Since the re-emergence of Street Lit in the late 80's a litany of Urban Fiction books have been released. Some of them good and some of them bad. The rejuvenation of the Urban Fiction genre has been spawned by the release of thousands of novels and a whole industry has sprung up around them with its own culture of celebrity authors, hip-hop fiction beefs, six-figure book contracts and million-dollar publishing houses.
With authors selling tens of thousands of copies of their titles independently, the big publishing companies have taken interest. But for now let us lets take a look back at the classic books that made this genre what it is today.
ARC BOOK CLUB INC. www.arcbookclubinc.com
#1. Dopefiend - Donald Goines
#2. The Coldest Winter Ever
- Sister Souljah
#3. Harlem Girl Lost
- Treasure E. Blue
#4. B-More Careful - Shannon Holmes
#5. Push - Relentess Aaron
#6. Grimey - KaShamba Williams
#7. Block Party - Al-Saadiq Banks
#8. Gangsta Lean - Rochan Morgan
#9. Dollar Outta Fifteen Cent
- Caroline McGill
#10. Thugs and the Woman
Who Love Them - Wahida Clark
#1. True to the Game - Teri Woods
#2. B-More Careful - Shannon Holmes
#3. Dutch - Kwame Teague
#4. A Hustler's Wife - Nikki Turner
#5. Thugs and the Woman Who Love Them
- Wahida Clark
#6. Squeeze - Joe Black
#7. Larceny - Jason Poole
#8. A Hood Legend - Victor L. Martin
#9. Dirty Red - Vickie Stringer
#10. Caught em Slippin - Al-Saadiq Banks
RAWSISTAZ www.rawsistaz.com
#1. The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
#2. True to the Game- Teri Woods
#3. Thugs and the Woman
Who Love Them - Wahida Clark
* Every Thug Needs a Lady
- Wahida Clark
#4. Thong on Fire - Noire
#5. Gangsta - K'wan
* B-More Careful - Shannon Holmes
* Thug Matrimony - Wahida Clark
* Trick Baby - Iceberg Slim
#6. Let That Be The Reason
- Vickie Stringer
#7. Desperate Hoodwives by Meesha Mink
and De'Nesha Diamond
#8. Pipe Dreams - Soloman Jones
#9. Daddy Cool - Donald Goines
#10. Harlem Girl Lost - Treasure E. Blue
* Indicates a tie
URBAN REVIEWS www.urban-reviews.com
#1. The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
#2. Caught em Slippin - Al-Saadiq Banks
#3. Life - Leo Sullivan
#4. B-More Careful - Shannon Holmes
#5. Supreme Clientele - Ashley JaQuavis
#6. White Lines - Tracy Brown
#7. Betrayal of a Hustler - B.L.U.N.T.
#8. Little Ghetto Girl - Danielle Santiago
#9. Gangsta - K'wan
#10. Game Over - Tu-Shonda Whitaker
OOSA BOOK CLUB www.oosaonlinebookclub.com
#1. Black Girl Lost - Donald Goines
#2. The Coldest Winter Ever
- Sister Souljah
#3. B-More Careful - Shannon Holmes
#4. Ghetto Sam and Glory of
My Demise - Kwame Teague
#5. Block Party - Al-Saadiq Banks
#6. Hustlin' Backwards - Mike Sanders
#7. A Dead Man Vengeance
- B.L.U.N.T.
#8. Drug Dealer - isadore Johnson
#9. The Apostles - Y. Blak Moore
#10. Dollar Outta Fifteen Cent
- Caroline McGill
COAST 2 COAST READERS www.coast2coastreaders.com
#1. The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
#2. B-More Careful - Shannon Holmes
#3. True to the Game- Teri Woods
#4. Dutch - Kwame Teague
#5. The Ex-Factor - Tu-Shonda Whitaker
#6. Block Party - Al-Saadiq Banks
#7. Little Ghetto Girl - Danielle Santiago
#8. Torn - Keisha Ervin
#9. Eastside - Caleb Alexander
#10. Hood Rich - Crystal Perkins-Stell
TAYLOR NIX The Urban Book Source/Journalist
#1. The Kenyatta Series - Donald Goines
#2.
The Coldest Winter Ever
- Sister Souljah
#3. B-More Careful - Shannon Holmes
#4. Dutch - Kwame Teague
#5. A Hustler's Wife - Nikki Turner
#6. Harlem Girl Lost - Treasure E. Blue
#7. Pimp - Iceberg Slim
#8. Gangsta - K'wan
#9. Let That Be The Reason
- Vickie Stringer
#10. True to the Game - Teri Woods
APOOO BOOK CLUB www.apooo.org
#1. The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
#2. C.R.E.A.M. - Solomon Jones
#3. Mommy's Angel - Miasha
#4. Black Girl Lost - Donald Goines
#5. A Hustler's Wife - Nikki Turner
#6. Dirty Money - Ashley JaQuavis
#7. Dark - Kenji Jasper
#8. Snow - Kenji Jasper
#9. Death Around the Corner - C-Murder
#10. Bitch - Deja King
AALBC (AFRICAN AMERICAN
LITERATURE BOOK CLUB) www.aalbc.com
#1. Pimp - Iceberg Slim
#2. Manchild in the Promised Land
- Claude Brown
#3. Dopefiend - Donald Goines
#4. Cotton Comes to Harlem - Chester Himes
#5. The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
#6. Let That Be The Reason - Vickie Stringer
#7. True to the Game- Teri Woods
#8.
