This summer I had the pleasure of
attending the Harlem Book Fair, the nation’s largest African American book
festival, whose aim is to honor and celebrate the rich literacy history of
black authors. Located between New York Public Library’s Countee Cullen library
auditorium and the Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture, thousands were in attendance to partake in
music, panel discussions, food and workshops. Since the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, Harlem has been known as a
major African-American cultural center, on the cutting edge of black life and
culture which was in full effect in this year’s offering.
One of the
more lively panel discussions featured three well-known urban fiction authors, Albert “Prodigy” Johnson, one half of
the hip-hop phenomenon Mobb Deep; bestselling author of Eviction Notice and Animal, K’wan; and New
York Times bestselling author of Murderville 2: The Epidemic and The Dopeman’s Wife, JaQuavis Coleman. Yes, he is one half
of the husband and wife writing team JaQuavis and Ashley, authors of the white
hot series, The Cartel. Infamous Lives, Infamous Stories: Doing Hard
Time on Main Street – Urban Fiction Breaks Through provided a platform for the three authors to
contextualize their experiences as writers in the larger historical movement of
African American entrepreneurship, authorship and self-determination. While
best known as Prodigy, one half of seminal hip hop duo, Mobb Deep
whose dystopian street tales were shocking considering the duo’s youth when
they created their first album. Prodigy was deeply influenced by his
grandmother, Bernice Johnson, owner of Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center Queens.
In an era when there were seemingly few successful African-American women
business owners, she managed to own several prime pieces of real estate while establishing
an important creative space for black artists. Alumni of her school include the
Tap Dance Kid, Savion Glover and Michael Jackson’s choreographer, Michael
Peters.
Because rapping is essentially storytelling, the leap into writing
fiction which reflects on and mirrors both popular culture and contemporary African-American
thought and issues, was not a difficult one for Prodigy. Writers JaQuavis and
K’wan’s path to writing was more traditional-the former began writing stories
in grade school, and the later developed an interest in writing while employed
as a broker. These three authors share a determination to infuse a cultural
aesthetic into the urban-lit tales they create. As a group of writer under 40
years of age, they have drank deeply from the “keep-it-real” aesthetic of hip
hop culture but have also drawn strength from the collective experiences of
African-American writers to craft fiction that expresses our unique experiences.
K’wan and JaQuavis have become successful writers because they’ve developed a
narrative in their storytelling that rings true to their readers. K’wan’s Hood Rat series depicts the lives of
young women who sleep around to get what they want in life-the consequences of
which are drama filled. And JaQuavis’ most successful series, The Cartel, follows a group of high
profile drug dealing men and the women who love them. The street tales these
three authors write about continue to draw more and more fan who wait with
baited breathe for the next book in the series to be released.
Titles for further reading:
