Reflection

Jonathan,
It is clear that you really cared about this assignment. I enjoyed reading your creative ideas. Please see the rubric for some specific feedback

My Bibiliography...=]

WEBSITES:
"Sister Souljah." Wikepedia: The free encyclopedia. 9 May , 2009.
en.wikipedia.org/sister_souljah

www.kwanfoye.com
n/a
11 may 2009

Ta' nehisi paul-cotes. "Hustle and grow." 9 october 2006
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1543951-1,00.html



Daniel Derouchie. "Street writin man" 2 november 2006

Time out new york magazine. 11 may 2009
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/i-new-york/3941/street-writin-man




BOOKS:
williamson, lisa. The coldest winter ever.

New york: Pocket Books, 1999.

Hobbs, Allison. Double Dippin'.

Largo, MD: Streebor Books, 2006.



Foye, K'wan. Hood Rat.

New York: St. Martin's press, 2006.

Bio for sister souljah

Sister Souljah. Revolutionary, Rapper, and Black Activist.
A modern day leader for her people. soft spoken with a strong opinion about everything- love, sex, family dynamics in the hood, male-female relationships, a woman's place in the home, homosexuality, just about anything. her pen hand is heavy, starts of slow and careful, and then brings broad strokes of genius to every page. selling millions and inspiring the young black American minds to achieve what seems impossible, due the the circumstances given to them. She is an success story for the ages, and a beautiful role model for our black youth.


Sister Souljah graduated from Rutgers University from a dual major in American History and African Studies, only 21 and has traveled the world, visiting Britain, Portugal, France, Spain, Finland and Russia.she worked under reverend Benjamin Chavis, of the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, for three years, organizing many events, such as the African Survival Camp; a six week sleep away camp that took place in the summer, in Enfield, N.C.

She is also a rapper, appearing on tracks with the rap group, Public Enemy, and in 1992 released her first and only album, 360 Degrees of Power, only selling 27,000 copies. Both her music videos,"The Final Solution: Slavery's Back in Effect" and "The Hate that Hate Produced," were banned by MTV. her record label, Epic/SME Records, dropped her.

At 31, she wrote her Autobiography, "No Disrespect" (Times/Crown/Random House) in 1995, and in 1999 she wrote her first novel, "The Coldest Winter Ever"(Simon & Schuster) and sold more than one million copies worldwide, gaining national attention and critical acclaim from many.

She married a man named Mike Rich, and has one child, Michael Jr.

Souljah truly cares for her people, she was the executive director of Daddy's House Social Programs Inc., a not-for-profit corporation for urban youth, financed by Sean Combs and Bad Boy Entertainment. Daddy's House teaches the black youth, ages 10-16 the necessary skills they need to make it in their adult lives.

winter's magical music playlist

If ipods were invented in the early '90's,
I'm sure winter would have one. but i wonder, what would she listen to? I've always envisioned her as a girl with eclectic taste- ranging from hardcore rap, soft jazz, R&B in it's beggining stages, things like that.

Here's five songs i think Winter would probably listen to.

1. Shook ones, pt. 2-Mobb Deep- talks about a gangster's life, what a thug would probably think about when he lays his head down in slumber, how not many people would be able to handle the rigors of being a "Hardcore Nigga", (i.e Shoot outs, drive by shootings, stick up kids)
2. Fucking You Tonight- Notorious B.I.G ft. R.kelly- winter seems like the type that would have sex to soft R&B. it's a no frills type of songs. the lyrics say:You must be used to me spendin/And all that sweet winin and dinin/Well Im fuckin you tonight.
3. When i see her- Remy ma- in the end of the book, winter is confronted by a former friend, and harsh words exchanged lead to a physical altercation, i which winter's face is slahed with a broken bottle. i imagine winter when she was in jail probably thinking of this song. the songs is basically pattern, speaking of various scenarios where remy would finish off a person she didn't like.
4. Ny State Of Mind- nas- it's probably a song that Mr. Santiaga, her father, would listen to.. talks about the life of drug dealer, and various aspects of their lives, such as having a killer's mentality being able to outrun a stick up kid, and gaining respect.
5. Lighters up- lil kim- lil' kim talks about brooklyn, the burrough that winter's from. gives a walk through of life there. lyrics say:Feds get clapped too/ police stay on us like tattoos/Niggas only grind cause we have to/Money is power, sling crack, weed and powder/Fiends come through every hour/It's about that dollar, and we nuh deal with cowards/Weak lambs get devoured by the lion/In the concrete jungle, the strong stand and rumble/The weak fold and crumble, it's the land of trouble/Brooklyn, home of the greatest rappers/BIG comes first, then the Queen comes after.
   
   

suicide note-shane batista

Right before Shane committed his tragic final act, i imagined what he'd probably do.. i imagined him writing a note to somewhat help justify his actions, and answer some question that his loved ones might of had after he died.
so, here goes.

