By Felicia Pride

"It was important for me to continue my double life. One for my career and the other for myself--the real me. Only I didn't know who the real me was. I was so accustomed to living in multiple worlds I often confused myself. As a down low man, I had to make sure people saw me as a heterosexual man; they had to see me with women...Nothing about me could be associated with the gay lifestyle."

So writes Terrance Dean in his new "tell-some" memoir Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry--from Music to Hollywood (Atria, May 2008). Dean worked in the entertainment industry for more than ten years and spent most of that time struggling with his sexuality. He was a down low brother who felt like he couldn't be himself: a gay man.

In Hiding in Hip Hop, Dean writes of tight-knit communities of down low men in both Hollywood and the music industry. He writes of thugged out rappers with girlfriends and wives who sneak around to sleep with other men. He writes of down low ministers and in-the-closet R&B singers. He writes of down-low "jump off" parties. He paints a world where sex, lying, and cheating are the norm. He writes of a world where fear, pain, shame, and a lack of self-love are the dominant emotions. He paints a world where masculinity is narrowly-defined, heterosexuality is the only option, and down low men spew hatred toward homosexuals because they hate themselves.

MTW: There are a lot of generalizations thrown around in the book by the men you interviewed. Such as, white women are submissive, women from third world countries are hypersexual, African American women have attitudes. Where do you think these generalizations stem from?

JW: Anyone who has worked with men professionally knows that the attitudes that they have about others, especially women, is a direct result of attitudes they have about themselves. So the generalizations about women stem from the same place where the generalizations about men develop.

MTW: I've always been disheartened that black men who travel to Brazil and other places for sex compare their interactions with sex workers to the interactions that they have with black women at home. Do these men really not see the difference between the motives, lives, and perspectives of sex workers versus their wives and girlfriends?

JW: I share your concern, but one of the dynamics which makes this phenomena so complex is that many of women that black men deal with are not just "sex workers." In the chapter "Frigid Black Women," the men argue vehemently that it is not just Brazilian prostitutes that have less hang-ups about sex compared to black women, rather it is Brazilian culture that treats sex and sexuality differently from black women. Another issue is that if they are sex workers, they don't easily correspond to the "traditional" ideas and images we have here in America about prostitutes. Some of this has to do with the difference between legalized prostitution and non-legalized prostitution. In countries where prostitution is legal, you don't have the tyranny of the " pimp" like you do here in the States. As a result, women involved in sex work have far more control of both their finances and sexuality. This is one of the reasons why the Brazilian prostitutes or "program" girls tend to be more educated and are widely considered by men to not be victims. Additionally, women in poor countries don't have to be working as sex workers to want to meet American men. I mention in the book several of the websites where men can find thousands of women waiting to come to the states daily. All the average American male (black or white) has to do is go online and see that there are alternatives to American women.

To your point about motives, it is extremely important to take notice of how men ultimately conclude that all relationships involve similar "transactions." In the chapter "She Knows How To Love Me: The Secret of the Brazilian Attraction" the men talk very candidly about how materialistic black women are in America and how paying for sex is essentially what most men do. They also argue that women in other countries are far less materialistic than women in this country. So given this point of view, some might argue that men were pessimistic about relationships and have these attitudes about women way before they leave the US. In either case, what is really striking is the level of intimacy and interaction that men describe with women overseas but not here in the states.

By Felicia Pride

There's a phenomenon sweeping the African American community: Black men traveling to places like Brazil and the Dominican Republic for sex. A new book Don't Blame It on Rio: The Real Deal Behind Why Men Go to Brazil for Sex (Grand Central Publishing, April 2008) by Jewel Woods and Karen Hunter attempts to get to the heart of this issue and show that it's bigger than "getting some." More than Words spoke with Woods who also founded the Renaissance Male Project, a nonprofit advocacy and accountability organization for men and boys. Check out this eye-opening, eyebrow-raising interview with Woods about sex, love, and the widening divide between African American men and women. And when you're finished, click here to read an excerpt of Don't Blame It on Rio.

More than Words: The idea for Don't Blame it on Rio stemmed from the question, "Are black women necessary?" What factors contributed to this point in time when such a question even exists?

