Miranda Benderas, born to an infamous Cuban Kingpin and his trophy wife, an African American supermodel. Miranda grew up with all the luxuries that other girls could only dream of. Her daddy proved that crime does pay. But isn’t there always a cost to having it all? By age 13, Miranda’s father was sentenced to life in prison. Has her father given her the necessary wisdom and tools to navigate through the world without him? Three short years later, Miranda falls into the arms of Philadelphia’s Bad Boy, Sha-Rock. The beautiful flower of a woman that

For more than one-third of my life, I didn't know who I was - even when I felt sure of myself. I had rebelled against my own expectations of who I am. I was a young helpless romantic, tenacious about what I wanted, but also a protector by nature. It was in the spring of 1977 when I decided to slow down and solidify my life by taking it more seriously. I wasn't living up to my potential. I was involved in crime and drugs, but was finally tired of living a lie. I was ready to close the first half of my book about my past - to start a new chapter in a new direction. With thanks to a neighborhood priest, Frank Quinlivan, contacted a battered women's shelter, the Siena House in Omaha, Nebraska, on my behalf. Sister Beth Daddio was the founder of the Siena House with the help of other nuns. My pass-time have been in writing poetry for the last twenty years. I write poetry about the things that matter to me. Although writing poetry is a passion, I realized that perhaps my book may help others to find the courage to change their direction, and still include my poetry. The more I wrote, the more I tried pulling back; especially having been self-destructive, and irresponsible. So, it was difficult to write this book. But if I could help others to understand how and why they found themselves gravitated into situations with adversity, they too can cleanse their thoughts; change their direction for a better life - helping them would be most gratifying for me.

In the Mississippi Delta, creativity, community, and a rich expressive culture persist despite widespread poverty. Over five years of extensive work in the region, author Ali Colleen Neff collected a wealth of materials that demonstrate a vibrant musical scene. Let the World Listen Right draws from classic studies of the blues as well as extensive ethnographic work to document the “changing same” of Delta music making. From the neighborhood juke joints of the contemporary Delta to the international hip-hop stage, this study traces the musical networks that join the region's African American communities to both traditional forms and new global styles. The book features the words and describes performances of contemporary artists, including blues musicians, gospel singers, radio and club DJs, barroom toast-tellers, preachers, poets, and a spectrum of Delta hip-hop artists. Contemporary Delta hip-hop artists Jerome “TopNotch the Villain” Williams, Kimyata “Yata” Dear, and DA F.A.M. have contributed freestyle poetry, extensive interview materials, and their own commentaries. The book focuses particularly on the biography of TopNotch, whose hip-hop poetics emerge from a lifetime of schoolyard dozens and training in the gospel church.

In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.

Remixing the ritual establishes a framework for Hip Hop, sets context in the Black arts movement, examines Americas legacy of minstrelsy vs commercial Rap, and arrives at the intersection of Hip Hop and theatre. This intersection is explored in practice by Boom Bap Meditations, a solo Hip Hop Theatre show written and performed by Baba Israel. The book documents its creative process and script. Baba Israel's background as Hip Hop Theater artist, educator, member of the Playback Theater community, and child of The Living Theater provide the thru line for this journey.

This is a true story of San Francisco's most decorated and most investigated undercover cop, Paul Lozada. Follow Paul's journey throughout his career as he recounts near-death experiences, leaning into his faith, navigating fears as a family man, and confronting political barriers to uncover police corruption within the San Francisco Police Department. Don't be swayed by the badge number, Paul stood against the city's dirty cops, inequality, and racism poisoning the ranks of the police force. Officer 187 became a liability, a symbol for the demise of department corruption, and the powers at hand that made every effort to silence him.

AllStar Magazine is an urban lifestyle magazine that covers all aspects of Hip-Hop culture. As the new voice of the Hip-Hop generation, AllStar focuses on music, style, sports and politics with intelligence, sophistication, integrity and most of all, respect.

Journalist and amateur boxer Mischa Merz fulfills a long-held ambition to travel across the United States and compete in a series of amateur boxing tournaments. On this wild and fascinating journey she meets her idols, including Lucia Rijker of Million Dollar Baby fame, and some other truly extraordinary characters. Merz discovers the horrors and delights of the world of women's boxing and gains insights into this eccentric subculture's place in American life. She also meets some of the pioneers and trailblazers of the contemporary rise in women's boxing as well as some of the younger stars now hoping to make it onto the first women’s boxing team in the 2012 Olympic Games. Written in a compelling and highly entertaining narrative style, Mischa Merz takes us right into the ring and reports, with a rare insider’s view, on a sport that has for centuries defined our ideas about masculinity.