A tale reflecting what young black men go through. About the s̤truggle of every day trying to make ends meet, in a world that doesn't have a whole lot of love for them.

Gangsta Twist 1 is a modern-day Robin Hood meets Mission: Impossible with a witty urban twist. Taz, the ruthless leader of an elite group of bandits, falls hopelessly in love with Sacha, an up-and-coming lawyer who will stop at nothing to become a partner in her firm. When Cliff, Sacha's ex-boyfriend, hears of her newfound love, all hell breaks loose. Cliff seeks Taz's daughter to get closer to his inner circle. Will Taz be forced to give up his true love in order to save his daughter from the deadly hands of Cliff? Or will Sacha and Taz finally have their happily ever after? Won, the wealthy councilman, knows that the only chance he has at reelection is if there are no competitors. Will Taz, his trusty disciple, and his crew be able to handle the orders given by Won to bring down his peers? Ride with the gang as they travel in search of Won's competitors. Let Gangsta Twist 1 take you on a fast-paced ride full of deceit, fast money, and revenge, where the winner takes all.

TAZ IS BACK! What happens to an organized criminal enterprise when the weakest link finally breaks? Changes must be made for future growth, but nobody can see the forest for the trees. The Network, known for their calculated power moves, attempts to align themselves with new international business colleagues. With a leader like Taz, the possibilities seem endless, but not everyone adjusts well to change. Over the years, respect has been lost and decisions challenged. As secrets are unveiled, blood will be shed and lives will be lost. Will betrayal stand in the way of prosperity? Clifford "Spud" Johnson delivers with this highly anticipated addition to the Gangsta Twist Series that will keep you on your toes!

In the city of Ergastulum, a shady ville filled with made men and petty thieves, whores on the make and cops on the take, there are some deeds too dirty for even its jaded inhabitants to touch. Enter the “Handymen,” Nic and Worick, who take care of the jobs no one else will handle. Until the day when a cop they know on the force requests their help in taking down a new gang muscling in on the territory of a top Mafia family. It seems like business (and mayhem) as usual, but the Handymen are about to find that this job is a lot more than they bargained for. -- VIZ Media

How gangsta rap shocked America, made millions, and pulled back the curtain on an urban crisis. How is it that gangsta rap—so dystopian that it struck aspiring Brooklyn rapper and future superstar Jay-Z as “over the top”—was born in Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood, surf, and sun? In the Reagan era, hip-hop was understood to be the music of the inner city and, with rare exception, of New York. Rap was considered the poetry of the street, and it was thought to breed in close quarters, the product of dilapidated tenements, crime-infested housing projects, and graffiti-covered subway cars. To many in the industry, LA was certainly not hard-edged and urban enough to generate authentic hip-hop; a new brand of black rebel music could never come from La-La Land. But it did. In To Live and Defy in LA, Felicia Viator tells the story of the young black men who built gangsta rap and changed LA and the world. She takes readers into South Central, Compton, Long Beach, and Watts two decades after the long hot summer of 1965. This was the world of crack cocaine, street gangs, and Daryl Gates, and it was the environment in which rappers such as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E came of age. By the end of the 1980s, these self-styled “ghetto reporters” had fought their way onto the nation’s radio and TV stations and thus into America’s consciousness, mocking law-and-order crusaders, exposing police brutality, outraging both feminists and traditionalists with their often retrograde treatment of sex and gender, and demanding that America confront an urban crisis too often ignored.

'A fairytale of hip-hop success ... teens will enjoy the thrilling music fantasy, while many will identify with the smart, talented boys who grow up quickly and rescue themselves' Booklist An electrifying novel from hugely popular performance poet and novelist Benjamin Zephaniah, exploring the rap music scene, inequality and three boys caught up in it Just what do you do with talent from the wrong side of town? Benjamin Zephaniah draws on his own experiences with school and the music business to create a novel that speaks with passion and immediacy about the rap scene. Ray has trouble at home, and he has trouble at school – until he's permanently excluded and ends up sleeping on the floor of a record shop. What happens to a boy like Ray? If he's lucky, maybe he gets a chance to shine. The story of three boys who aren't easy. They don't fit in. They seem to attract trouble. But they know what they want, and they've got the talent to back it up ... Brilliantly written and with a real ear for dialogue, fans of Angie Thomas and Malorie Blackman will love Benjamin Zephaniah's novels for young adult readers: Refugee Boy Face Gangsta Rap Teacher's Dead

Killing is all Spas has ever known, and he does it without doubt or remorse. Taught to believe he’s ridding the world of monsters, he sees the extermination of the Twilights as a necessary step toward making Ergastulum a safer place. Until the day when he’s forced to confront the horrifying truth that the real monster might be...him. -- VIZ Media