Customer Reviews

Gangsta: Merchandizing the Rhymes of Violence

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really do not understand how someone gave this one star! It is one of the important Hip Hop books chronicling the violence in Hip Hop from a mid 1990's perspective, and written from the inside looking out. Any serious student of Hip hop should own this.

Ronin Ro's Gangsta is much better than Have Gun Will Travel. Ro's writing was more artistic, and had more feeling. He spent most of this book reflecting on the future of America and music and the nature of life and death. Portions of the book were heart-rending; some were hilarious; others were unbelievable. This book showed me where most of the rap-writing styles out there today came from. Ronin was at his best in this book.

The author knows that NWA started gangsta rap and not much else. After a promising, well-written introduction, the rest of the book is sheer disappointment. Ro writes about his sexual exploits, his alcoholism, his brother's suicide, and his crush on a young Japanese girl. In short, everything except gangsta rap. The introduction was well worth reading twice, but not worth special oredering this poor attempt at attacking the subject.