Right now, I'm at my rope's fuckin end. i don't know what the hell I'm doin, i really don't. I'm fathering my brother's kid, and my sister in law is now my wife... the little dude looks up into my eyes and he ain't stupid, he knows im not his daddy. I can't explain why i did that shit- sleepin with Janelle, but everyday i wake up from the same horrible nightmare... I'm giving it to her good, when out of nowhere, tarriq comes in. The look on his face is enough to tear me to shreds.. and then he leaves. I'm chasin after him, but he's too fast for me, and then outta nowhere, a car comes, and then BAM! he's there, just lyin in a pool of blood.. The shit was shaped like fuckin angel wings- the same thing as my momma when she got gunned down by that cracker- a sight i don't think imma ever forget for as long as i live...It's been two years since then, and everyday for me feels like a lie. Not to mention i have these crazy ass headaches, that fuckin last for hours ad drive me crazy, so i pop too many zanies and wash it down with some henny and get really crazy stomachaches that fuckin kill me... i just- i can't deal with it anymore.. I'm done.. i swear i can hear everybody callling me.. from heaven. First Tarriq, then ms. Holmes, then Aunt Mazie and ma... maybe it's time for me.. just maybe.. to Janelle, i FUCKIN HATE YOU. you're a conniving, sheisty ass bitch, and if it weren't for you i still have my brother.. to my son k'shan and my ex-wifey Kari, i love you, and im sorry i hurt you so much.. one day we'll meet again and imma make everything up to you guys. i promise. Misty and Brick, even though y'all are dead to me, i wish y'all all the best.. keep hustlin..
Goodbye everyone.
Shane Batista

Winter's journal entry in jail.

....Months later, Winter's world comes crashing down around her when she is attacked in a car by Simone, her ex-best friend with a bottle while waiting for Bullet, her lover. A crowd gathers to watch the fight, and Winter loses focus when she sees Bullet cause the crowd to disperse by waving a gun in the air. Once Winter looks away, Simone slashes her across the face with a broken bottle. Winter is led back to the car by Bullet and, shortly afterward, the police arrive. Bullet leaves Winter to take the fall for him, and she is given a mandatory 15-year prison sentence after being arrested and convicted of transporting drugs in his rental car.

Winter ends up in jail. Soon, her old friends Natalie and Simone join her, and little sister ends up becoming just like her. The last chapter comes to a surprising ending: after her father was jailed, Winter talks about being let out of prison to attend her mother’s funeral, and she learns that her mother became addicted to crack after learning of her husband's affair and fathering a child with another woman.

this is a diary entry that winter would probably write while in jail.

Dear Diary,
i can't tell u how long i been in this shithole... i spend most of my time either chillin in solitaire or just keeping up on my book game... gotta stay smart even if you don't got shit to prove to anybody, just to keep you sane... im not gonna talk about how fucked up i feel the world is.. how i feel that keepin smart young sisters incarcerated for bullshit crimes with no fuckin weight does nothing for the racism problem in America... how it does nothing to enhance out spiritual, emotional and soul growth for our black women... how the lack of male to female ratios fail to present us with many choices on how to deal with our "needs"...converting most of these girls into carpet munching dykes, gettin raped in showers, out in rec time and paying C.O's to drop e pills in an inmates food for a silent date rape... fucked up shit like that. yeah, i bet you ain't could say some smart ass intellectual shit like that, huh? well yeah, i been on that Malcolm X shit while I've been away.. two years. two years, so far.. I've been helpin out in the kitchen, bein extra nice to the dirty motherfucker C.O's and smiling like a nice little girl to the yellow teethed crackers that put me here...I'm building up a case, and in about a year I'll be eligible for parole, and imma be outta here soon. imma try to live right... get up on my gear first, find me a place and start workin... pipe dreams? nah. never that. what that book forgot to tell you is that Winter Santiaga is a fighter. always was, always will be. These niggas- oh, my bad, people, thought they could keep me down.. thought they got rid of me.. i guess they saw somethin in me that scared em'. bitchass folk... but i hold no bitterness.. i have no words for them.. my actions will spak for themselves.
oh shit, i think the lights are about to go out, imma write to u first thing in the morning.
later.
Winter

a poem about a season...

this is a poem i wrote about a character in the book the coldest winter ever, Winter Santiaga.

