The Plot Against Hip Hop

"George is an ace at interlacing the real dramas of the world . . . the book's slim length and flyweight depth could make it an artifact of this particular zeitgeist in American history. Playas and haters and celebrity cameos fuel a novel that is wickedly entertaining while being frozen in time."--Kirkus Reviews"This hard-boiled tale is jazzed up with authentic street slang and name-dropping (Biggie, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, and Chuck D) . . . George’s tightly packaged mystery pivots on a believable conspiracy . . . and his street cred shines in his descriptions of Harlem and Brownsville’s mean streets."--Library Journal"George is a well-known, respected hip-hop chronicler . . . Now he adds crime fiction to his resume with a carefully plotted crime novel peopled by believable characters and real-life hip-hop personalities."--Booklist"The most accomplished black music critic of his generation."--The Washington Post Book World"Perhaps one of the greatest books ever written. It has the realness of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the warmth of The Color Purple, and the page count of Tuesdays with Morrie. It's a must-read."--Chris Rock on City KidThe Plot Against Hip Hop is a noir novel set in the world of hip hop culture. The stabbing murder of esteemed music critic Dwayne Robinson in a Soho office building is dismissed by the NYPD as a gang initiation. But his old friend, bodyguard and security expert D Hunter, suspects there are larger forces at work.D Hunter's investigation into his mentor's murder leads into a parallel history of hip hop, a place where renegade government agents, behind-the-scenes power brokers, and paranoid journalists know a truth that only a few hardcore fans suspect. This rewrite of hip hop history mixes real-life figures with characters pulled from the culture's hidden world, including Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Russell Simmons.Review"George's prose sparkles with an effortless humanity, bringing his characters to life in a way that seems true and beautiful. The story -- and the conspiracy behind it -- is one we all need to hear as consumers and creators in the post-hardcore hip-hop world."--Shelf Awareness"Part procedural murder mystery, part conspiracy-theory manifesto, Nelson George’s The Plot Against Hip Hop reads like the PTSD fever dream of a renegade who’s done several tours of duty in the trenches . . . Plot’s combination of record-biz knowledge and ghetto fabulosity could have been written only by venerable music journalist Nelson George, who knows his hip-hop history . . . The writing is as New York as 'Empire State of Mind,' and D is a detective compelling enough to anchor a series."--Time Out New York"The Plot Against Hip Hop is a quick-moving murder mystery that educates its audience on Hip Hop’s pioneer generation along the way . . . it is a nostalgic look at a magical and manic moment in time."--New York Journal of Books"George very masterfully has created a novel that informs as well as entertains."--Huffington Post"Nelson George comes from an older generation that still remembers Hip Hop as the vital and dangerous voice it once was. This feeling for the past carries throughout the novel, and manages to convey the weight and importance of this profound shift in values without being nostalgic . . . The Plot Against Hip Hop is a fine piece of 'edutainment' -- both exciting and thought provoking . . . it's great to finally have a novel about Hip Hop written by one of it’s original documentary journalists."--ABORT MagazineAbout the AuthorNelson George: Nelson George is one of the first writers to document hip hop culture, seeing Kool Herc in a Bronx schoolyard in the late '70s. He would go on to write several award winning books on the subject, including 'Hip Hop America' and Russell Simmons' autobiography 'Life and Def.' He directed Queen Latifah in the award winning HBO film,'Life Support,' and executive produces VH1's long running 'Hip Hop Honors' broadcast. He can be contacted at www.nelsondgeorge.net.