Urban Reviews - Your Source for the Best in AA Fiction!

  T. Styles Black And Ugly   Parade Knight hates her complexion. As a result, she considers herself to be unattractive and condones the misuse of her body.   Sky Taylor is beautiful, fly and wanted, and loves reminding Parade of her imperfections – especially after suspecting that she may be sleeping with her man, Jay Hernandez.   Miss Wayne is hilarious and a self-proclaimed girlfriend who enjoys the attention his friends bring. If you let Miss Wayne tell it, he’s not a gay, he’s just one of the girls.   Daffany Stans uses her body for profit and hides a health secret so serious that it could endanger the lives of her friends, considering their sex partners are so closely related.   Black and Ugly is a tale of four totally different friends from the same block, whose friendship is tested during a seemingly innocent game of Truth or Dare. When fatal secrets begin to surface, will Parade give up the friend whose shadow she...

Kimona J Good Girls Pole Rider's Club   STRIPPING: IT'S NOT JUST FOR BAD GIRLS ANYMORE.   When Shaundra finds an ambitious stripper's business card in her boyfriend's back pocket, she decides it's time to learn some new tricks. If dropping it like it's hot is what her man wants, then that's what she's going to give him. She tells her girlfriends -- Shay, Brenda, and Karina -- and they make a pact to buy a stripper's pole and learn how to work it like the pros. Trash talking on a girls' night out is easy. But fulfilling the promises these best friends make under the influence of vodka martinis proves to be much more difficult for these suburban women who've never met a stripper, much less aimed to be one.   Shay is bored with her marriage and herself after ten years as a preacher's wife; Shaundra is the mother of a rebellious teenager; Karina is Weight Watchers' number one client; and Brenda is a peace officer who is ready ...

Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker The Ex Factor Available Now! This emotional, erotically-charged novel follows three half-sisters and their complicated relationships with one another and with the men in their lives. Celeste thinks all she wants in life are her family and a nice home in the suburbs. Yet lately she’s got a hunch that her sexy husband, Sharief, a New York City policeman, is patrolling more than just the streets. Celeste is sure he’s cheating on her. When she finds out that the home-wrecker is none other than her own sister Monica, all hell breaks loose. Monica never intended to fall in love with her sister’s husband. But who knew that Sharief would make every inch of her body tingle with a single touch? Monica knows she should have righted her wrong before Celeste found out, but she’s in too deep–in more ways than one. Imani is not pleased that her low-life boyfriend, Walik, just got out of the slammer and wants her back. Sure enough trouble comes knocki...

C-Murder Death Around The Corner   There's A Time To Go Hard, And A Time To Chill... The day the cops took his daddy away for murder, a new emotion gripped five-year-old Daquan Watson's heart: Hate. It would stay with him as he came up in The Calliope, New Orleans' most notorious, drug-infested housing projects, where every brother is a soldier goin' to war every day. Grandma Mama does her best to raise him the right way, but those streets keep calling. Trying to get ahead in such a harsh environment can make your heart turn cold--unless you learn how to listen to your guardian angel...   There's A Time To Take One For The Team... But the violence at The Calliope is nothing compared to what Daquan experiences doing time at Scotland Correctional Center for youth, watching cats get stabbed over card games, young boys get raped, and racism of the worst kind, even from the black guards. A voice inside tells him he'd better learn to use his anger--instead ...

Carl Weber The First Lady The national bestselling author of The Preacher's Son and So You Call Yourself A Man returns with a scandalously spirited new novel about a woman who knows she's her husband's First Lady—but doesn't want to be his last… Charlene Wilson, First Lady of First Jamaica Ministries, has lived a good life with two wonderful children and her beloved husband, Bishop T.K. Wilson. Now the Lord is calling her home at the age of forty-four. She's ready to go, but what will happen to T.K. after she's gone?   The Bishop may be a man of God, but he's still a man who needs a woman. Trouble is, T.K. is just as naïve as any other man when it comes to women—especially slick-ass, bible-toting, man-hungry church women. That's why Charlene has planned a way to hang around in spirit—to make sure her replacement is a good one.   First in line is Marlene, the mother of T.K.'s illegitimate daughter, Tanisha. Then there's Monique Johnson, Firs...

Marissa Monteilh Dr. Feelgood They call him Dr. Feelgood… One woman would never be enough to satisfy noted cardiologist Dr. Makkai Worthy, better known by his sex partners as Dr. Feelgood. Womanizer extraordinaire, he's a chip off the old block of his rolling-stone papa and commitment isn’t an option. At 37 and single, he’s happier than he’s ever been, living the lifestyle of the rich and fine. A gifted surgeon, Dr. Feelgood knows how to operate in the O.R. by day. But by night, it's his smooth operations in the bedroom that are driving his four main squeezes crazy. First, there’s demanding-diva Georgia. She's bound and determined to be the doctor's one and only until suspicions arise that she’s keeping something on the down low. Mary Jane is a sweetheart of a nurse who works in Dr. Feelgood’s cardiology unit. He tries to stay hands off, until a player friend starts to make a move and he’s forced to stake his claim. Self-absorbed Monday ...

I have always been an avid reader. Before my hubby and I started our website last year, I use to read around maybe 3 to 4 books a month. Now I read around eight! I've read some really great books by some wonderful authors over the years. With the African-American book market being so competitive now, authors are either putting out books every year or sometimes even 2 a year. As I look at my bookshelf, I find that there are some great authors that have either put out 1 or 2 good books and then vanished into thin air. Where are these MIA authors?? You can't even find out any info on them on the net. Here are just a few authors that are MIA . If anybody has any info on any future or current projects about any of these authors or if you can think of any other authors feel free to post them here. MIA Authors (Have You Them Seen Them??) Sheneska Jackson : This author's debut novel was back in 1996 (Caught Up In The Rapture). She followed up with Lil' Mama's Rules in 1997...