Winter
She's fly, no doubt.
Prettier than any miss America,
Stance is sexy,
Her swagger unmatched.
she's a dime x100,
Shines brighter than the sun,
Though she was born in December...
Listens to her own voice,
and fears nobody.
She bathes in money
and defecates gold bricks,
urinates platinum chains
and spits 32 karat saliva
She's classy but hood
and won't hesitate to cut you,
whether with a switchblade of her tongue,
urban goddess, a Bronx warrior
she was born a "bad bitch", born rich,
but died broke in the clink!

k'wan foye bio.=]

K'wan Foye is one of the gratest contributors to Urban Literature,

smashing on the scene eight years ago with his debut novel, Gangsta, he's quicky become a favorite to many readers of gangsta fiction. with more than 400,000 books in print, it's a proven fact that k'wan foye, the young man with a dream from harlem, is going absolutely nowhere.

it's hard to believe that the man with a cult following of fans and black lit enthusiasts had once had to sell weed to pay the bills. he was actually selling when his debut novel had reached the shelves, in 2004. a couple years later, he caught the attention of publishing corp. St. Martin's press, and signed a four book deal. over the years, k'wan has produced many best-seller books, such as Street Dreamz(2004), Hoodlum(2005), Eve(2006) and Hood Rat, also produced in the same year. he's been in anthologies, colaborating with authors like Anna J, and rapper 50 Cent. the end result? Sexin and Flexin (2007) and Blow(2007).

k'wan is a beautiful, gifted young man who is a prime example of a american hero, giving back to the community by starting his company, Black Dawn inc.. he is also a motivatonal speaker.

character analysis for shane batista(double dippin')

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Double-Dippin%27/Allison-Hobbs/9781593090654
above is a link that will direct you to a page for an description of the book, doubble dippin', by Allison Aobbs.

Character Analysis for: shane batista.

Shane Batista... manipulative brother, foster kid from hell, newly free parolee to a career con artist... His rap sheet pretty much speaks for itself. From the start of the book to the end, Shane is clearly the poster child for the all American protagonist.
His struggle begins in the start after witnessing his schizophrenic mother getting killed by a cop, and being put into a group home at a very young age, where alot of traumatizing things happen to him. his need for attention follows him in his teen years, often daydreaming and getting flashbacks of when his mother used to breastfeed him (only beacause Marguerite Batista believed that food from grocery stores were tainting the kids with bad chemicals), and feelings of inadequacy start to surface when he is being constantly reminded of how his younger brother Tarriq is an angel, forcing Shane to believe that he was made to be a devil child...

Shane eventually grows up to be an enigmatic young man, and his demons follow him with consistency, and he eventually committing the unpardonable sin: having relations with his brother's woman, (who he had once dubbed "ugly", but somehow being seduced by her motherly qualities because she started lactating). he ends up killing himself in an attempt to free himself of his guilt for getting his brother hit by a car(Tarriq walks in on them and takes a walk to get it off his mind, and gets hit by a car because he's not looking where he's going).

shane wasn't really a bad seed but more of a victim of circumstance, not to mention also silently battling a mental illness, that steeled him with the impulse to commit such a tragic act in the end. all his life, Shane had been given (in a figurative sense) nothing but the bones, and it ended up eating him alive. he fathered a child with the woman his brother worked for, and was a pretty good dad until his baby mama's postpartum depression kicked in. overall, Shane Batista was a great character, filled with depth and life and a horrible past, but pretty much made the book that much more interesting.

read it.. READD ITT!!!(book revew for k'wan's hood rat)

PLEASE READ

http://www.amazon.com/review/RXMTGFL9LCO90/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#RXMTGFL9LCO90

if you've finished reading the review, you can pretty much say it sounds alright.

i've actually read this book, plus the sequel (still hood, st. martin's press) and i did a book analysis on it last year. personally my favorite charachter was rhonda, mostly because she reminds me of myself. haha, i don't mean sitting on a stoop and drinking hennesey in a paper cup, but mostly just pushing away people that she loves. it might seem like she had really bad motives and some real hate for paul in the begining, but as you go along she starts opening up. when she died i kinda felt sad... she might of been horrible but i can say that she was one of the only people in the book with a personality!

but overall the book's amazing and you should read it even if you don't like urban fiction simply because it's a good book that shows dept and real embodyment of hood life.

introduction(what is urban literature?)

well, as promised i said that i would give an accurate definition of what urban literature, or Gangsta lit, as it's better known as, is.

Urban fiction is basically works of literary publications (that can be true stories) that pertain to street life, (i.e. drugs, sex, murder, mayhem, family dynamics in the hood, gay love, teen pregnancy, drug addiction & more)

some good examples of of urban fiction novels include:

Zane Presents:Double Dippin-by allison hobbs (streebor books)

Hood Rat-by K'wan Foye(st. martins's press)

The Coldest Winter Ever-by sister souljah(simon & schuster)

i recomended these books because they all show good characterization, most of the characters in these books have depth, and somewhat of a signifigance to the topic being presented forehand.

most people will saw that urban lit isn't actual actual works of fiction, since it only talks about the same thing or uses excessive derogatory language, but the mark of a good book shows good embodyment of characters & awareness of setting.