- Paperback: 332 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (4 Feb 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1582348863
- ISBN-13: 978-1582348865
- Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 13.3 x 2.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 830,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
From the Author
Why did I write Gangsta Rap?
I was fascinated by the amount of young people excluded from school who had loads of talent and who then went on to succeed in their chosen careers, usually creative careers. I was in a similar situation myself when I was excluded at 13 and the teacher called me a "born failure", so I wanted to go into the life of a young boy in a similar situation. Ray is, on the one hand, a bad boy, a boy you wouldn’t want your daughter to bring home, but actually underneath there is goodness and real talent. So I wanted to explore what could happen to him if he was given creative freedom and how he could be inspired by a head teacher who had the vision to recognise his talent.
I love Rap music. Many people say that teenage boys are not interested in poetry but Rap is simply street poetry. Why do kids get embarrassed when you call it poetry? I used to. I love poetry, but poetry reminds lots of kids of dead slow words written by dead white men. Rap tells it as it is. It might grate or upset you, but people who are studying youth trends should just listen to Rap music as that’s where it’s at. Rap is street poetry owned by young people. Nowadays every kid on a street corner is a rapper and that’s all good.
I also wanted to explore the gun culture. In some areas where black people live there are more guns than food. In many inner city areas kids no longer get into scraps and come home with a bloody nose or a black eye, now it’s a shooting or at the very least a stabbing.
Some studies have shown that black kids are highly intelligent when they start their education but by the time they’ve left they are at the bottom of the pile – why is that? I can partly answer that question from my own experience of school where I found the system far too rigid. When I objected to the teacher’s version of black history starting with slavery, I was told that that’s how she was told to teach the subject. When I objected to being told that infrastructure of civilisation started in Europe, I pointed out that Ancient Egypt had a social security system and a sewage system. I feel that everyone is taught a biased inflexible version of history and I know it’s not the teachers’ fault – they’re boxed in by the thing called the curriculum. My instinct says it’s based on a need to pass exams. Are kids failing school, or are schools failing kids?
Simply what do you do with talent that’s living on the wrong side of town? --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first clocked Benjamin Zephaniah when he turned down an honour from the UK Government. As a man of Irish immigrant ancestry living in the west of Scotland, I felt I could relate to that. The more I read about the man and his reasons the greater my respect for him became and I felt compelled to pick up some of his poetry. The guy's a genuine talent and, importantly, somebody worth listening too. He's morally strong and resolute and he's articulate enough to get people to sit up and take notice.
I don't know what I expected from the book but if one measure of a good book is how much you begin to care about the main protagonists then I reckon Gangsta Rap is a massive success. It's an easy read and accessible for teens but suitable - and in some ways required - reading for adults looking to introduce themselves to BZ. I won't bore you with a rehash of the synopsis and what this book meant to me will differ from what it meant to other readers. But for me it was about friendship, about relationships good and not so good, it's about the media and the inability of some (most?) people to question what's forcefed them by the nation's hacks...
for me the book was rich. I cared what happened to Ray and the other lads. If I had only one minor gripe it would be that the character of Prem wasn't really developed in the way that some others were. Still, this is a very minor gripe. Pick it up, have a read... and listen to a man with something to say.
I don't know what I expected from the book but if one measure of a good book is how much you begin to care about the main protagonists then I reckon Gangsta Rap is a massive success. It's an easy read and accessible for teens but suitable - and in some ways required - reading for adults looking to introduce themselves to BZ. I won't bore you with a rehash of the synopsis and what this book meant to me will differ from what it meant to other readers. But for me it was about friendship, about relationships good and not so good, it's about the media and the inability of some (most?) people to question what's forcefed them by the nation's hacks...
for me the book was rich. I cared what happened to Ray and the other lads. If I had only one minor gripe it would be that the character of Prem wasn't really developed in the way that some others were. Still, this is a very minor gripe. Pick it up, have a read... and listen to a man with something to say.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Barcode: 9780747565659
I can just about remember enough of this book to remember just how excellent it was. I read it in the summer and it was just the perfect way to chill-out on those long, hot afternoons. What i love about this book is that it has that feel of intense realism but done in a light-hearted way that keeps the novel accessible and enjoyable. In the briefest summary, it;s basically about some guys who are into rap and are determined to follow their dream and to make it work, saving them from the world of crime they live in - i think that's it anyway, as i said, i read it quite some time ago.