Jewel Woods: To be specific, the question "Are black women necessary?" was the direct result of what many men were asking or raising explicitly. In a broader sense, the question is rooted in the social facts that we are all aware of regarding the decline in marriage, the high rates of divorce and separation, the disproportionate rates of inter-racial marriage, and so on. However, most discussions about black men, marriage and relationships focus on poor and working poor men and their inability to be providers or the "strain" of not being able to assume traditional roles within the family. Very few discussion look at the group of black men with stable jobs or the group commonly referred to as the Love Jones Cohort that are increasingly single and living alone to examine what their issues are with building and sustaining long term relationships.

By Felicia Pride

I don't think I've been this excited about a forthcoming book from a celebrity in awhile.

Prince, Mr. Purple Rain himself, will be dropping a book slated for Fall 2008, called 21 Nights.

Described as a "photographic essay collection," that will offer a "rare glimpse into the life, lyrics, and mystique" of Prince, the book stems from the 21-night show the iconic artist performed at the O2 Arena in London in 2007.

21 Nights will include poetry, song lyrics, pictures from the performance, and an exclusive CD entitled, Indigo Nights. The book, which is a first for the artist, will be published by Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

This book will definitely grace my coffee table.

But honestly, I wish he was coming out with an autobiography. Could you imagine the glitz, glamor, and drama?

By Felicia Pride

This past weekend, on May 3rd, the Godfather of Soul, James Brown would have turned 75. The celebrated musician passed away in 2006, but his legacy continues to live on.

A new book, The James Brown Reader: 50 Years of Writing about the Godfather of Soul (Plume, May 2008) edited by groundbreaking writer Nelson George and famed music insider Alan Leeds, explores the amazing rollercoaster career of the hardest working man in show business.

By Felicia Pride

I've told this story before on MTW. But I had a friend, a professional black man in his 30s, who had no idea who James Baldwin was. I was hella shocked and even more disheartened. Shouldn't every black person, shoot every person, know the genius of Baldwin?

Not only did Baldwin write such classic books as Go Tell it on the Mountain, The Fire Next Time, and Notes of a Native Son, he was also a public intellectual and activist who could expertly articulate the complexity of being black in America. He knew Malcolm X. He marched with Martin Luther King. He wrote about civil rights. He embraced the writer and artist's role in society: to speak truth.

Award-winning journalist, Herb Boyd recently chronicled the literary icon's life in Baldwin's Harlem, which also explores the writer's complex relationship with the cultural capital.

Penial Joseph, who penned the book's foreword, wrote, "Perhaps more than any other writer before or since, James Baldwin distilled the anger, pain, and passion of black life in America and beyond. As an essayist, playwright, and novelist Baldwin forever transformed public commentary and political inquiry on issues of race, violence, and democracy."

By Felicia Pride

It can suck to be a celebrity. Especially when folks decide to write a tell-all about your life and put your business on the streets.

MC and actor, Mos Def, could attest to this. His ex-wife, Alana Wyatt, 29, self-published a tell-all called Breaking the Code of Silence, which is supposed to describe her whirlwind marriage to the artist, who she married last year.

By Felicia Pride

When I was a teenager and Snoop Dogg's debut album Doggystyle dropped, I would have never ever thought that the rapper would ever add children's books to his repertoire.

Granted, that was a long time ago, but Snoop Dogg is still Snoop Dogg.

Yes his reality show Father Hood details his parenting and family life and the Long Beach native also started a youth football league.

But still, launching a children's book series seems like a stretch for Mr. Sexual Eruption.

Called Where's The Cheese, the series centers around a character named Lil' Mouse and is supposed to help children navigate the diversity of challenges faced in urban environments. The books will be illustrated by Snoop's cousin, Joe Cool, and it's been reported that the rapper's eight-year-old daughter Cori may narrate the Where's the Cheese animation series that's in development. (source)

First children's books. What's next?

By Felicia Pride

While spending time in prison, former gang member Dashuan "Jiwe" Morris, wrote a letter to publicist, activist and author of Black Pain, Terrie M. Williams. They began corresponding back and forth and she eventually brought his writing to her publisher, Scribner, who published his memoir seven months later.

The finished product, War of the Bloods in My Veins: A Street Soldier's March Toward Redemption, is a raw narrative about Morris's life as a member of the Bloods street gang, which he joined at a very young age. He writes, "In the darkness of the streets, my childhood is murdered....I am reborn--a gangster."

The book is not an easy read. Morris, who was involved in his first drive-by at age 11, doesn't hold back in telling his story, including those parts which make your heart cringe.

