Carlton Douglas Ridenhour

The future looks bleak. The present feels hopeless. Yet, for two young African-American brothers from the slums of New York City, failure is not an option. Experience a once-in-a-lifetime, true story of how courage, desperation, and a love for Hip-Hop shaped music history. Author Kenny Parker is the renowned deejay for the groundbreaking Hip-Hop act Boogie Down Productions. He provides a first-hand account detailing how he and his older brother, the iconic rapper KRS-One, escaped crime, extreme poverty, brutal violence, and betrayal to carve out an unparalleled musical legacy. The reader gets a glimpse into a dysfunctional family's rollercoaster ride through "The Crime Capital of America" - 1970's & 80's New York City and how living legend KRS-One overcame enormous odds to rise from a homeless teen to a Rap superstar. Kenny, whose musical career spans over three decades, gives a behind-the-scenes look into Rap Music's evolution and reveals never-before-told stories from Hip-Hop's golden era. Whether you're a casual music fan, a Hip-Hop historian, or merely nostalgic about "Old School" New York City, this book is a must-read.

A New York Times bestseller, Music Is History combines multi-Grammy Award winner Questlove’s deep musical expertise with his curiosity about history, examining America over the past fifty years. Questlove finds the hidden connections in the American tapestry, whether investigating how the blaxploitation era reshaped Black identity or considering the way disco took an assembly line approach to Black genius. And these critical inquiries are complemented by his own memories as a music fan, and the way his appetite for pop culture taught him about America. A history of the last half-century and an intimate conversation with one of music’s most influential and original voices, Music Is History is a singular look at contemporary America. “An entertaining, informative and far-reaching work, meticulously excavating American culture and history with the eye of a seasoned cratedigger.” —The Washington Post

PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America is a five-year plan to make Black America a prosperous and empowered race that is self-sufficient and competitive as a group by the year 2005. In this book, Dr. Anderson obliterates the myths and illusions of black progress and brings together data and information from many different sources to construct a framework for solutions to the dilemma of Black America. In PowerNomics: The National Plan, Dr. Anderson proposes new principles, strategies and concepts that show blacks a new way to see, think, and behave in race matters. The new mind set prepares blacks to take strategic steps to create a new reality for their race. It offers guidance to others who support blacks self-sufficiency. In this book, Dr. Anderson offers insightful analysis and action steps blacks can take to redesign core areas of life - Education, Economics, Politics and Religion - to better benefit their race. The action steps in each area require new empowerment tools that Dr. Anderson presents - a new group vision and a new culture of empowerment - tools designed to counter, if not break many of the racial monopolies in society. Vertical integration and Industrializing black communities are other major concepts and strategies that he presents in the book. He places a great deal of importance on building industries in black communities that are constructed upon group competitive advantages. A the same time he announced the release of PowerNomics: The National Plan, he also announced that he has established several models of the strategies he proposes in the book. PowerNomics: The Plan, is infused with Dr. Anderson's trademark creative thinking and answers questions such as: - Why are blacks the only group that equates success with working in a White corporation, government or the entertainment industry? - How did power and wealth - businesses, resources, privileges, income and control of all levels of government get so disproportionately distributed into the hands of White society? - Industrialization brings many economic benefits to the geographic locations where it occurs. Why has Black America never been industrialized and how can it be done? - Why do visible blacks and black leaders avoid blackness, identifying the focus of their work instead for people of color, minorities, women, gays , the poor, Hispanics, and other immigrant groups? - What enables a constant stream of immigrant groups to politically, economically and socially dominate blacks? - In politics, how is it that blacks can be monolithic and loyal political supporters yet their group receives no quid pro quo benefits? - In his first book, Black Labor, White Wealth, Dr. Anderson examined history and showed how racism has locked and boxed blacks into a near permanent underclass. Picking up where Black Labor, White Wealth left off, PowerNomics: The National Plan is the missing link between the historical analysis of problems facing blacks and the strategies needed to correct those problems. Dr. Anderson's books are a phenomenon in the publishing industry. His work is distinguished because he has turned books that are serious, non-fiction, and heavy on black history, into best-sellers. PowerNomics: The National Plan continues that pattern. It is an astounding work.

