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Author: Albert "Prodigy" Johnson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2012-02-07
Total Pages: 320
ISBN-13: 1439103194
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"A memoir about a life almost lost and a revealing look at the dark side of hip hop's golden era ... a story of struggle, survival, and hope down the mean streets of New York City" --
Author: Albert "Prodigy" Johnson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2011-04-19
Total Pages: 322
ISBN-13: 143914933X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFrom one of the greatest rappers of all time, the memoir of a life cut short, a revealing look at the dark side of hip hop’s Golden Era... In this often violent but always introspective memoir, Mobb Deep’s Prodigy tells his much anticipated story of struggle, survival, and hope down the mean streets of New York City. For the first time, he gives an intimate look at his family background, his battles with drugs, his life of crime, his relentless suffering with sickle-cell anemia, and much more. Recently released after serving three and a half years in state prison due to what many consider an unlawful arrest by a rumored secret NYPD hip hop task force, Prodigy is ready to talk about his life as one of rap’s greatest legends. My Infamous Life is an unblinking account of Prodigy’s wild times with Mobb Deep who, alongside rappers like Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, and Wu-Tang Clan, changed the musical landscape with their vivid portrayals of early ’90s street life. It is a firsthand chronicle of legendary rap feuds like the East Coast–West Coast rivalry; Prodigy’s beefs with Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Ja Rule, and Capone-N-Noreaga; and run-ins with prodigal hit makers and managers like Puff Daddy, Russell Simmons, Chris Lighty, Irv Gotti, and Lyor Cohen. Taking the reader behind the smoke-and-mirrors glamour of the hip hop world, so often seen as the only way out for those with few options, Prodigy lays down the truth about the intoxicating power of money, the meaning of true friendship and loyalty, and the ultimately redemptive power of self. This is the heartbreaking journey of a child born in privilege, his youth spent among music royalty like Diana Ross and Dizzy Gillespie, educated in private schools, until a family tragedy changed everything. Raised in the mayhem of the Queensbridge projects, Prodigy rose to the dizzying heights of fame and eventually fell into the darkness of a prison cell. A truly candid memoir, part fearless confessional and part ode to the concrete jungles of New York City, from the front line of the last great moment in hip hop history.
Author: Albert "Prodigy" Johnson
Publisher: Kingston Imperial
Published: 2016-10-11
Total Pages: 118
ISBN-13: 9780997146233
DOWNLOAD EBOOK“Ultimately, these aren't recipes you're likely to try at home ― though they might be just the thing when your refrigerator is bare.” ― NPR Books Simple recipes for a complex world. Here's what you get at the Commissary Kitchen: - Clean Hands Sweet Potato Pie - Spicy Seafood - Don’t Be Salty Chicken Ramen - Barbecue Salmon - Vegetarian Curry And a lot more. In the Fall of 2016, rapper Prodigy released his Commissary Kitchen cookbook as a long-awaited addendum to his critically acclaimed 2011 memoir My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep’s Prodigy. Originally, Prodigy’s vision for Commissary Kitchen was to highlight the bare bones prison conditions to which inmates are subjected to and forcibly requiring a broad scope of ideas when it comes to the limited nutrition provided from food purchased within the commissary. The conversation was taken to Harvard, MIT, and Yale, with televised appearances on NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, TMZ, and a lengthy discussion with legendary radio personality Angie Martinez during the Barnes & Noble book launch, as well as a food truck at the renowned Smorgasburg. In My Infamous Life, Prodigy detailed his mindset and need for self-reflection while imprisoned, but took it a step further with Commissary Kitchen by using recipes to tell the stories of life in prison, as he grappled with staying healthy as a quiet sufferer of the SS Type of Sickle Cell Anemia, by far the most fatal. Prodigy surrendered to the disease in 2017, though much like his music, his impact lives on forever. As the world became entrenched in a global pandemic this book provides a glimpse of ways to survive under meager conditions. Once again Commissary Kitchen proves useful, as what was once a prison and college dormitory favorite can now be applied to most human lives in search of fun and moderately healthy recipes using well-preserved items like canned goods with simple appliances and utensils. From omelets to black bean curry, simple sauces and reductions, there’s plenty to pull from Commissary Kitchen as our current need is to stretch our food supply as far and most affordable as possible ―especially with escalating unemployment rates. Prodigy’s initial intent was to save lives, and here he’s doing it again. Commissary Kitchen is much more than a fun gift book; it’s an essential survival guide for these uncertain times. Rest In Peace, Prodigy.
