Triksta
Life and Death and New Orleans Rap
Published on 21. February 2019
224 pages
978-1-4481-0355-3 (ISBN)
Description
What lunacy would cause a 55-year-old white male to embroil himself in the world of New Orleans rap - as ideas man, talent-spotter, lyricist, and would-be producer? Nik Cohn has loved (and hated) hip-hop since its birth and loved (and hated) New Orleans for even longer - an addiction he's never wanted to kick. But nothing prepared him for the experience of being pitched, more or less by accident, into the role of Triksta, rap impresario.
A white alien in a black world, with no funding or qualifications, and not a clue what he was doing, he had to rethink himself from scratch. Surrounded by a cast that included such names as Choppa and Soulja Slim, Big Ramp and Lil T, Bass Heavy, Fifth Ward Weebie, and Shorty Brown Hustle, he entered a world of tiny backstreet studios, broken-down slums and gun turfs.
Triksta is the story of a three-year odyssey to the heart of rap, and New Orleans, and self-knowledge.
A white alien in a black world, with no funding or qualifications, and not a clue what he was doing, he had to rethink himself from scratch. Surrounded by a cast that included such names as Choppa and Soulja Slim, Big Ramp and Lil T, Bass Heavy, Fifth Ward Weebie, and Shorty Brown Hustle, he entered a world of tiny backstreet studios, broken-down slums and gun turfs.
Triksta is the story of a three-year odyssey to the heart of rap, and New Orleans, and self-knowledge.
Reviews / Votes
Extraordinary...Triksta is [Cohn's] most vivid book in decades and a gripping read * Sunday Times * A poignant snapshot of a vibrant world just before it was lost... One of the most impressive music books of recent years * Irish Times * Scintillating... Brilliant... Cohn was the first writer authentically to capture the raucous vitality of pop music. His writing here still sizzles and crackles * Sunday Telegraph * Cohn takes the reader on a journey as illuminating and unnerving as I have read in a long time... Even if you have no interest in rap music, or popular culture, it is a book that is worth reading... It is also Nik Cohn's best book yet * Observer * Saddening, exhilarating, pungent and poignant -- Charles Shaar Murray * Independent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
File size
0,91 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4481-0355-3 (9781448103553)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Nik Cohn was brought up in Derry, Northern Ireland. His books include I Am Still the Greatest Says Johnny Angelo, Ball the Wall, The Heart of the World, Need and Triksta: Life and Death and New Orleans Rap. He also wrote the story that gave rise to Saturday Night Fever and collaborated on Rock Dreams and Twentieth Century Dreams with the artist Guy Peellaert. He lives in New York.
