BOOK: Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies, Brian Coleman (7/10)

Why did I read it?

As more than a casual fan of hip-hop, especially of hip-hop from days gone by, this book was essential reading once I stumbled across it.

What's it all about?
Brian Coleman interviewed the artists responsible for some of the most influential hip-hop albums of all time. He presents the interviews as each artist discusses the creation of their work from the birth of the act through to the recording of the particular album. The list includes the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, De La Soul, The Beastie Boys and Too $hort. Coleman then presents a track by track breakdown of each particular album giving the artists the opportunity to explain the inspiration behind each track.  

Should you read it?

This book is not for casual readers, only interested music fans will enjoy the detailed descriptions of the recording processes and instruments used in producing these 'immortal rap albums'. I highlight this quote as every reader will have an opinion on the albums selected and I have to admit my interest waned during the chapters for artists I had very limited or no knowledge of. I understand that Coleman completed fifty interviews yet only thirty-six were included and I think the book would have been benefited from being a more definitive collection with these included. The albums selected predominantly range from the late 80s to the early 90s with a few exceptions. Again some would argue that this is the 'golden era' of hip-hop but there are many great albums from outside of that period, in particular from the West Coast.

Grumbles over the selection aside, the book gives a fascinating first hand insight into the creative side of these artists and their recording processes. What is interesting is how diverse the production of each album was at the time. The development of each album was unique from the recording of demos and earning of record deals through to the production and sampling processes used by the various artists and producers.

BOOK: Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets, David Simon (10/10)

Why did I read it?

In my eyes author David Simon is nothing short of a genius. Creator and head writer of The Wire, co-creator of Treme and producer and writer of Generation Kill, the man is responsible for some fantastic TV. I know of his pre-The Wire shows but have not seen any episodes of Homicide or The Corner so decided this would be a good opportunity to look at some of his work from his previous career as a police reporter. 

What's it all about?

Simon took a year out of his career as a police reporter for The Baltimore Sun to spend 1988 chronicling the day to day activities of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. A Year On The Killing Streets is the result of that year and Simon gives a fly on the wall perspective of a year in the life of  a typical Baltimore homicide detective, and it ain't pretty.

Should you read it?

This book is to crime literature what The Wire is to police dramas. A massive dose of honest reality. 1988 was a particularly tough year for the Baltimore homicide unit and as Simon recounts the details of the more prominent cases of the year alongside the working mantra of a homicide detective, its obvious that the CSI portrayal of homicide detectives is completely false. In 1988, DNA samples do not exist, the majority of cases are drug related killings unlikely to have a single willing witness and at one point in the year the clearance rate falls below 40%.

Simon says in the epilogue that very little amendments were made to his final manuscript at the request of the BPD and this shows as murder details, procedures, department politics, names and conversations are recounted honestly. The detectives have largely become immune to the death around them and make jokes of fresh corpses as well as the luck of other detectives in catching a stone cold 'whodunit' over a 'dunker'. The broad range of personalities in the department also help Simon to give a fascinating insight into the workings of an overworked homicide department. The birth of characters used by Simon years later in The Wire is evident, literally in the case of Jay Landsman, as are several conversations and references to special details and wire taps.

A really eye-opening insight into the unglamourous life of a Baltimore homicide detective and the staggering crime levels of late eighties Baltimore. A must for any fan of police TV dramas, in particular The Wire.