Less Than


Book Description

As a young black man living on the South side of Chicago I've become well acquainted with struggle. These poems are about that very struggle.




A Hood Rich Thug Gave Me Love 2


Book Description

In the finale of A Hood Rich Thug Gave Me Love, Davonte's skeletons continue to fall out of his closet. Even in death, he is still wreaking havoc in Xia's life. Everything she thought was true about her marriage turns out to be a lie, and unsure of whom she can trust, she distances herself from the one person who would give his life for her. In the blink of an eye, Nakeem watches the future that he had planned with Xia and his daughter go up in smoke. Xia no longer trusts him, and that hurts beyond anything imaginable. Heartbroken, Nakeem tries to move on, but his heart won't allow it. When a lucrative opportunity presents itself, Nakeem and Wakeem switch careers. Of course, with more money comes more problems for the twins. Someone is determined to take them out of the game before they can even get in. Wakeem is still dealing with his impending divorce and a possible baby with his side chick. Although his plate is full with the streets and his women problems, he still has time for Listy. Wakeem finds himself falling for the facially challenged vixen, but will he be able to move past his superficial concerns to actually be with her? A tragedy forces him to acknowledge his heart's desire, but he may be too late. Find out if love prevails in this exciting tale of love, lies, and murder.




Ebony


Book Description

EBONY is the flagship magazine of Johnson Publishing. Founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, it still maintains the highest global circulation of any African American-focused magazine.




Hood Rich


Book Description

Hood Rich was written after doing research on over 200 lifers in Michigan's Department of Corrections. It was discovered that out of the 200, 105 started serving life sentences before their 18th birthday.




She Only Wanna Give It To A Hood Rich Gangsta


Book Description

***A STANDALONE NOVEL*** She’s fire and ice. You’ll fear the cold and crave the burn. – JM Storm Rambunctious... that’s the word that comes to everyone’s mind when it comes to Torrin-Ameer Baxter. Due to her past decisions, she’s never had much of a chance to enjoy the best part of her teen years. Now it’s her eighteenth birthday, and she’s given a chance to start fresh when she goes to live with her godmother and godsisters. Happy to have her staying with them, Torrin-Ameer’s godsisters take her to the Annual Hood Fish Fry, which is where she comes across the one and only SaKari Gilliam. He’s a sight for sore eyes, and there’s no denying that, but she can tell right away that he’s in the streets. With her troubled past and difficult circumstances, she decides that he’s the last person she needs to get involved with. She’s supposed to be staying out of trouble, and everything about him screams exactly that. SaKari Gilliam is a twenty-three-year-old hotheaded Haitian who goes by the name SG in the streets. Mercy isn’t a factor to him, and he’s always out for blood. Being that he’s always out in the streets 24/7, he decides to kick back for just a day and attend the Annual Hood Fish Fry. He knows all the baddest females will come out for it, and he’s hoping to snag one for the night only. That is until he comes across a new chick in the hood with the face of an angel and a slim-thick frame that appears to be natural. Everyone is eyeing her, and he knows he must make his move fast if he wants to get at her. When he does, he’s immediately thrown off by her slick mouth and super hood aura, yet he can’t help but to be intrigued by her. He isn’t sure of much, but he’s positive that he has to have her. The big question is, will he be able to keep his eye on the prize when vicious truths are revealed and deadly decisions must be made? Will Torrin-Ameer be able to stay away and stay focused on her new beginnings, or will both of their situations bring them closer? Will it leave Torrin-Ameer to only wanna give it to a hood rich gangsta?




Exploring Urban Youth Culture Outside of the Gang Paradigm


Book Description

‘On-road’ is a complex term used by young people to describe street-based subculture and a general way of being. Featuring the voices of young people, this collection explores how race, class and gender dynamics shape this aspect of youth culture. With young people on-road often becoming criminalised due to interlocking structural inequalities, this book looks beyond concerns about gangs and presents empirical research from scholars and activists who work with and study the social lives of young people. It addresses the concerns of practitioners, policy makers and scholars by analysing aspects and misinterpretations of the shifting realities of young people’s urban life.




As WE Proceed .


