Backstage

August 17, 2009
Turner (Black Widow
) and four other sharp authors spin another mix of stories that mostly shout and sometimes whisper of the tough urban world of rap; “Chasing the Ring” by Harold L. Turley II is the lone exception, a backstage pass into the intense world of a basketball star who makes a big mistake. The other stories focus on the heartaches experienced by various industry sorts: Krista Johns's mesmerizing “I'm Good,” about Yummie, a self-combusting artist who'd “rather be dead than labeled a snitch”; Allah Adams's “Stolen Legacy,” a stolen lyrics revenge tale; Lana Ave's passionate “Lose to Win,” that ruefully explains the cost of Sakia “Saks” Sand's ambitious rise to CEO of Hustle Hard Records. Turner's cautionary rap thriller, “Gun Music,” one of the best entries, closes this anthology (with an introduction by rap icon Dana Dane), charting the twisted course of rappers Crook and Larceny, whose skyrocketing career begins with a big bang and ends on an even bigger bang. While gritty and very authentic in delivery, this series could benefit with less blood and guts and an infusion of, say, gospelized or jazzified tracks.