Click on the cover images below each
title to read the PDF versions of the first chapters of
Explicit Content or Picture Me Rollin.'
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The first work in the emerging genre of hip
hop fiction to feature heroines, Explicit Content explores the
changing face of hip hop as it tells the story of two friends
whose sisterhood is challenged by the pressures of commerce,
competition and consumption. Through the compelling voice of
its female lead as well as that of its multicultural
characters, debut novelist Black Artemis offers a story that
– with its ol' school hope and its new jack style –
mirrors the hip hop generation for which it was written. In
the traditional of the urban morality tale, she weaves social
commentary into a fictional story that rings as true as the
evening news.
Cassandra Rivers and Leila Aponte are so different, it took a
catfight in their junior high school locker room to cross
their paths. Since then they have been two sides of the same
coin, bonded by their passion for hip hop and their shared
dream of becoming recording artists. Although Leila craves
fame and Cassandra prizes her artistic freedom, the duo of
Fatal Beauty and Sabrina Steelo remain true to their dream and
their friendship. That is, until gangsta rap mogul Gregory ''G
Double D'' Downs comes along and splits the duo by signing
Leila to his label Explicit Content. Stung by the betrayal,
Cassandra struggles to push forward as a solo artist.
But when Leila's career seems to fizzle as quickly as it
exploded, G Double D courts Cassandra. Despite rumors about
Explicit Content's financial woes, shady dealings and
self-destructive artists, Cassandra finds herself seduced by
his promises. Just when it seems that Cassandra will have her
cake and eat it, too, she learns the truth about Explicit
Content and the threat it poses to Leila and every other
pretty yet lonely young woman seeking the fleeting validation
of a gilded industry. Cassandra must decide just how much she
is willing to compromise her ideals to realize her dreams, and
the wrong decision can cost her much more than her career.
Explicit Content is funny and sober, threatening and
affirming, nihilistic and idealistic, arrogant and humble,
socially conscious and morally conflicted. Black Artemis tells
a story that is truly hip-hop in all of its fascinating
contradictions.
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