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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