Author: Albert Johnson
Publisher: Akashic Books
Published: 2013-07-16
Total Pages: 129
ISBN-13: 1617752371
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"A gritty, fast-paced tale of revenge...Tight, terse prose harkens back to pulp fiction of the 1950s...The work is a breath of fresh air from lengthy, trying-too-hard-to-shock street lit and is an excellent choice for all metropolitan collections." --Library Journal (starred review, Pick of the Month) "The urban setting is unnamed but familiar in this brief, bloody tale of wasted lives lived short and hard." --Publishers Weekly "Simultaneously a fast-paced crime drama and an engrossing, unsentimental moral tale, H.N.I.C. peers into the dark heart that underpins the codes of loyalty and friendship, betrayal and vengeance." --Brooklyn Daily Eagle "In a genre that too often places incorrect ebonics in the mouths of black characters and fails to cross the empathy gap to get into their heads, Savile and Prodigy arrive at a seamless voice that is a refreshing take on crime fiction tropes...if tone and texture are what you're looking for in your hardcore literature...H.N.I.C. delivers the goods." --Okayplayer "H.N.I.C. is written by Prodigy himself and shows the extent to which good rappers can make good storytellers." --Brooklyn Based "Ultimately, H.N.I.C. deals on all the right levels and is completely satisfying." --Blackout Book Review "If you don't have this novella in your library collection already, please be on the lookout for this 2013 release, H.N.I.C., penned by Hip Hop artist Prodigy of the group, Mobb Deep." --StreetLiterature.com "The strength of this novella, in addition to its straightforward prose and rapid pacing, rests on the universal theme at its center: loyalty. Loyalty and the bullshit our friends put us through...Like any good work of crime, H.N.I.C. is grounded in such common experiences and, like any good work of crime, it speaks to all of us, despite the fact that very few of us can bypass an alarm system through some computer trickery." --Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together "It tells the...urban tale of deceit, greed and questioned loyalty with just enough drama to keep you turning the pages." --Literary Jewels "A brutal and quick read...custom-made for the big screen." --Charles Tatum's Review Archive Prodigy, from the legendary hip-hop group Mobb Deep, launches Akashic's new Infamous Books imprint with a story of loyalty, vengeance, and greed. Pappy tries to break out of the game before the head of his crew, Black, gets them all killed. Against his better judgment Pappy agrees to do one last job, but only because it's the price of his freedom. He knows his "brother" Black would rather see him dead than let him walk away. Yet he still agrees to do the job because Black isn't the only one who can't be trusted. Further developing the stark realism and uncompromising streetwise narratives of his lyrics, H.N.I.C. cements Prodigy's position as one of the foremost chroniclers of contemporary urban life. Simultaneously a fast-paced crime drama and an engrossing, unsentimental moral tale, H.N.I.C. peers into the dark heart that underpins the codes of loyalty and friendship, betrayal and vengeance. With H.N.I.C., Prodigy inaugurates Infamous Books, a revolutionary partnership that pairs the Infamous Records brand with Brooklyn-based independent publisher Akashic Books. Infamous Books' mission is to connect readers worldwide to crime fiction and street lit authors both familiar and new.
Author: BrownMark
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Published: 2022-05-31
Total Pages: 167
ISBN-13: 1452963576
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFrom the young Black teenager who built a bass guitar in woodshop to the musician building a solo career with Motown Records—Prince’s bassist BrownMark on growing up in Minneapolis, joining Prince and The Revolution, and his life in the purple kingdom In the summer of 1981, Mark Brown was a teenager working at a 7-11 store when he wasn’t rehearsing with his high school band, Phantasy. Come fall, Brown, now called BrownMark, was onstage with Prince at the Los Angeles Coliseum, opening for the Rolling Stones in front of 90,000 people. My Life in the Purple Kingdom is BrownMark’s memoir of coming of age in the musical orbit of one of the most visionary artists of his generation. Raw, wry, real, this book takes us from his musical awakening as a boy in Minneapolis to the cold call from Prince at nineteen, from touring the world with The Revolution and performing in Purple Rain to inking his own contract with Motown. BrownMark’s story is that of a hometown kid, living for sunny days when his transistor would pick up KUXL, a solar-powered, shut-down-at-sundown station that was the only one that played R&B music in Minneapolis in 1968. But once he took up the bass guitar—and never looked back—he entered a whole new realm, and, literally at the right hand of Twin Cities musical royalty, he joined the funk revolution that integrated the Minneapolis music scene and catapulted him onto the international stage. BrownMark describes how his funky stylings earned him a reputation (leading to Prince’s call) and how he and Prince first played together at that night’s sudden audition—and never really stopped. He takes us behind the scenes as few can, into the confusing emotional and professional life among the denizens of Paisley Park, and offers a rare, intimate look into music at the heady heights that his childhood self could never have imagined. An inspiring memoir of making it against stacked odds, experiencing extreme highs and lows of success and pain, and breaking racial barriers, My Life in the Purple Kingdom is also the story of a young man learning his craft and honing his skill like any musician, but in a world like no other and in a way that only BrownMark could tell it.
