Customer Reviews

Dakota Grand: A Novel

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Kenji Jasper takes the reader for a very detailed entertaining ride through the world of hip-hop and its crazy characters. It's so vividly detailed and realistic that it makes the reader wonder if in fact the author has had his own drama with an unnamed rapper.
Dakota Grand is a very well developed character. He has so many layers and you can really feel his pain as a hustling freelance writer in New York.
Hip-hop and some of the artist in the genre are out of control these days and this book captures very well, the drama and what goes down when the cameras are not rolling. It's topical because of everything that's going down in music and very well written.
If you want to check something out that's not totally driven by a romantic relationship that really puts your imagination to work, this is a great book to check out. I especially recommend it for brothas who are having a hard time finding fiction that they can relate to.

Mister Mann Frisby
Author of Blinking Red Light

...The story basically concerns the eponymous Dakota Grand a hip-hop journalist living and working in NYC although he is originally from Atlanta,Dakota is making a living writing pieces for various magazines until he gets the biggest break of his career an interview with his childhood rap idol Mirage of the rap duo Arbor Day,Mirage is making his first solo record and during the interview he tells Dakota the real reasons while the group split up.But when the interview is in print Mirage ambushes Dakota and puts him in the hospital,this being the 3rd such attack that hip-hop journos have suffered makes Dakota mad and he swears revenge against Mirage.
The NY hip-hop scene is well fleshed out and Kenji Jaspers knowledge of the scene comes out well as the group of characters who know each other from the rounds of album launches and parties are engaing and well written,including Carolina the sassy Cuban girl he meets on a train and subsequently falls in love with.
What lets this book down badly is the ending as i have said Dakotas 'revenge'mission on Mirage and its consequences all this is resolved in 10 pages and is sothinly plotted and written it takes your breath away,its as though the author was on a tight deadline and ran out of time or could'nt be bothered to finish the story properly or even had given the publishers the wrong draft of the novel a major waste of reading time and a lazy way to finish what could have been a great story.

Dakota writes a story about a rapper in a magazine, the rapper doesn't like it, gets revenge on him and then vice versa. While I liked the author's first book, Dark, I didn't like this one at all, I didn't like the main character Dakota.

Kenji Jasper is undoubtedly one of the most gifted young writers of our time. People are using and misuing the term "Hip Hop Generation" but Kenji is actually representing what is going on. His style is reminiscent of extraordinary writers such as James Baldwin. His characters are well developed and complex. If Dark (his first book) didn't already make you a fan, Dakota Grand will make the connection for you. It a must-read!!

This is the kind of story that needs to be told more often. The insight into the world of the freelance writer of color and the obstacles they encounter is very informative. An insightful journey with an important lesson for all of us; especially the younger hip hop generation in their teens.

Jasper continues to represent yet another important voice that we don't hear from nearly enough; just as he did in Dark. Well worth the purchase and a good addition to any literary lover's book collection.

I remember when Jay-Z said he liked R. Kelly cause he was one of the few R&B singers who could talk about women & love without being corny. The whole time I read the love scenes in this book, I shook my head. They were corny! But Mr. Jasper had a very interesting and unique topic to write about. His writing skill is still impressive, but "Dark" was 100% better than this book. The main character was lame, kept fighting between tough guy vs. corny guy, and there were too many Cinderella and Superman scenes. But I'd still buy his next book cause "Dark" showed me that the man has skill.

Dakota Grand is caught up. Leaving the South for the bright lights of New York City, he is waiting for the big break that will catapult him into success as a hip hop journalist and novelist. When he first arrived in New York he had big dreams and plans, but his constant struggle for recognition and mere
survival has him questioning the choices he has made in his life. Will an interview with one the members of a now defunct rap group, Arbor Day, propel Dakota's career onto the path he has aspired to or drive him further into the abyss that has become his life?

Told in the first person, this book draws you into the heart and mind of Dakota Grand from the first page. Kenji Jasper does an exemplary job of portraying both the appeal and the drawbacks of the fast life of the hip hop crowd. The book is honest and revealing but will appeal to almost any reader.

When I picked this book up I had no idea that I would enjoy it as much as I did. Check out Dakota Grand, for an earthy and emotional view of the hip hop culture that will have you reading way into the night.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay

Jasper's second effort, Dakota Grand, while a better offering than his debut, Dark, still does not possess that "wow" factor. The writing style showed more depth and the story was more developed, but it was still just your run-of-the-mill novel. Worth a read, not a purchase.

Kenji Jasper's sophomore offering is a slam-dunk in Dakota Grand where he gives readers a view of the world of Hip-Hop journalism. Dakota Grand is a young man on the rise. Twenty-two years old, he left his home in Atlanta to make his mark in the Big Apple and is ready to take on New York, showing the world he has what it takes to write the big stories and maybe in the process write that Great American Novel--Hip-Hop style. He is also determined to redeem himself in his single mother's eyes who is disappointed because he left college to pursue his dream.

Dakota is a big fan of Arbor Day, a recently disbanded two-man rap duo. When he is awarded the assignment of his life, an interview with one of brothers in the group, Mirage, he sees it as his big break; this coup will set him apart. With this interview, he will be in the same league as the big boys who write the cover stories for Source and Vibe magazines. However, along with that honor, unfortunately sometimes comes an occupational hazard of incurring the wrath of the entertainers. It seems they can change their mind after the interview and that is exactly what happens. Threats are issued and what ensues becomes a stack of tumbling cards.

How does this happen when everything seems to be coming together? He has the magazine career of his life-he is the man of the hour with freelance assignments being offered to him at every turn, a publishing house wants to publish his novel, and he has a new woman in his life. Carolina, a chocolate sister from Cuba that he meets on the subway, allows him to see the possibilities of allowing someone to get close to him.
Told in first person, this offering allows readers to become familiar with several facets of a writer's life, a world where a freelancer lives hand-to-mouth, where obtaining the next writing assignment or getting a big break determines if one has food to eat or can pay the rent. We see Dakota going through the writing process, the discipline, the disappointments, and the gradual awareness of his acknowledgement that there is much to be learned about the craft. Jasper has a writing style that has influences of Baldwin and Ellison, surreal, precise and genuine. He can only grow more prolific with time and I look forward to his next novel.

Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub