Unsigned Hype: A Novel [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Booker T. Mattison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2009

Tory Tyson may only be in high school, but he knows what he wants out of life--a successful music career. And he's not going to learn about all that at school. So when school lets out next month he's not going back. He's finally ready to stop spinning old records at parties and start laying down his own beats--and the Unsigned Hype music contest is the perfect place to launch his career. But will he be able to handle the fame and fortune he seeks? Grounded in the world of today's urban youth, Unsigned Hype will draw readers in with its fresh voice and true-to-life rendering of the hip-hop world. Booker T. Mattison delivers a story with attitude in the vernacular of the urban teen.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You are about to enter uncharted Terror Tory . . . I'm Tory Tyson, but you can call me Terror Tory because I bring terror to all producers and DJs. I'm from the hood side of Mount Vernon, which is right next to the Bronx. I'm fifteen and I already met my future wife. I just have to get her to see it that way. Did I mention that my beats and turntable skills are sick? This summer I'll be spinning at a block party in my neighborhood on Friday nights. You should come through. It's going to be hot (pun intended). Me and my partner Fat Mike are going to enter the Unsigned Hype demo contest on New York's Power 97, "the nation's number one station." If we win, my whole life will change. But there's always somebody hatin'. I'm trying to stay focused, but every day it's different drama. Man, I just want to make it . . . "A great story. . . . [Tory's] life, music, and personal situations were stepping-stones to becoming someone great in hip-hop music. That's a beautiful thing."--Pete Rock, legendary hip-hop producer and DJ "This story is long overdue. It shows that even bad neighborhoods can produce good things. Tory keeps it real, but he also keeps it right."--Robert Teitel, producer, Soul Food, Men of Honor, the Barbershop series, Roll Bounce, and Notorious "A story that anyone growing up in the urban landscape can relate to . . . A fresh account . . . of the heart of a young teen wrestling with what it takes to become a man."--DJ Essence, hip-hop producer, DJ, and CEO of Lamp Mode Recordings ". . . flashes strong street cred . . . . Firmly rooted in hip-hop lore, it will have huge appeal for urban teens."--Library Journal Booker T. Mattison is a writer and filmmaker whose films and music videos have aired on Showtime, BET, MTV Europe, the Gospel Music Channel, and TBN. Mattison lives in New York. This is his first novel.

About the Author

Booker T. Mattison is an author and filmmaker who wrote the screenplay for and directed the film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's The Gilded Six Bits, which aired on Showtime. His films have been screened at the Smithsonian Institute, the Library of Congress, the Directors Guild of America, and Harvard University. He has written and directed music videos that have aired on BET, MTV Europe, and the Gospel Music Channel. Mattison's first novel, Unsigned Hype, was published by Baker Publishing Group in June 2009 and is already in its second printing. He is now working on an adult novel. Mattison has taught literary criticism at the College of New Rochelle and film production at Brooklyn College. He received his master of fine arts in film from New York University and his bachelor of science in mass communication from Norfolk State University. He lives in New York with his wife and four children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 207 pages
• Publisher: Revell (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800733800
• ASIN: B003E7EXTU
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,205,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Booker T. Mattison is an author and filmmaker who wrote the screenplay for and directed the film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's classic story "The Gilded Six Bits," which aired on Showtime. It starred Chad Coleman ("The Wire," "I Hate My Teenage Daughter"), T'keyah Keymah ("That's So Raven," "Cosby," "In Living Color"), Wendell Pierce ("Treme","The Wire," "Ray") and Novella Nelson ("The Antwone Fisher Story"). The Hollywood Reporter said of the film that, "Mattison's direction and feel for her characters match up to Hurston's sterling piece of fiction. The short is full of atmosphere and strongly developed characters."

Mattison's novel Snitch was published May 1, 2011. Publishers Weekly said that, "Author and filmmaker Mattison's sophomore outing reads like its ready for screen adaptation... Mattison has a superb ear and his skills keep on growing." His debut novel Unsigned Hype was published in June 2009 and is in its third printing. Producer Stephanie Allain Bray ("Hustle and Flow," "Black Snake Moan" and the forthcoming "We the Peeples") is attached to produce the film adaptation of both books.

Mattison received his Master of Fine Arts in film from New York University and his Bachelor of Science in mass communication from Norfolk State University.

Mattison has taught Literary Criticism at the College of New Rochelle in New York, film production at Brooklyn College and Advanced Directing, Screenwritng and Directing Actors at Regent University in Virginia.