Newsletter

Subscribe to The State of Hip Hop E-Zine and get all of our latest hip hop book and video recommendations first!!

Hip Hop Books: Urban Fiction

Here is where we feature the best urban fiction books.

Old time writers always say, in order to write well you must read good writing.

Well featured here are the best urban fiction books there are. From Hip Hop novels to urban prose to ancient fables, if you're looking for good fiction books, look no further.

Many of the stories are pure urban fiction, taking place in an inner city setting but a select few are simply great fiction or classic works of fiction that I must recommend.

My personal favorite among the list happens to be a short story, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by brilliant author and now MIT English professor, Junot Diaz. Be sure to check that one out.

But there are plenty, plenty more...so sit back relax and enjoy these great urban fiction books before a good nights sleep...you'll have amazing dreams.

Urban Fiction

Aesop's Fables

As legend has it, the storyteller Aesop was a slave who lived in ancient Greece during the sixth century B.C. His memorable, recountable fables have brought amusing characters to life and driven home thought-provoking morals for generations of listeners and modern-day readers. "The Hare and the Tortoise", "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" and others are among the characters created by Aesop.. All of these ancient lessons remain relevant today and can be easily adapted into modern art and music mediums.

Drown

The 10 tales in this intense debut collection plunge us into the emotional lives of people redefining their American identity. Narrated by adolescent Dominican males living in the struggling communities of the Dominican Republic, New York and New Jersey, these stories chronicle their outwardly cool but inwardly anguished attempts to transform themselves in the midst of eroding family structures and their booming sexuality, all while surrounded by friends of questionable principles and morals. Diaz's restrained prose reveals their hopes only by implication. It's a style suited to these characters, who long for love but display little affection toward each other. Still, the author's compassion glides just below the surface, occasionally emerging in poetic passages of controlled lyricism, lending these stories a lasting resonance. Despite that summary, these stories are surprisingly easy to read, full of slang and yet amazingly beautiful.

Black Gangster

A large part of Goines' 39 years of life was spent being a successful pimp, a thief, an operator of corn liquor houses, an armed robber, and a small-time dope dealer. He lived the life of the streets and out of that experience he created Prince, the anti-hero of Black Gangster! It's the story of the shocking underworld of black organized crime and the fledgling black "Godfather" who goes from teenage ganglord to powerful Detroit mobster. Tupac once interestingly rapped, "Machiavelli was my tutor, Donald Goines, my father figure// Mama sent me to go play with the drug dealers" That being said, Black Gangster, is one urban fiction novel that will definitely game you to the streets.

"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao"

This is absolutely my favorite "short" story and I'm happy to announce that in Fall 2007 it will become a full fledged novel. Junot Diaz is an amazing young hispanic talent not afraid to tackle controversial topics honestly and does so remarkably well in all his works, namely The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. This artistically ghetto story is a modern account of a young latino turned fat ugly nerd and his quest for acceptance. The narrator is Oscar's sister's ex-boyfriend which adds a very interesting perspective. The story is one which will tug at your heart and mind alike and has a perfectly beautiful albeit expected ending. The "short" version of the story is the only thing out currently and was originally published in 2001 by The New Yorker. It is also available in some anthologies.