Book Description

As WE Proceed: A Movement for the People is a collection of poetry that is as politically charged as it is socially conscious. This book challenges US to examine ourselves within the contexts of our world, our nation, and our communities. Interjecting many of his experiences as a Black man in America while drawing from historical events and borrowing from issues within contemporary headlines, author Kommon Knowledge seeks to promote a level of critical thinking that is sufficient enough to provoke US into taking the specific actions needed to improve our circumstances. His calls for revolution, governmental reform, and overhauling our economic system are recurring topics. He upholds the argument for paying reparations to Blacks in conjunction with discussing the multitude of social injustices imposed upon them as a race of people. Parallels are drawn between the Iraqi War, the Vietnam War, and even the war on drugs as the question is posed: "Who is the terrorist? ?" Kommon Knowledge does not just note fallacies and find faults within our circumstances. His poems often allude to or even illuminate pathways towards some solutions. In short, As WE Proceed is required reading for any person who seeks to be socially conscious and politically charged.




Thug Life


Book Description

Hip-hop has come a long way from its origins in the Bronx in the 1970s, when rapping and DJing were just part of a lively, decidedly local scene that also venerated b-boying and graffiti. Now hip-hop is a global phenomenon and, in the United States, a massively successful corporate enterprise predominantly controlled and consumed by whites while the most prominent performers are black. How does this shift in racial dynamics affect our understanding of contemporary hip-hop, especially when the music perpetuates stereotypes of black men? Do black listeners interpret hip-hop differently from white fans? These questions have dogged hip-hop for decades, but unlike most pundits, Michael P. Jeffries finds answers by interviewing everyday people. Instead of turning to performers or media critics, Thug Life focuses on the music’s fans—young men, both black and white—and the resulting account avoids romanticism, offering an unbiased examination of how hip-hop works in people’s daily lives. As Jeffries weaves the fans’ voices together with his own sophisticated analysis, we are able to understand hip-hop as a tool listeners use to make sense of themselves and society as well as a rich, self-contained world containing politics and pleasure, virtue and vice.




Backstage


Book Description

The undisputed Queen of Hip-Hop Fiction presents five knockout tales set in the fast-paced, high-stakes rap game–written by a hot lineup of authors with unmistakable swag and a gift for dropping sexy, thrilling stories. From a big-time hustler who can’t give up the streets–even when it might cost him his rap career–to a fearless female emcee who goes both ways in the bedroom, these characters steam up the pages as they set out to make their mark, outsmart all the haters and hustlers looking to derail them, and rise to the top of the charts. Backstage is a VIP pass to the glamorous, gritty music industry, a world Nikki Turner knows intimately–as she introduces writers you’ll want to read again and again.




The Plug Next Door


Book Description

Can you imagine what it would be like to live next door to The Plug? God, his name says it all. He's rich, handsome, powerful and has a heart of gold. But don't let his kindness fool you. He's the street king of New York and rules The Empire State with no holds barred. His reign, both lengthy and fierce, is one to reckon with and everyone knows it. With the type of power and respect he has, there's nothing or no one challenging enough to knock him off his game nor his throne. That is until he meets the likes of the gorgeous Dr. Vaughn. Both witty, and domineering, she whisked her way into his life unexpectedly and proved to be his biggest challenge yet. He wants her and will stop at nothing to get her, but there's one problem. He has a family, and his Queen isn’t ready to relinquish her crown just yet. Reese, aka Dr. Vaughn, both beautiful and brainy, has a booming medical career that affords her a luxurious lifestyle. The Doc has just about everything going for herself except for one thing. She doesn't have a man to call her own...not that she's looking. After having her heart broken on numerous occasions, she vowed to never love again. But then she crossed paths with her next door neighbor and he changes her life forever. Young has too much money for his age and is about as handsome as they come. His good looks and endless cash flow makes him the most eligible bachelor in New York. All the ladies love him, yet he can't seem to find the one. Being the go-to, under the watchful eye of his big brother, God, finding time for love has always been a difficult task. Then he meets the baddest chick walking, Alexa. She gives him a run for his money. But you know what they say...you can't run forever. Alexa has played the fool to her long term boyfriend in Texas for years. Once she finally walks away, she has $200 dollars in her bank account and no plan on how she's gonna get by. Along her journey back home to New York, she meets a man who turns her world upside down. Nas hails all the way from Texas and just like the Lone Star State, everything about him is big, especially his ego. His main goal for migrating up north is to find his long lost brothers. However, with less than a hundred grand to his name, he's determined to takeover the street of New York no matter who's toes he steps on in the process. But what if taking over means eliminating the brothers he never knew? In this gripping tale of street love, drugs, lies and murder; many will not make it out alive, some will find love in a hopeless place while others get caught in the crossfire. Dive into the life of women who deserve more, and find out what it’s like to date the plug next door.