Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This engrossing portrait of the trigger-happy hip-hop demimonde explores the origins of the gangsta-rap ethos in southeast Queens, home to legendary narcotics gangs and many of rap's biggest stars, including 50 Cent and Ja Rule. New York magazine music editor Brown begins by chronicling the careers of three Queens drug kingpins during the 1980s crack epidemic, when maintaining a fearsome reputation for violence was a must for doing business. He continues through to the 1990s, when a younger generation of hip-hop artists and impresarios idolized such criminals and adopted their twisted moral economy of street cred. Rappers dissed rivals' lack of a criminal background while burnishing their own; the war of rhymes occasionally escalated into gunplay between hostile entourages; prison stints and shoot-out wounds were coveted markers of hoodlum authenticity. Drawing on interviews with gangsters and rappers alike, Brown looks behind the tabloid headlines about such hip-hop luminaries as Russell Simmons and Tupac Shakur, while fleshing out the dynamics of machismo, loyalty, vengeance and greed in the claustrophobic 'hood. His is a vigorous account of an American subculture that's colorful, influential and, given the body count, tragic. 16 pages photos. (Dec. 6)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

New York journalist Brown, who covers pop music, drug issues, and crime, resifts the evidence in the city's rapper/gang wars, thoroughly exploring the connections between the big-money rap music industry and the big-money criminal enterprise of drug dealing. So doing, he makes a valuable contribution to the burgeoning literature on the violence of such heroes of the 'hood as Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols, Gerald "Prince" Miller, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, and Thomas "Tony Montana" Mickens as well as the rappers who glorified and shared with them a glitzy, murderous urban pleasure-dome existence. In the 1980s "hip-hop and hustling inhabited separate social spheres," but in time, hip-hoppers, "particularly those who were teenagers in the eighties," looked up to drug dealers, who had "all of the accoutrements that would come to define hip-hop's 'bling' lifestyle in the late nineties." The fast-money, heavily armed -criminals-cum-rappers world eventually erupted in murders, such as those of Jam Master Jay and Tupac Shakur, and a festering series of rap feuds. A good, detailed report on an ongoing, epic social problem. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (November 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400095239
• ISBN-13: 978-1400095230
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #289,810 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read about America in the 80s and 90s, December 5, 2005

By	Robert Crayhon (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of those books that once you read, you can't imagine not having read it--it's filled with the real stuff that went down in and around NY in the 80s and 90s, the music industry, the crack epidemic, and the astonishing lack of interest by law enforcement in the drug trade until, ahem, middle class people started getting killed. 2,606 people were killed in NY state in 1990, a large number due to drug turf wars and the random, senseless violence it spawned. America, love it or leave it, and cover me, I'm going for milk.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book is a must read! Don't miss out..., February 3, 2006

By	Lynn (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

I think Queens Reigns Supreme is an excellent read. Mr. Brown did a heck of a job. There's so much interesting information and even more interesting characters, yet Brown manages to put it all together perfectly. Even with all the ground he covers, from the 80s to the present, the book flows smoothly. Btw, Brown was featured in XXL recently. I must say, when you look at the pictures of him, you would never think this guy has all the info he has and access to so many people from the streets. It's obvious he did his research and worked hard to get the stories told from those who were actually touched by what was going on. That was really well done. He did a great job portraying the characters. Although, the one guy, Scoon, I wish his character had been more developed. I recently read an article on him also. He seems like an intellingent guy, very knowledgeable about the topic. I noticed when reading the book, that he had so many connections, with everyone from Russell Simmons to Fat Cat. I think we could have learned more info from him. He's cute too. Seriously, i think this book will be on people's tongues for a long time. A warning: once you start reading it, clear you schedule, because you won't want to put it down.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for fans of hip-hop culture, January 9, 2006

By	Craig (Ohio) - See all my reviews

While 50 Cent's name in the title of this book may draw some interest, it's the characters of the generation that preceeded 50 that make this such an essential piece of cultural lit for those interested in the relationship between hustling and hip-hop.

A summary of the book's plot seems redundant. What makes this book stand out are the hustlers themselves - Fat Cat Nichols, Supreme, Prince, and several others. Brown presents their lives and misdeeds without passing judgment on them, allowing the reader to interpret the possible motives behind why they do what they do. The book also provides an interesting look at the early days of Queens hip-hop, including the lack of money being made by the artists involved at the time (the talk of Jay Mizell being so heavily in debt at the time of his death brings the point across pretty clearly).

For fans of contemporary hip-hop, there's plenty about the rivalry between Ja and 50, and Brown does a good job of exposing what should seem to be a lack of true street cred. Nobody in this book, outside of a few Queens narcotic cops, comes across in a very good light. Brown pulls no punches, as the facts tell the story.

Recommended for any fan of hip-hop culture, especially to those unfamiliar with much of what's covered in this book.