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Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 934
Registered: 07-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 04:26 am: | 
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Posted on Wed, Nov. 16, 2005
Jenice Armstrong | Thug culture wins again
CALL IT playa hatin', but I'm envious of 50 Cent'slatest foray.
And at the same time, a little awed. When I read in yesterday's Tattle column that Pocket/MTV Books is going to give "Fiddy" his own line of books, I just had to shake my head.
Thug culture wins again.
At the same time, I know so many talented struggling writers who'd just be happy to get one novel published - not to mention an entire line of books.
Isn't it ironic that we've reached the point in our culture in which the literary muster of 50 Cent can beat out such giants as Toni Morrison and Walter Mosely? Even Terry McMillan, who's credited with sparking this current interest in black writing, doesn't have her own line of books.
"I'm not surprised," said my friend Karen E. Quinones Miller, a Philly-based novelist turned publisher.
"The one thing that I'm surprised at is that he has no real literary background," added Miller, who plans to publish her latest book, "The Guide to the Sensuous Black Woman: How to Drive Your Man Wild In and Out of Bed," in December.
"We saw it happen with Zane, who had a literary background. But someone whose claim to fame is getting shot up and making a movie about it, that he's getting a line of books, that's just, well, extraordinary," she said.
Called G-Unit, the hype is that Fiddy's line of books will be "gritty" stories in much the same way his raps, songs and the movie about his life "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" are. (Billboards promoting the movie were removed after locals complained about the image of his tattooed form holding a gun and a microphone.)
"These tales will tell the truth about The Life; the sex, guns and cash; the brutal highs and short lives of the players on the streets," the publisher said in a recent release.
Author Nikki Turner, ("The Glamorous Life" and "A Hustler's Wife") has been tapped to write the line's first novella, scheduled to be released in 2007.
No doubt these books will sell as fast as, well, 50 Cent CDs. And that's precisely the point of it all, isn't it?
"It's a smart business move when you think about it," said Mister Mann Frisby, a former Daily News reporter who's about to publish a motivational book called "Holla Back... But Listen First: A Life Guide for Young Black Men."
"Street fiction is doing so well right now," said Frisby, who has authored two novels. "I just hope that the quality of the stories and the writing will carry the weight."
To that I'd like to add that I'm hoping the crop of writers Fiddy's representatives recruit won't use their new platforms to further glorify violence and guns the way the boss does. Maybe some will have the courage to show their audiences what 50 Cent either can't or won't: That there's a lot more to life than getting rich or dying trying.
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Libralind2
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Libralind2
Post Number: 288
Registered: 09-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 10:05 am: |
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::sigh::
LiLi |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1645
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 10:53 am: |
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Thug Culture won out when dime novelists wrote about the adventures of Wild Bill Hickock, Billy the Kid, and Jesse James and they outsold Shakespeare (about 150 years ago)
Welcome to America. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3067
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 12:25 pm: |
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Not a valid comparison. Dime novels never usurped Shakespeare in America because English playwright Shakespeare didn't write novels, and his plays were never in danger of losing their prestiege in the halls of academia. Hip-hop books are just a variation of the pop lit genre in America and this is not what rubs people the wrong way. It is the authors of hip-hop books who miff others because they are given such easy entry into the publishing world. |
Yvettep
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Yvettep
Post Number: 787
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 02:00 pm: |
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Interesting. I wonder who is the main buying audience for these books. It would not surprise me if the main intended audience is not Black folks at all but young Whites. ALong those lines, there is an interesting article in Salon-a first hand account of a mother whose son became a "wigger." It's called "Prayin Hard for Better Dayz" and is available here http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2005/11/28/peri/.(You probably need a subscription, but I think you can get a day pass to read it if you click thru an ad.) |
Thumper
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Thumper
Post Number: 441
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 07:46 pm: |
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Hello All,
Can someone tell me if the thug books are still selling. I haven't seen too many of them lately, so I don't know. |
Libralind2
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Libralind2
Post Number: 290
Registered: 09-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 11:19 pm: |
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yep
LiLi |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1648
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 01:49 pm: |
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Cynique:
I did not say "usurped"
I said "outsold".
I know both words have seven letters and an "s" in there but really even without your magnifying glass you should have been able to tell the difference.
