The Word on Street Lit No. 13

By Rollie Welch, Cleveland P.L. -- Library Journal, 04/09/2009

Women caught up in personal situations spiraling out of their control is the theme of this month’s picks. Among the pressures these sisters face are perjury, too many haters, and cheating boyfriends. These assertive ladies, however, won’t take too much mess from the fellas. They quickly learn to always look out for No. 1—and guess who ends up being ahead of the game?

Because The Word on Street Lit can offer only a select sampling of street-lit titles, collection development librarians should tap additional urban fiction review resources on the Internet. Bookmark corrections librarian Daniel Marcou’s excellent, all-inclusive StreetFiction is flush with reviews, interviews, links to authors, and even a twitter by hot urban fiction author K’wan. (Daniel, by the way, is an LJ 2009 Mover & Shaker.)

For one-stop ordering and reviews, go to UrbanReviews, which also features Black Book Releases, a comprehensive list of African American fiction releases, and a blog. UrbanReviews also allows you to order music if you want to score your street-lit collection, and you will with the reading soundtrack that LJ music columnist Matthew Moyer provides below (see his recent Hardcore: Wild in the Streets). Warning to listeners with tender ears: These songs often match the books in sexual explicitness.

Pick of the Month

Woods, Teri. Alibi. Grand Central. Aug. 2009. 239p. ISBN 978-0-446-58169-1. $21.99. F
Verdict: Street-lit pioneer Woods (True to the Game) makes her hardcover debut with this gritty, botched robbery tale. While giving a sympathetic voice to her financially desparate heroine—who entertains no fantasies of knights in shining armor and uses sex to get what she wants—Woods observes that easy cash comes with a steep price. Her fans are sure to demand this; buy multiple copies. 
Background: In the novel’s brutal opening scene, the attempted robbery of a Philadelphia drug lord’s stash house goes seriously wrong, and three men die. The shooter, Nard, needs an alibi; he finds it in Daisy, a stripper who performs wearing four-inch stilettos and not much else. For a fast $2000, she agrees to testify she was with Nard in a private room at the time of the murders. But other interested parties—from the FBI to ruthless crime bosses—want to speak to Daisy. Fed up of being used by men, Daisy bolts from North Philly to rural Murfreesboro, TN.

Suggested Listens:
—Lil' Kim’s Hard Core (Big Beat/WEA, 1996). If the stiletto fits…
—Ghostface Killah’s Fishscale (Def Jam, 2006). Ghostface’s cinematic eye for gritty, street-level detail in his lyrics and liquid-smooth delivery over gritty soul samples make this an ideal accompaniment.

Divine, L. Drama High: Keep It Movin’. Dafina: Kensington. Jun. 2009. 202p. ISBN 978-0-7582-3107-9. pap. $9.95. F
Verdict: The eighth installment in the author’s wildly popular "Drama High" series alternates between inner-city Compton and nearby California beaches, touching on teen parenthood and interracial dating. Her characters’ hip teenspeak, laced with mild profanity, is spot-on. Essential for all urban teen shelves.
Background: Jayd Jackson keeps herself movin’ and is determined not to get dragged down by ex-boyfriends, haters, or her vodka-swilling aunt. Jealousy builds inside her circle until a gun is pulled; Jayd rightfully wonders how one minute they can be kicking it and dancing and the next running from gunshots.

Suggested Listens:
—Lauryn Hill’s "Doo Wop (That Thing)" from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse, 1998). Hill’s brassy and empowering update of the Motown sound was one of the highlights on her now-classic solo debut. 
—Lil Mama’s "Lip Gloss" from VYP: Voice of the Young People (Zomba, 2007). One of the most promising sets by a teen rapper in years, no offense to Kriss Kross or Lil’ Bow.

Hobbs, Allison. Pure Paradise. Strebor: S. & S. (Zane Presents). Jul. 2009. 336p. ISBN 978-1-59309-224-5. pap. $15. F
Verdict: This sequel to Hobbs’s A Bona Fide Gold Digger cranks up the sex: on almost every page, a tryst is being planned, watched, or grinding to an explosive climax. Hobbs is not shy about describing sexual domination, and the abundant BDSM scenes may have more sensitive readers averting their eyes. Outrageous, sexy, and rough—it’s all that and more. Purchase where urban erotica is in demand.
Background: Tough-minded businesswoman Milan Walden, owner of the Pure Paradise spa/salon whose patrons can order from a salacious "specialty menu," is sexually insatiable and heartless with her partners—until she falls for ex-NFL player Hilton Dorsey. His sexual prowess distracts Milan from seeing who’s setting her up. Like the BDSM sessions laced throughout, this erotic novel is all about power and control and who finishes on top. 

Suggested Listens:
—Lil Wayne’s "Lollipop" from Tha Carter III (Cash Money, 2008). Autotuned sex rhymes from rap’s resident alien; quickly became a radio hit.
—Kool Keith’s Sex Style (Funky Ass, 1997). Former Electromagnetic MC’s and Dr. Octagon member Kool Keith gets ridiculously, explicitly over-the-top, pioneering the one-off porncore genre (membership: him).

