Backstage (Nikki Turner Presents) [Paperback]

Nikki Turner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nikki Turner Presents | Publication Date: September 29, 2009

The undisputed Queen of Hip-Hop Fiction presents five knockout tales set in the fast-paced, high-stakes rap game–written by a hot lineup of authors with unmistakable swag and a gift for dropping sexy, thrilling stories.

From a big-time hustler who can’t give up the streets–even when it might cost him his rap career–to a fearless female emcee who goes both ways in the bedroom, these characters steam up the pages as they set out to make their mark, outsmart all the haters and hustlers looking to derail them, and rise to the top of the charts.

Backstage is a VIP pass to the glamorous, gritty music industry, a world Nikki Turner knows intimately–as she introduces writers you’ll want to read again and again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Turner (Black Widow) and four other sharp authors spin another mix of stories that mostly shout and sometimes whisper of the tough urban world of rap; Chasing the Ring by Harold L. Turley II is the lone exception, a backstage pass into the intense world of a basketball star who makes a big mistake. The other stories focus on the heartaches experienced by various industry sorts: Krista Johns's mesmerizing I'm Good, about Yummie, a self-combusting artist who'd rather be dead than labeled a snitch; Allah Adams's Stolen Legacy, a stolen lyrics revenge tale; Lana Ave's passionate Lose to Win, that ruefully explains the cost of Sakia Saks Sand's ambitious rise to CEO of Hustle Hard Records. Turner's cautionary rap thriller, Gun Music, one of the best entries, closes this anthology (with an introduction by rap icon Dana Dane), charting the twisted course of rappers Crook and Larceny, whose skyrocketing career begins with a big bang and ends on an even bigger bang. While gritty and very authentic in delivery, this series could benefit with less blood and guts and an infusion of, say, gospelized or jazzified tracks. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Nikki Turner is the author of the New York Times bestseller Black Widow, the #1 Essence bestseller Forever a Hustler’s Wife, and the Essence bestsellers A Hustler’s Wife, The Glamorous Life, and Riding Dirty on I-95. The first two books in the Nikki Turner Presents line were published in 2008 by One World/Ballantine Books.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: One World/Ballantine; Original edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345504291
• ISBN-13: 978-0345504296
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #811,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bad Start, December 4, 2009

By 

Lez Levette (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Backstage (Nikki Turner Presents) (Paperback)

I wish to praise and give much love to Nikki Turner, I have been a fan from go!!!

I'm not feeling the first story. I'm forcing myself to finish but ready to just call it a day on the whole book. Maybe her story should have been the last not the first... The story is all over the place, it's a crap shoot. I get lost from one paragraph to the next. If this is her first, I give her props but please tighten your writing skills as of now you're killing me.

Nothing bothers me more than when writers use details from real life, movies, etc... and are not accurate. Note to the writer of I'm Good; in the movie Scarface, Manny not Danny was Tony's right hand man... Didn't catch the typo (the keys aren't close) or never saw the movie??

The story Lose to Win was just ok. I will just say it was kind of far fetched.

I'm glad I didn't give up on the book; I really enjoyed the other stories; they made up for what the other two were lacking...

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT THE BEST BUT OK, July 1, 2010

By 

Milika Williams "Love fiction books" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Backstage (Nikki Turner Presents) (Paperback)

THE FIRST STORY WAS OK. IT KEPT ME READING, BUT WHEN IT CAME TO THE SECOND STORY I WANTED TO GIVE UP AND STOP READING. BUT I DIDN'T, I STOP READING THE SECOND STORY AND READ THE THIRD ONE.WITH THE THIRD STORY IT KEEP ME READING PAGE AFTER PAGE.

THE SECOND STORY WAS A WASTE OF TIME AND I WAS GETTING BORE WITH IT. I FELT LIKE I WASN'T GETTING ANYWHERE WITH IT. IT WAS OK IN THE BEGINNING BUT IT JUST STARTED GETTING BORING. SO I SKIPPED OVER TO THE NEXT STORY.

THIS IS NOT ONE OF NIKKI TURNERS BEST ONE THAT I HAVE READ. I DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO FINISH READING THIS BOOK AT ALL. HOPEFULLY, THERE WILL BE A BETTER STREET CHRONICLES BOOK BECAUSE THIS ONE WAS NOT REALLY MY LIKING. ONLY FOUR STORIES KEPT ME WANTING TO FINISH.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Street Chronicle Party doesn't stop..., December 28, 2009

By 

Urban Reviews "Your Source for the Best in AA... (Online) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Backstage (Nikki Turner Presents) (Paperback)

Krista Johns' contribution to this collection, "I'm Good," centers on Yummie, a female rapper that's as hard core as any dude in the game. When she finds herself in jail, will she stand true to her lyrics? Is she real, or is she a snake?

Harold L. Turley II brings professional basketball to the table in "Chasing the Ring." Trey Winfield and his team can see the gold at the end of the rainbow as they have killed the b-ball court and are so close to the championship. Childhood friend Slim challenges their friendship as he asks Trey to do the unthinkable and Susan dares him to do the right thing. Will he do the right thing, or will he have a choice?

Allah Adams introduces JJ, who was a college student with a promising future. His best friend Dee is gonna ride with him for whatever and the last link, the weakest link, Trapp. JJ is so talented, but before he can follow his heart, he's incarcerated and Trapp ends up with JJ's notebook of rhymes. While JJ is trying to figure out if he'll ever see daylight again, Trapp ascends into super stardom. But will his fame last, or his treachery be revealed? Can he rise above his backstabbing ways, or will he get what he's really due?

Lana Ave's Sakia Sands is a go getter. Whatever she wants, she plans and schemes to get it. And nothing nor anyone is above her manipulative ways. Her sidekick, Kessy is a beautiful, sexy white nymphomaniac that has no problems assisting Sakia in her various plots. Will Sakia's cold, calculating personality take her to the realms of success she dreams of, or will she find her life spiraling out of control?

Nikki Turner sets it off with "Gun Music" as she chronicles the life of Crook and Larceny. This duo lives a hard knock life as they rob, steal, and kill to get that dough. Crook is vicious on the mic and sets his sights on being discovered. Their motto becomes, "You listen and live, you deny and die." Will the philosophy of these two villains rectify or crucify them as well as others that get in the line of fire as Crook spits some hellafied lyrics?

Street Chronicles: Backstage has really surprised me with the gangsta stories that are detailed within the 241 pages of this read. All of the tales are filled with true grit and grime, yet it enthralls you with each new storyline. Fascinating characters, appealing plots, as well as the jealousy, treachery, murder, mayhem and even love evolves plentifully. Fresh voices captivate Backstage with original creativity. I commend all the authors that contributed to make this a worthwhile anthology. Major Kudos!

Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye
for Urban Reviews