Ready to lick up your doctrine now, or do you want I hold you up to public ridicule a few more posts? |
Renata
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Renata
Post Number: 216
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 04:07 pm: |
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I guess books by Robert Beck (aka Iceberg Slim) can be called thug-lit, but he does write well.
I tend to like well-written books, books that capture my imagination even if I don't like the subject matter. You know, poetic phrases and such.
So, it doesn't matter if 50's books are bad, as long as they're good, if you get what I'm saying.
Someone could write a book on a very important topic, something that solves society's problems, or whatever, but if the words don't "pop" it won't matter. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3076
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 04:56 pm: |
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Uspurped, unsold, Chrishayen, the comparison is still inapt. English poet and playwright Shakespeare is oranges and dime novels are apples. You could've avoided being challenged on if you had simply used a classical American novelist to try and illustrate your point instead of displaying the flippancy that invaribly fizzles. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1654
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 11:15 am: |
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The point, to an objective observer, could be that you are functionally illiterate-- |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3080
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 12:55 pm: |
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Your retorts would be so much more effective if they contained an element of truth. In any case, even a functionally illiterate person could recognize that you, Chrishayden, are full of yourself which is undoubtedly why you weigh 250 pounds. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1660
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 01:15 pm: |
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Cynique:
Big Body, Big Heart, Big Soul Big Brain.
Swisshhhh! Three points. Nothin' but net. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3082
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 01:25 pm: |
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Good sport that I am, I congratulate you on winning the title of "Biggest Jerk". Take a bow, Numbskull. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1662
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 01:45 pm: |
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Good sport or good SHORT!
If I take a bow I'll about be level with the top of your pointy little head!
You have short woman's disease, shrimpy! |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3084
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 02:16 pm: |
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Moi? I'm 5'6". |
Solomonjones
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Solomonjones
Post Number: 78
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 08:09 pm: |
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Cynique and Chrishayden, I enjoy your jousts. A word of advice to you Chris ... never argue with a sista. Which brings me to my point.
I had a discussion --okay, debate -- with Jenice Armstrong on our local NPR station about women dressing sexy in the workplace. I said women should dress appropriately, in accordance with whatever dress code the employer implements. She said they should be able to wear whatever they want, and that men had better not say anything, lest they get sued ... A few days later, after losing the debate, she called me self-righteous in her column (which ran complete with a Solomon Jones headshot -- wouldn't want anybody to be confused about which Solomon Jones was self-righteous).
Chris, I share that to say ... leave Cynique alone. You can't win.
I agree with Jenice on this one, by the way. However, I understand the realities of publishing. It's a business. They wouldn't care if every word in the book was M---F'ER. If people were buying it, they'd put it out and call it a literary triumph. So I don't hate 50 Cent for taking advantage of the situation. I think it's a smart business move.
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3086
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 10:51 pm: |
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Well, Solomon, you have really lived up to your namesake with your words of wisdom. (But I don't think you've made a convert of Chrishayden.) Anyway, there are guys on this board who I defer to and respect and that's because they are intelligent reasonable people. But with Chris it boils down to me exchanging put-downs with him because he can never just dispute a point, he has to try and bolster his arguments by resorting to self-aggrandizement. And, contrary to what many think, I am not a rabid feminist which is why I agree with the stand you took in regard to observing an appropiate dress code in the work place. I also agree that hip-hop lit should not be given carte blanc by money-hungry publishing houses who are contributing to the dumbing down of the black community. And, if I sound like I'm coping a plea - I am. Bottom line, I just like to play the devil's advocate, - a job for which I am extremely well-qualified inasmuch as I am the devil's daughter, sent here to make people confront their demons. heh-heh-heh. |
Solomonjones
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Solomonjones
Post Number: 79
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 01, 2005 - 11:06 am: |
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Cynique -
LOL ... |
Deebaby
Veteran Poster
Username: Deebaby
Post Number: 61
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 08, 2006 - 12:28 am: |
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Thug lit - he's joining a club, a big one.
Fifty is also in line for children's books.
In the words of JayZ -
He's not a business man.
He's a business, man.
and so is publishing.
They'll sign what sells.
And they don't sign a lot of Black authors that would sell, if they'd sign 'em.
Racist ass industry
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