When Old is New2

Hip-Hop Fiction: When Old is New...and Real
by Joylynn M. Jossel, author of When Souls Mate

Hip-hop fiction is not a new type of writing style.  It's simply that the newjacks are taking over and dominating the literary industry with the out pouring use of this writing style.  And no, The Coldest Winter Ever didn't start this domino effect of hip-hop writing.  Ice Berg Slim, Donald Goines, Chester Himes, and many less infamous writers before and after them have been penning this style of writing for decades. 

Up until recently it was hard getting the major publishing houses to embrace this genre.  However, smaller publishing houses had complete faith in this type of literature and were fearless and quick to provide supply for the demand.

Triple Crown Publications, a small independent publishing house founded by Vickie Stringer, is dedicated to publishing strictly hip-hop fiction.  With the unexpected success of their first signed author K'wan, and works titled Gangsta and Road Dawgz; they knew they were on to something.  They followed up with signing their second author, Nikki Turner, to a two-book deal for her works A Hustler's Wife and A Project Chick. Currently Triple Crown has five authors signed who produced works such as Dollar Bill, Black, If Only Eyes Knew, Dirty Red and Blinded.  They put several other authors on when they published one of the few, and maybe the only, hip-hop fiction anthology titled The Game, which includes Shannon Holmes and 'The Urban Griot' himself a.k.a. Omar Tyree.

Publishing houses everywhere are dedicating imprints to these so-called "urban" tales.  Some call them street tales.  But don't get it twisted; the number one genre representing is hip-hop fiction. In the early '80's skeptics said rap is just a fad, and it will soon pass. Well, here we are 25 years later, or two generations, and rap has survived Reaganomics, two Gulf Wars, 1992 Los Angeles Riots, Whitewater Scandal and Enron, and is still going strong!

Nikki Turner's A Hustler's Wife was deemed a fluke with its instant success of making the #2 spot on the Essence Magazine bestsellers list only a couple of months after its March 2003 publication date.  There were whispers that this was a fluke, that perhaps the literary industry had a one hit wonder on its hands. But all those doubters were silenced when it appeared in the #1 spot for months thereafter.

Unlike record labels, who were late in honing in on the success of hip-hop music artist when they stormed the scene, the major publishing houses are no fools.  St. Martin's Press is a prime example, recently signing K'wan to a six-figure three-book deal.

It seems as though the majors are swooping in like hawks and scooping up the hip-hop fiction authors from the smaller publishing houses.  For example, Simon & Shuster signing Shannon Holmes from Meow Meow Productions and Vickie Stringer from UpStream Publications. And St. Martin's Press signing K'wan from Triple Crown Publications.  Each author earning a multiple book deal.  So perhaps hip-hop fiction is the flavor of this month.  But with the looks of the book deals the authors who have chosen to master this craft of writing are getting, it's also the flavor of next month, the month after that, and the month after that. As a matter of fact, looks like these authors are going to put Baskin & Robins flavors of the month to shame.


Joylynn M. Jossel is the author of When Souls Mate and Mama, I'm in Love With A Gangsta . You can visit her website at www.joylynnjossel.com