Brian Holland, Edward Holland, and Lamont Dozier, known as Holland-Dozier-Holland or H-D-H, were the greatest songwriting team in American pop music history. This is their story. Seventy of the songs they wrote reached the Billboard Top 40, with 15 of these reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. No other songwriting team or individual has come close to equaling, let alone surpassing, this record. They’ve been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. As tunesmiths for the legendary Motown Record Corporation, and for their own corporations, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, they wrote and produced hits for Diana Ross and the Supremes, including “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Where Did Our Love Go,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “I Hear a Symphony,” “Come See About Me,” “Back in My Arms Again” and “Reflections.” Now the legendary composers are ready to reveal the inspirations and stories behind their chart-topping hits, providing millions of fans with the first complete history of their songwriting process, and detail the real-life experiences that led them to write each of their most famous tunes. They will also reveal their creative and intimate relationships with Motown’s biggest stars.

"People always get caught up in what these two iconic groups stood for, but can we just step back for a moment and say, who gives a fuck? They were good! They made amazing records!...Rap parallels punk rock: Destroy everything that came before it and borrow little bits to help you get there. Bring it full circle: it helps us understand how and why these two groups did what they did, and why Glen E. brings us into the picture deeper than anyone and brings it all together. Forever. These photographs inspire and excite us to this day." -- Chris Rock "Run-DMC were outsiders from mainstream culture. The Beasties were outsiders from hip-hop culture. Being accepted by Run-DMC and touring with Run-DMC was a mark of authenticity for Beastie Boys. There was a feeling of family between the two groups." -- Rick Rubin In the early 1980s iconic skate and punk photographer Glen E. Friedman had a front row seat to the rise of hip-hop music and culture. He was able to get with both Run-DMC and Beastie Boys on their meteoric rise to fame. Befriending both groups, Friedman's eye composed the photos that have become synonymous with how we remember both groups when they first came into our collective consciousness. And then the moment when it all came together: the seminal, popular, and highly publicized 1987 joint concert tour, Raising Hell. TOGETHER FOREVER is not only a visual time capsule of hip-hop on the cusp of becoming mainstream, but a record of the strong bond of friendship between these two groups and how they significantly influenced each other, all while having a massive impact on music history and the industry. Including scores of never-before-published photos made by Friedman--the bands in concert, goofing around with celebrities, portraits, and, of course, hanging out together--TOGETHER FOREVER includes a foreword by Chris Rock, plus text contributions by the surviving members of both groups and others who were there, proving that the originals still reign.

Back in the Days documents the emerging Hip Hop scene from 1980-1989-before it became what is today's multi-million-dollar multinational industry. Back in the days, gangs would battle not with guns, but by breakdancing. Back in the days, the streets-not corporate planning-set the standards for style. Back in the days, Jamel Shabazz was on the scene, photographing everyday people hangin' in Harlem, kickin' it in Queens, and cold chillin' in Brooklyn. Street styling with an attitude not seen in fashion for another twenty years to come, Shabazz's subjects strike poses that put supermodels to shame-showing off Kangol caps and Gazelle glasses, shell-top Adidas and suede Pumas with fat laces, shearling coats and leather jackets, gold rope chains, door-knocker earrings, name belts, boom boxes, and other designer finery. For anyone who wants to know what "keepin' it real" means, Back in the Days is the book of your dreams.

In an inspirational, insider's guide to the world of music, more than 150 of the most creative and talented people in music reflect on their own path to success, their dreams of stardom, determination and hard work, lucky breaks, complications along the way, and more, with advice from Madonna, Moby, Quincy Jones, Alicia Keys, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Elton John, and other notables. Original.