Hip Hop Hustle

Chery Etienne has her own hip-hop dance crew, but now some of them are moving away and she will have to try out for her middle school's hip-hop dance team, although since she has never had any formal training she is not sure her unique style will be welcome.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER For the first time, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson opens up about his amazing comeback—from tragic personal loss to thriving businessman and cable’s highest-paid executive—in this unique self-help guide, his first since his blockbuster New York Times bestseller The 50th Law. In his early twenties Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent rose to the heights of fame and power in the cutthroat music business. A decade ago the multi-platinum selling rap artist decided to pivot. His ability to adapt to change was demonstrated when he became the executive producer and star of Power, a high-octane, gripping crime drama centered around a drug kingpin’s family. The series quickly became “appointment” television, leading to Jackson inking a four-year, $150 million contract with the Starz network—the most lucrative deal in premium cable history. Now, in his most personal book, Jackson shakes up the self-help category with his unique, cutting-edge lessons and hard-earned advice on embracing change. Where The 50th Law tells readers “fear nothing and you shall succeed,” Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter builds on this message, combining it with Jackson’s street smarts and hard-learned corporate savvy to help readers successfully achieve their own comeback—and to learn to flow with the changes that disrupt their own lives.

“This book is a must-read for anybody interested in bangin’ custom cars, Hip Hop culture, and sports lifestyle.” —LeBron James Will Castro, star of Velocity Channel’s Unique Rides and one of the most popular car customizers in the country, has achieved the American Dream, finding great success doing something he loves. He has worked with many marquee names, and Unique Hustle is packed with anecdotes of some of the biggest names in sports, music, film and television; including P. Diddy, LeBron James, Nicki Minaj, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Derulo, Ice-T, and DJ Khaled, just to name a few. Discover Will’s inspiring journey to success from growing up poor in the housing projects of New York’s Lower East Side to customizing the rides of the rich and famous. Unique Hustle tells his personal stories of trial and triumph. With only a high school education, audacity, and passion, he ground out a place for himself in the world and hustled his way to the top. Alongside Will’s story, Unique Hustle also provides a “how to” from a professional to readers who love to learn about cars and customization techniques. Readers will learn: Which cars are best suited for specific customizations The dos and don’ts of car exteriors including paint jobs, rims, and wraps The dos and don’ts of car interiors How to add “unique” flair with stereo and video systems, cigar boxes, and more

On September 4, 2012, Joseph Coleman, an eighteen-year-old aspiring gangsta rapper, was gunned down in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. Police immediately began investigating the connections between Coleman’s murder and an online war of words and music he was having with another Chicago rapper in a rival gang. In Chicago Hustle and Flow, Geoff Harkness points out how common this type of incident can be when rap groups form as extensions of gangs. Gangs and rap music, he argues, can be a deadly combination. Set in one of the largest underground music scenes in the nation, this book takes readers into the heart of gangsta rap culture in Chicago. From the electric buzz of nightclubs to the sights and sounds of bedroom recording studios, Harkness presents gripping accounts of the lives, beliefs, and ambitions of the gang members and rappers with whom he spent six years. A music genre obsessed with authenticity, gangsta rap promised those from crime-infested neighborhoods a ticket out of poverty. But while firsthand experiences with gangs and crime gave rappers a leg up, it also meant carrying weapons and traveling collectively for protection. Street gangs serve as a fan base and provide protection to rappers who bring in income and help to recruit for the gang. In examining this symbiotic relationship, Chicago Hustle and Flow ultimately illustrates how class stratification creates and maintains inequalities, even at the level of a local rap-music scene.

'The BeatTips Manual' (Amir Said) is the definitive study of the art of beatmaking (hip hop production). Brilliantly divided into five major parts - a riveting History part, an extensive Instruction (how-to) part, an insightful Interviews part, which features exclusive interviews with DJ Premier, DJ Toomp, Marley Marl, 9th Wonder and more, an explosive Music Theory part, and a Business part - 'The BeatTips Manual' is robust, detailed, and comprehensive. Containing a sharp analysis of the origins of beatmaking, as well as its key aesthetics, principles, priorities, and predilections, 'The BeatTips Manual' is an incisive look at the art of beatmaking - and an intense read. Not only the most complete examination of the hip hop/rap music process, it's also among the leading studies of hip hop culture itself. Destined to expand and transform traditional ideas about musicians, musicianship, and musical processes, 'The BeatTips Manual' is one of the most important and innovative music studies ever published.

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program for monographs. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. In the 1990s, Los Angeles was home to numerous radical social and environmental eruptions. In the face of several major earthquakes and floods, riots and economic insecurity, police brutality and mass incarceration, some young black Angelenos turned to holy hip hop—a movement merging Christianity and hip hop culture—to “save” themselves and the city. Converting street corners to open-air churches and gangsta rap beats into anthems of praise, holy hip hoppers used gospel rap to navigate complicated social and spiritual realities and to transform the Southland’s fractured terrains into musical Zions. Armed with beats, rhymes, and bibles, they journeyed through black Lutheran congregations, prison ministries, African churches, reggae dancehalls, hip hop clubs, Nation of Islam meetings, and Black Lives Matter marches. Zanfagna’s fascinating ethnography provides a contemporary and unique view of black LA, offering a much-needed perspective on how music and religion intertwine in people's everyday experiences.

Likened to a 48 Laws of Power for young Black men, this book presents Black biographies, history, and current events in a language that the Hip-Hop generation will understand and relate to. Each story or essay is framed within the context of a life lesson, each one being of vital importance to the survival, redemption, and ultimate success of our dying Black generation. Both the positive and negative sides of the Black experience are explored in detail, from the lives of infamous drug dealers and pimps to the exploits of Black revolutionaries and activists. In addition, several How To sections outline simple strategies for self-development. Packed with useful information, from the best way to handle confrontations with police, to the continuing relevance of the 1919 race riots, this book has been compared to an urban Encyclopedia Africana. Others have called it a Blueprint for Black Power for a generation struggling with materialism and short attention spans. This book is guaranteed to change the world by changing the way millions of people think and live. In How to Hustle and Win, author Supreme Understanding tells, in often graphic detail, stories like that of the infamous Philadelphia Black Mafia, Harlem's heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, and former gang leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams. In between and throughout these tales, he weaves life lessons and guidance, turning sordid stories of crime and urban despair into an educational experience. Whereas Robert Greene's bestselling 48 Laws of Power used iconic figures from classical history to illustrate the guidelines for personal success, How to Hustle and Win is filled with the exploits of rappers, gangsters, radicals, and revolutionaries. This is a new kind of Black history book, and its intent is the motivation and achievement of a new kind of reader. Although today's literary market has seen an influx of self-help books attending to a variety of issues, few books have attempted to address the concerns of young Black men, struggling to find direction. It is this group that author Supreme Understanding names as one of most troubled demographics in American society today. On the book's website, the author comments: "Unfortunately, few authors actively target this audience, and those who do are either not speaking their language, or not interested in pushing for change. This is why How to Hustle and Win was written. This book will change the minds of millions of young men of color, and by doing this, it will ultimately change the world." Revolutionary aspirations aside, How to Hustle and Win's groundbreaking concept results in a truly appealing work. Its essays are delivered in short bursts, none of them over four pages long, making it ideal for struggling readers and those with shorter attention spans. At the same time, the book is filled with a wealth of information that would enlighten educated readers equally. In fact, the author juxtaposes his own personal tales of early delinquency and misdirection with his later years of professional success, including obtaining a doctorate in education at the age of 26.