Based on police wiretaps and exclusive interviews with drug kingpins and hip-hop insiders; this is the untold story of how the streets and housing projects of southeast Queens took over the rap industry.For years; rappers from Nas to Ja Rule have hero-worshipped the legendary drug dealers who dominated Queens in the 1980s with their violent crimes and flashy lifestyles. Now; for the first time ever; this gripping narrative digs beneath the hip-hop fables to re-create the rise and fall of hustlers like Lorenzo ldquo;Fat Catrdquo; Nichols; Gerald ldquo;Princerdquo; Miller; Kenneth ldquo;Supremerdquo; McGriff; and Thomas ldquo;Tony Montanardquo; Mickens. Spanning twenty-five years; from the violence of the crack era to Run DMC to the infamous murder of NYPD rookie Edward Byrne to Tupac Shakur to 50 Centrsquo;s battles against Ja Rule and Murder Inc.; to the killing of Jam Master Jay; Queens Reigns Supreme is the first inside look at the infamous southeast Queens crews and their connections to gangster culture in hip hop today.From the Trade Paperback edition.
#1788350 in eBooks 2010-11-30 2010-11-30File Name: B004BLISXU
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Great book. spoilt in Kindlizing!By Laila TyabjiThis is such a wonderful. beautifully written. moving book about a fascinating person living in a fascinating time pre- and post- WW I - part of the Darwin family and an artist herself. Also the author of PERIOD PIECE. her delightful. much-loved account of her childhood and family (which deserves to be on Kindle too)The tragedy of this Kindle version of the biography is that it has no illustrations. even of Gwen Raverats own work. This. although all reviews of the original DTB praise the illustrations as an essential and integral part of the book. Since Gwen Raverat did black and white woodblock prints they would also have reproduced well in e-ink!The Kindle version is also terribly badly proof-read with hundreds of typos and faulty formatting. I dont want to return it as the book is so great. but at $18.14 its an expensive buy for a rather shoddy production.a revised Kindle version to replace this one. INCLUDING the original illustrations.would be much appreciated!4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A Remarkable and Talented WomanBy Anne SalazarThis is a well-written. in-depth biography of Gwen Darwin Raverat. whose father was Charles Darwins oldest son. Gwens mother was an American. and was pretty much always regarded as just a common American woman despite her long marriage and very long life in Cambridge. Gwen led a fascinating life beginning with her late Victorian childhood -- which she so delightfully recorded in her 1952 book PERIOD PIECE -- and continuing through to her friendships with Virginia Woolf and the oh-so-smart Bloomsbury set. and on to her irritating French husband and development of Gwens own artistic talent.Gwen was a wood-cutter. one of the most famous in Europe. Wood-cutting. or wood-engraving is a fine. intricate. detailed. very rare but beautiful art form and many examples are generously reproduced in the book. along with some of her paintings and some photos of Gwen and her family. I love books like this that hold surprise after surprise as you turn the pages and come across another picture ...Gwen led a difficult life in part because of her superior intelligence and many interests and her desire to not ever take advantage of her famous name. but it is very sad that this led her to choose a husband who was selfish. insatiable. homosexual. not nearly as talented as Gwen and who eventually became very ill and over a period of years came close to dragging Gwen down to the depths of despair along with himself. Since she was so headstrong about wanting to develop her artistic talent and to be seen as an individual and not as just another member of the Darwin clan. it is surprising that she eventually returned to her childhood home and ironically was to become best known as a writer of a delightful and cheerful tongue-in-cheek book about her Darwinian childhood. PERIOD PIECE. which is still in print.Life tends to come full-circle when it is lived to its fullest as this book proves. I am glad to have the opportunity to know Gwen Darwin Raverat and pleased that she had a fine biographer to tell the story of her life.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good background history of the family and a flavor of the period.By CustomerAlmost as interesting as Raverats Period Piece. although very few writers share Raverats ready natural knack for understated humor. I am glad to learn more about this talented and fascinating family. Their closeness and flexible tolerance for living and thinking outside the box while steeped in the manners and expectations of the era and their social class provide a heartwarming model for all of us.