The characters are all likable and the story enthralling. Ok, i do rememebr thinking that maybe the guys do get signed up too quickly but in the grand scheme of the book, it just keeps the action flowing and that's what it's all about - a cool, slick story for young adults - Adults can find just as much enjoyment from it though. It makes an excellent statement on modern youth culture and i;m sure that'll be of interest to them, especially parents, what with all the media attention on such matters at the moment.
I recomended the book to my brother and sister and they both finished it - quite surprising as they hardly ever read. Proof of just how unputdownable the book is. Check it out, you won't be disappointed!
I can just about remember enough of this book to remember just how excellent it was. I read it in the summer and it was just the perfect way to chill-out on those long, hot afternoons. What i love about this book is that it has that feel of intense realism but done in a light-hearted way that keeps the novel accessible and enjoyable. In the briefest summary, it;s basically about some guys who are into rap and are determined to follow their dream and to make it work, saving them from the world of crime they live in - i think that's it anyway, as i said, i read it quite some time ago.
The characters are all likable and the story enthralling. Ok, i do rememebr thinking that maybe the guys do get signed up too quickly but in the grand scheme of the book, it just keeps the action flowing and that's what it's all about - a cool, slick story for young adults - Adults can find just as much enjoyment from it though. It makes an excellent statement on modern youth culture and i;m sure that'll be of interest to them, especially parents, what with all the media attention on such matters at the moment.
I recomended the book to my brother and sister and they both finished it - quite surprising as they hardly ever read. Proof of just how unputdownable the book is. Check it out, you won't be disappointed!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is brilliant, one of Benjamin Zephaniahs best books (though they are all wicked). It is really imaginative about 3 boys who have all been excluded from school and instead of moving to a different school, they go to a special school where all their work is related to rap and hip hop, they get signed to a record contract. This book is awesome, Buy it NOW!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Uninspired, flat... would not recommend this book!
As an ESL English teacher in charge of purchases for our English teen library, I am always on the lookout for new exciting books for our teenagers (aged 13 to 16). Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2010 by Els De Clercq
Another excellent read from Benjamin Zephaniah
Having read much of his poetry I purchased Face, which i very much enjoyed, so I purchased Refuge Boy and enjoyed it so much I purchased this book. Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2008 by C. Wheeler
Bigotted Trash
Violent gang-related deaths of young black males are such a common tragedy in the UK today that they rarely even makes the front pages. Read more
Published on 22 Oct 2007 by Richard Murray
Simple, but good
The book overall had a very good story line with a deep and thoughtful plot. The languge of the book let me down a little, aimed at the over 13s the languge was very simple for... Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2007 by Girl- bibliophile
Gangsta's Paradise
When i first started reading the book i wasn't sure how good it was going to be. But the more i read the more i liked. Read more
Published on 10 May 2006 by G. Nanson
Gangsta Rap
This book is well written and very hard to put down once you have started reading, it is gripping the reader all the way through and the story is fast all the way through, no part... Read more
Published on 17 April 2006 by Jamez
wow what a book
this is one of the best book i have ever read.im 15 and i usely dnt read books but as soon as i saw the title i knew it was going to be good. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2006 by Josh Rowlands
Brilliant!
This book was amazing, the kind thats very difficult to put down! A must read for any hip hop fan, probably will appeal to teens more but dont let that stop you. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2006
great book
This is the best book i have ever read.
Published on 16 Aug 2005
brilliant!!
This is one of the best books i have read. i couldnt put it down an finished it in a day!
I think this would appeal to teenagers as it is more relateable to them although... Read more
I think this would appeal to teenagers as it is more relateable to them although... Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2005
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