Summer Beach Book Reads: The Music Edition

Gotham Diaries by Tonya Lewis Lee & Crystal McCrary Anthony

So, this is not really music themed, ok it has nothing to do with music, but it has a seedy “Sex and the City” vibe so there ya go. Gotham Diaries tells the story of several African-Americans in the upper echelons of New York City.  One wants to be a real estate mogul, another is married to a very rich businessman with a pension for putting his trousers on other women’s bedposts and then there is the withering socialite who’s trying to claw her way back into the social limelight.  So when the socialite and the wannabe mogul tries to scam the naïve wife of the wandering eye businessman well, that’s when things really heat up.  Tonya Lewis Lee (wife of Spike Lee) and Crystal McCrary Anthony narrates the story most books and reality shows fail to go to: The black upper-class. Learn about how the Black trendsetters live in this fun and fast-paced read.

 

Bling By Erica Kennedy

The thrilling and controversial hip-hop novel that has love, sex, juice, and an engaging story that grabs hold of you. The characters in this book, if you read into them, are people in the music industry. The main character, Mimi, has a singing group with her friends and they are performing around, get a chance to audition for a major record label exec and take it. This decision takes the group and Mimi down a rabbit hole of experiences and lessons in the music industry she will not soon forget. If you think you have to assume who is friend or foe in any other point in your life. If you think you know hip-hop and the music industry, you might want to read this and get a light shone on the industry that will definitely confirm something’s, shed some light on theories, and lastly make you go hmmmmm..............

 

Black Will Shoot By Jesse Washington
 

Finally we get to really see the music industry through the eyes of a writer. While Jesse Washington has been a writer in the music industry this story takes us on the journey of a writer who wants to break into the industry. Marq Wise is a talented writer who works at Newsweek and has everything going for him, a good girlfriend, a good job, but this nagging feeling something is missing, it is his love for hip-hop that has him feeling unfulfilled. Marq's life includes his fiend of a brother Dontay, who produced a song for “Large ( a popular up and coming MC)”, a new “dream job” at a hip-hop magazine and now more experiences than he can even imagine. Black Will Shoot gives us an intimate view of the artists, writers, and moguls, although not named, we loved to hate and hate to love, and forces you to ask yourself some questions about Marq, about his brother, their life, the music industry, and can anyone have all of what they want? All roads, questions, and answers will lead us to “The Baller”; Jesse Washington does a great job leading us on the journey of a writer.

 

A Hip-Hop Story by Heru Ptah 
 

“You don't know Bull.” Now we get to see the industry from the eyes of emcees. You have two emcees Flawless & Hannibal. These two battle emcees are representative of two of the most controversial emcees we have known that I will refuse to mention. Flawless is the good boy emcee that just loves hip-hop, is very good at it, wants to provide for his family, and just be the best. Hannibal is the other side of the emcee; he is the street guy, who is looking for a way out. He is still in the drug game, but his focus is tested continuously as now he has one foot in and one foot out of the drug game.  Both emcees having loyal supporters, families who are counting on them, a life they are trying to escape, and a life they are trying to build. A story full of raps, rhymes, love, intensity, sex, betrayal, and superstardom takes us from the battle for raps top act to the battle of their lives. Both emcees are now in a race to see who’s the best is and ultimately who will survive the hip-hop story.