A Hustler's Wife - Nikki Turner
#9. Gangsta - K'wan
#10. Push - Relentless Aaron
RHONDA CROWDER Call and Post Newspaper/Reporter
#1. If Beale Street Could Talk
- James Baldwin
#2. The Street - Ann Petry
#3. Dopefiend - Donald Goines
#4. The Dutch Series - Kwame Teague
#5. The Coldest Winter Ever - Sista Souljah
#6. White Lines - Tracy Brown
#7. B-More Careful - Shannon Holmes
#8. Let That Be The Reason
- Vickie Stringer
#9. A Hustler's Wife - Nikki Turner
#10. True to the Game - Teri Woods
the coldest winter ever by sister souljah is the best book I ever real in my life.i cant wait until she come out with her sequel mildnight.
Brittany :
Posted 73 days ago
I meant 90%
Brittany :
Posted 73 days ago
You gotta be kidding me. Whoeva said ex-factor must have not finished it. Wasn't a good book at all. TOP TEN 1. Larceny 2.Every thug needs a lady 3.thugs and the women who love them 4.baby momma drama 5.married men 6.lil ghetto girl. 7.be careful what you wish for 8.live and learn 9.True to the game 3 10.gangsta In no paticular order. This is coming from me and I have read 9% of the books on those list. I have read about 90 urban books and they are all predictable. Those ten are very different
Tammy White :
Posted 192 days ago
Cartoon: Good points, I agree with your post!
Cartoon :
Posted 193 days ago
Hey, i'm new to this sight, a friend told me about it, and I decided to check it out. I checked out the books that made it to the top urban street lit books of all time, and some I agree with and some I dissagree with, but hey, we all have our own opinions...I say that Donald Goines should be number one, because his writing is impeccable and the many books he put out in such a short time is wicked for his craft. Let that be the reason was cool, but I feel she made that list becasue of her name alone, not by the book...that book was not the best, it was just cool and I feel that True to the game was whack! I read it when it first came out and thought it needed much work...but it made that list because it probably was one of the first books out at the time and readers didn't have much of a selection to choose from. Now I agree with the Coldest Winter Ever, Dutch, Gangster was cool, and B-more careful was ayyite, but a Hustler's Wife, c'mon, that book was all over the place just like True to the game...Block Party was the shit, and so was Harlem Girl lost...but once again, this is my opinion and I know some folks will disagree...but I have my reason. I read many other books that should have been on this list, but they're not...maybe they'll make some other list in the future...and I feel that a top street book should be picked by it's content, plot, cover, did it give out a strong moral message and also editing, cuz I can name a few books on that list that looked like it was only read over once by an editor and then sent to print...and a list shouldn't make a list just because the author is popular...peace
Jenn :
Posted 201 days ago
I agree with Aimee about Block Party, but I guess the industry doesn't agree with us readers. But at the end of the day it is all opinion.
Keisha :
Posted 211 days ago
Aimee, No I don't agree with all the books on some of these lists. But so what? Congratulations to everyone that was listed. Someone somewhere thinks they did a great job and I congratulate them for that. Did your book not make it? Is that the problem? Step up your game. Like you said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Of the books you called out, I enjoyed Death Around the Corner and Block Party.
Aimee :
Posted 214 days ago
To Keisha, - Like Mo said, these lists are bogus. It is what it is. Block Party? Death Around the Corner? Torn? Give me a break. You can't tell me that you agree with most of these lists.
Mo :
Posted 214 days ago
Some of these lists are bogus...you can tell who is friends with who just by their choices. I mean Death Around the Corner and Gangsta Lean....are you serious?!
Keisha :
Posted 214 days ago
Aimee, try congratulating the ones that made the list instead of the negativity of those you don't think should have. Contrary to what you think, apparently others felt those books were deserving.
Aimee :
Posted 216 days ago
Keisha, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. In my book "Block Party" should not have been on this list, let along Let That Be The Reason....
THE URBAN BOOK SOURCE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY COMMENTS THAT ARE POSTED. IF A COMMENT IS DEFAMATORY, PLEASE CONTACT US AND APPROPRIATE ACTION WILL BE TAKEN.
“You don't read Street Lit for self-help and motivation, you don't read street lit to help out the community, you read it for entertainment.” —Davida Baldwin, Graphic Artist
“I’m starting to see the same story with a different cover, those who truly take pride in the craft will remain and continue to pursue successful careers once the dust has settled.” —Joylynn Jossel, Author
TOP TEN
1. Larceny
2.Every thug needs a lady
3.thugs and the women who love them
4.baby momma drama
5.married men
6.lil ghetto girl.
7.be careful what you wish for
8.live and learn
9.True to the game 3
10.gangsta
In no paticular order. This is coming from me and I have read 9% of the books on those list. I have read about 90 urban books and they are all predictable. Those ten are very different
No I don't agree with all the books on some of these lists. But so what? Congratulations to everyone that was listed. Someone somewhere thinks they did a great job and I congratulate them for that. Did your book not make it? Is that the problem? Step up your game. Like you said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Of the books you called out, I enjoyed Death Around the Corner and Block Party.
-
Like Mo said, these lists are bogus. It is what it is. Block Party? Death Around the Corner? Torn? Give me a break. You can't tell me that you agree with most of these lists.