak on a panel. If I could only read one this for the rest of my life it would be this because by the time I'd finished reading it over and over I'd be paid from all the tips given inside.



3. This book answer all question I had about beginning in the industry on how to become a producer.



4. i bought this for my boyfriend because he's going to Production school. He loves reading it becuase the arthur is down to earth and breaks everything down as far as what goes on in the production world & his past experiences.



5. I found this an excellent book written by a pro. First I like the cover design, the clarity of the text print, and the neat content organization. Next, the book provide you with a lot of useful information, practical advices on all the aspect relevant to a producer: talents, attitude, beats making toolz, record deals, finance, managing artists, gettin' paid, how to deal with R&A .. etc, and the book also have a very good resources section which the author gives us the list of songs for a samples library, address of record label and company.
   
   Overall, Gotta Get Signed is worth the money for me, because it helps me understand much more bout the producerz job.

No comments about Black, Blanc, Beur: Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture in the Francophone World.