By Felicia Pride

Once again, Walter Mosley ain't just talking the talk, he's walking it too. The man behind the highly successful Easy Rawlins series is publishing his latest effort, The Tempest Tales, a May Essence book pick, with Black-owned Black Classics Press.

Here's a quick description of The Tempest Tales, which definitely illustrates Mosley's unique imagination:

Tempest Landry, an everyman African American, is "accidentally" killed by a cop. Denied access to heaven because of what he considers a few minor transgressions, Tempest refuses to go to hell. Stymied, Saint Peter sends him back to Harlem, where a guiding angel tries to convince him to accept Saint Peter's judgment, and even the Devil himself tries to win over Tempest's soul. Through the street-smart Landry, Mosley poses the provocative question: Is sin for blacks the same as it is for whites? And who gets to decide?

By Felicia Pride

Rose Rock is one of the newest celebrity moms to add author to her plate of accomplishments. She raised successful comedian Chris Rock, and her not-playing-around style is inspiration for actress Tichina Arnold's matriarch character on the award-winning television show Everybody Hates Chris.

But I bet you didn't know, Ms. Rock is mother to 10 children and 17 foster children. Yes that would be 27 children in total. She's also an educator, who for the last 17 years, taught and operated a preschool and day care center. She eventually founded Rock This 619, a nonprofit dedicated to youth empowerment.

Ms. Rock ain't playing on all levels.

And now she's putting her years of experience raising and caring for kids into the new book, Mama Rock's Rules: 10 Lessons for Raising a Houseful of Successful Children (co-written with Valerie Graham).

By Felicia Pride

Former pimp Big Boom is back. You might remember learning about him on More Than Words when I blogged about his relationship book, If You Want Closure in Your Relationship Start with Your Legs.

Well the self-proclaimed "Bodyguard to Women's Hearts" is once again offering uncensored advice in his new book How to Duck a Suckah: A Guide to Living a Drama-Free Life. He says, "Men are always looking for something to catch or shoot and if you aren't careful you will be his next target." Big Boom is now married, has found God, and is on a crusade to show women how to avoid "no good men" and stop being "sitting ducks."

According to Big Boom, recognizing a suckah is the first step in avoiding heartbreak. The Suckahs' Club includes:

The Preacher-Type Suckah
The Long-Distance Suckah
The Midnight Star Suckah
The No Satisfaction Suckah
The Down Low Suckah (The Worst Suckah of them all)

Know any of these characters?

By Felicia Pride
If history was changed and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had not been assassinated on that Memphis hotel balcony forty years ago today, there's no question that he would be outspoken about many of the racial and social problems that continue to plague America.

Since Dr. King's assassination, America has changed. Or has it? We may see our first black or female president, but what does this say about the overall journey toward equality that Dr. King fought so hard for?

Two new books, April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr's Death and How It Changed America by prolific author Michael Eric Dyson and What Would Martin Say by confidante to Dr. King, Clarence B. Jones (coauthored by Joel Engel), aim to give insight into the thoughts and legacy of the prophetic leader as well as offer commentary on how far we've come in realizing his dream.

By Felicia Pride, TheBackList.net

Singer Akon has signed a book deal with rapper C-Murder's book publishing company, TRU Publishing. Akon's book, Thug Politics, is reportedly slated for an April or May release. (source)

There's no further information about what the book is about, but I'm guessing it's about thugs and the lives they lead. Yawn.

The only thing that worries me when a cat like Akon releases a book is that it sends the message that anyone and his/her momma can write a book. While that may be true, here's the catch: everyone can't write a good book. Folks need to respect the craft. Let's hope Akon takes writing seriously. Writing books ain't just a side hustle.

By Felicia Pride, TheBackList.net

I didn't learn about Ida B. Wells until I was in college, which I now know is not only sad, but also tragic. It's true that Wells, who risked her life to fight lynching, hasn't truly gotten her due in history textbooks. But her remarkable life has recently been captured in the 765-page biography, Ida: A Sword Among Lions by award-winning author Paula Giddings.

Toni Morrison has called the book "brilliant." Maya Angelou declared, "Paula Giddings has brought another great American out of the midst of history. We are saddened that we did not know Ida B. Wells earlier, but happy to know that she was born here and worked here to make our country a better place for all Americans."