Author: Daniel R. Day
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Published: 2020-07-07
Total Pages: 322
ISBN-13: 0525510532
DOWNLOAD EBOOKNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Dapper Dan is a legend, an icon, a beacon of inspiration to many in the Black community. His story isn’t just about fashion. It’s about tenacity, curiosity, artistry, hustle, love, and a singular determination to live our dreams out loud.”—Ava DuVernay, director of Selma, 13th, and A Wrinkle in Time NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VANITY FAIR • DAPPER DAN NAMED ONE OF TIME’S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD With his now-legendary store on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan pioneered high-end streetwear in the 1980s, remixing classic luxury-brand logos into his own innovative, glamorous designs. But before he reinvented haute couture, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who daringly gambled drug dealers out of their money, and a young man in a prison cell who found nourishment in books. In this remarkable memoir, he tells his full story for the first time. Decade after decade, Dapper Dan discovered creative ways to flourish in a country designed to privilege certain Americans over others. He witnessed, profited from, and despised the rise of two drug epidemics. He invented stunningly bold credit card frauds that took him around the world. He paid neighborhood kids to jog with him in an effort to keep them out of the drug game. And when he turned his attention to fashion, he did so with the energy and curiosity with which he approaches all things: learning how to treat fur himself when no one would sell finished fur coats to a Black man; finding the best dressed hustler in the neighborhood and converting him into a customer; staying open twenty-four hours a day for nine years straight to meet demand; and, finally, emerging as a world-famous designer whose looks went on to define an era, dressing cultural icons including Eric B. and Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, Mike Tyson, Alpo Martinez, LL Cool J, Jam Master Jay, Diddy, Naomi Campbell, and Jay-Z. By turns playful, poignant, thrilling, and inspiring, Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem is a high-stakes coming-of-age story spanning more than seventy years and set against the backdrop of an America where, as in the life of its narrator, the only constant is change. Praise for Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem “Dapper Dan is a true one of a kind, self-made, self-liberated, and the sharpest man you will ever see. He is couture himself.”—Marcus Samuelsson, New York Times bestselling author of Yes, Chef “What James Baldwin is to American literature, Dapper Dan is to American fashion. He is the ultimate success saga, an iconic fashion hero to multiple generations, fusing street with high sartorial elegance. He is pure American style.”—André Leon Talley, Vogue contributing editor and author
Author: Julian Dibbell
Publisher: Julian Dibbell
Published: 1998
Total Pages: 356
ISBN-13: 9780805036268
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis novelistic rendering of a true account tells of a celebrated rape case which took place in an electronic "salon", where Internet junkies have created their own interactive fantasy realm.
Author: Emma Goldman
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Published: 1970-01-01
Total Pages: 532
ISBN-13: 9780486225449
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe autobiography of the early radical leader and her participation in communist, anarchist, and feminist activities
Author: Chan Parker
Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press
Published: 2021-11-25
Total Pages: 234
ISBN-13: 164336278X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA memoir of the Jazz Age and a life profoundly influenced by it My Life in E-flat is the remarkable memoir of a woman who witnessed some of the most important movements in the history of jazz. Through her autobiography, Chan Parker provides intimate insights into the music and into life with Charlie Parker, the key figure in the development of bebop and one of the most important of all jazz musicians. Born Beverly Dolores Berg in New York City at the height of the Jazz Age, Parker's father was a producer of vaudeville shows and her mother was a dancer in Florenz Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic. Parker became part of the jazz culture as a nightclub dancer and later as the wife of jazz saxophonists Charlie Parker and then Phil Woods. In a moving and candid portrait of Charlie Parker, the author describes in harrowing detail a man of incredible talent besieged with addictions and self-destructiveness. She painfully recounts his death at the age of 35 while married to her and its effect on her life as well as on the musical world. Parker's honest portrait of one of the most gifted musicians in jazz provides unique insight into the history of the music and the difficulties faced by African American performers during the 1940s. Parker also reflects on her struggle to find her own voice and on her work with Clint Eastwood on the film biography of Charlie Parker, Bird (1988).
Author: Ronnie Le Drew
Publisher: Unbound Publishing
Published: 2019-07-25
Total Pages: 281
ISBN-13: 1783527005
DOWNLOAD EBOOKOver the course of almost half a century, puppeteer Ronnie Le Drew has worked with the greats – from David Bowie in Labyrinth to Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol. But the role that defined his career was Rainbow’s Zippy, who he operated for more than twenty years. Zippy and Me is the first time a Rainbow insider has told the true story of what went on under the counter and inside the suits: the petty squabbles between performers, wrangling with TV executives, and scandals such as the 'love triangle' between musicians Rod, Jane and Freddy. Not to mention the now infamous X-rated episode shot for an ITV Christmas party, which subsequently found its way to the Sun. Interweaved with the dirt on what really went on behind the scenes is the story of Rainbow’s heyday in the 1970s and 80s, when its stars found themselves catapulted into an exciting showbiz world – scooping a BAFTA award and even performing for the queen – and the story of a young lad from a south London council estate who defied his parents' protests to became one of the most respected puppeteers of all time.