Morrison, Mary B. & Noire. Maneater. Dafina: Kensington. Jun. 2009. 259p. ISBN 978-0-7582-1320-4. $24. F
Verdict: More erotica than street lit, these conjoined novellas by two of the hottest names in the genre will have readers fanning themselves to cool down. Both authors champion the power of women who have been dissed. Although they get mad, they also get even. Actually more than even. Whew! Is it hot in here, or do Morrison and Noire know all about steamy?
Background: In Morrison’s Character of a Man, Seven Stephens is shocked when her man tells her to lose the weight, or the wedding is off. "To hell with a fat farm," thinks Seven before jetting to Punany Paradise, an all-inclusive resort where a stable of studs provide full service to women. In Noire’s Sugar-Honey-Ice-Tee (note the initials!), NFL trainer Ribs Rawlings observes his jock friends’ cruel treatment of others. The three arrogant players hook up with sisters Sugar, Honey, and Ice Tee. Drop-dead gorgeous, these smart and sexy women are playing the playas and have an intricate revenge plot ready to trap the rats. Hanging in the wings is Ribs, whose good heart will be rewarded.

Suggested Listens:
—Peaches’s "Fuck the Pain Away" from The Teaches of Peaches (2000, Kitty-Yo). Too smart to jostle for space with "Girls, Girls, Girls" in the strip club DJ booth, too playful to be offensive, frank and XXX-rated enough to give the listener pause: a winner.
—Yo Majesty’s Futuristically Speaking: Never Be Afraid (Domino, 2008). Intense lesbian rap trio from Tampa that merged dancefloor-ready electro beats and explicit rhymes.
—Isaac Hayes’s "Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak)" from Juicy Fruit (Stax, 1976). This track kicks off with five minutes of catcalling among Hayes, his band, and the object of their attentions that might even give a construction worker pause. What follows next, though, is prime Hayes vocals over a disco groove.
—Khia’s "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" from Thug Misses (Artemis, 2002). Delivering her ever-more explicit demands in an icy, bored style, Khia got more down-and-dirty than most of her male peers. And in the Southern rap scene circa 2002 (Yin Yang Twins, etc.), that was saying something.

Price-Thompson, Tracy. 1-900-A-N-Y-T-I-M-E. Atria: S. & S. Sept. 2009. 272p. ISBN 978-1-4165-3305-4. pap. $15. F
Verdict: Here’s an interesting twist on the casual-sex slant of street lit: What if it’s all about pay-to-play phone sex? Price-Thompson’s (Knockin’ Boots; Black Coffee) well-constructed story avoids being a parade of sexual hijinks by mixing racism and a harsh commentary on prejudice against the physically challenged. A sure pick-up for browsers.
Background: Going by the stage name Bliss, phone sex vixen Bertha Sampson mesmerizes listeners with her sultry voice. Turns out that seductive voice belongs to a physically handicapped African American woman. Banking on the phone sex being private, Bliss’s clients let loose with fantasies about sexual domination, homosexual encounters, loneliness, and deflowering virgins. Bliss holds up her end by being discreet, but the pleasure seekers need to cover their tracks. A rapper is horrified his homosexual dreams have been outed by an eavesdropper, a widower just wants to talk, and a white tech wiz blames blacks for his HIV-positive status.

Suggested Listens:
—Prince’s Girl 6: Music from the Motion Picture (Warner Bros/WEA, 1996). The soundtrack to Spike Lee’s phone sex comedy includes classic and original Prince material, as well as cuts from protégés like Vanity Six and the NPG. Guess what every song is about?
—Kelis’s "Milkshake" from Tasty (Arista, 2003). Catchy and sultry come-on single that featured skewed production from the Neptunes and out-double-entendred every male (and female) hip-hop perfomer that year. Yow!

Williams, Wendy with Zondra Hughes. Ritz Harper Goes to Hollywood! Karen Hunter Pub: Pocket. (Ritz Harper Chronicles). May 2009. 230p. ISBN 978-1-4165-9288-4. pap. $15. F
Verdict: The hip-hop community will instantly recognize the New York City’s radio DJ’s name and expect lots of drama. The final volume in her trilogy (Drama Is Her Middle Name; Is the Bitch Dead, or What?) picks up with Ritz Harper, the Queen of Radio, preparing her comeback after being gunned down and provides enough backstory to satisfy new readers. Buy multiple copies.
Backdrop: Ritz Harper reconnects with her longtime producer, the flamboyantly gay Chas James. Feeling she needs to break away from her WHOT radio program, Ritz pulls Chas along to set up meetings with Hollywood moguls. She will do almost anything to have her own television talk show. In Cali, ugly racism gets in the way of her grabbing the brass ring. Chas’s Achilles heel is Hardcore, a male rapper who is Ritz’s nemesis. It’s all about ratings, and any scandal will do, including sleeping with the enemy.

Suggested Listens:
—Mary J. Blige’s No More Drama (MCA, 2002). Blige’s cut-the-crap disc was an artistic high point for the diva with an edge.
—2Pac’s All Eyez on Me (Koch, 1996). Funky West Coast vibes and thugged-out posturing loomed large in this seminal double disc from the late rapper.