Mary B. Morrison talks to Radiah Hubbert about: -Her collaboration with Carl Weber for She Ain't The One - Her new release When Somebody Loves You Back - Her two upcoming projects - Her thoughts on self-publishing - Her advice for aspiring authors - And Much More!!! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW NOW!!! (right click with your mouse and select 'Save As' to download!) On The Line with Radiah Hubbert Exclusive One-on-One Interviews with Today's Top Authors!

NAN: The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones by Moses Miller - Creative Trailer for Hot Fiction Title! Read the first chapter now! (.pdf): http://www.triflingtimes.org/NAN/files/NANchapterone.pdf Order a copy for yourself today!: http://www.triflingtimes.org/NAN/order.htm

October 2006 Donna Hill talks to Radiah Hubbert about: - Her upcoming release 'Guilty Pleasures' - Her promotions company - Her many upcoming projects - Her advice for aspiring authors - And Much More!!! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW NOW!!! (right click with your mouse and select 'Save As' to download!) On The Line with Radiah Hubbert Exclusive One-on-One Interviews with Today's Top Authors!

Norbit Trailer Eddie Murphy has outdone himself again!

Kurt Angle Signs To TNA Wrestling! (AMAZING!)

Trailor for 'The Walk'......i'm assuming this is straight to video....but who knows. Please post any comments you have on Eva Pigford's acting debut!

Relentless Aaron talks to Radiah Hubbert about: - His newest release 'Extra Marital Affairs' - His unorthodox marketing techniques - His deal with St. Martin's Press - His Journey From The Streets To The Shelves - And Much More!!! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW NOW!!! (right click with your mouse and select 'Save As' to download!) On The Line with Radiah Hubbert Exclusive One-on-One Interviews with Today's Top Authors!

Karen E. Quinones Miller talks to Radiah Hubbert about: - Her new and highly-anticipated sequel Satin Nights - Her publishing company - Her upcoming projects - Her advice to aspiring authors - And Much More!!! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW NOW!!! (right click with your mouse and select 'Save As' to download!) On The Line with Radiah Hubbert Exclusive One-on-One Interviews with Today's Top Authors!

July 2006 Feature Author(s): The Queen of Hip Hop Fiction... Nikki Turner! Nikki Turner talks to Radiah Hubbert about: - Her new novel Ridin' Dirty on I-95 ... - Her new book series Nikki Turner Presents ... - Her upcoming project Death Before Dishonor through G-Unit Books - Her highly-anticipated sequel Hustler's Wife 2 - And Much More!!! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO INTERVIEW NOW!!! (right click with your mouse and select 'Save As' to download!) On The Line with Radiah Hubbert Exclusive One-on-One Interviews with Today's Top Authors!

Here are the results of our online polls for the past couple months. Some of it is actually pretty surprising. Others are right in line with what we expected. Oh, and of course these polls are nowhere near scientific! How many books do you read? Answers Percent Votes 1. One book a week or more 60% 29 2. One book every two weeks 13% 6 3. One book a month 19% 9 4. One book every three months 2% 1 5. One book every 6 months 2% 1 6. One book every year 0% 0 7. I don't read 4% 2 Total Votes: 48 ------------------ Do you have a problem with Three Six Mafia winning an Academy Award for "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp?" Answers ...

I've always been an avid reader even before we started our review website. So being able to discover and interview new authors this past year has been exciting. But I have a problem:I can't get to everyone!!!! I knew that when we started the website that we would able to reach established and newbie authors. I just didn't know how many. We literally get at least 2 emails a week from authors who want to be featured on our site, and an endless amount of books. The thing that suprises me the most is the amount of authors that still want promotion for books that are 1 and 2yrs old. This signals to me that the African-American book industry is a crowded and competive place. Even if you're signed to a major publishing house, you still have to do everything you can to stand out from the rest. That's why the author interviews and reviews that I do on the website are and always will remain free. Ofcourse we have paid advertising like any other website but that's as far a...

Man allegedly shot by rapper Proof dies Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 By: The Associated Press, APonline DETROIT (AP) - A man who police say was shot by rapper Proof, just before Proof himself was killed, died of his wounds early Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. Keith Bender had been in critical condition since being shot in the head a week ago at the CCC, a nightclub on Eight Mile Road, the boundary between Detroit and the northern suburbs. Bender, 35, died early Tuesday, said Wende Berry, a spokeswoman for St. John Hospital and Medical Center. Police have said witnesses told them that Proof, a hip-hop artist and friend of Eminem, shot Bender during a dispute at the after-hours club. Bender's cousin, Mario Etheridge, then shot and killed Proof, whose real name was Deshaun Holton, they said. Etheridge, 28, has pleaded not guilty to charges of carrying a concealed weapon and discharge of a firearm in a building. His attorney, Randall Upshaw, said the shooting was in self-defe...

Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar for the song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," from "Hustle & Flow." CONGRATULATIONS! Watch it at the link below!!!!! http://crunktastical.blogspot.com/2006/03/three-six-mafias-oscar-performance.html

Here is a link to a Roundtable featuring Urban Fiction author Relentless Aaron, Malaika Adero (senior editor for Atria Books), and author Nick Chiles who recently had a story on Urban Fiction in the New York Times titled "Their Eyes Were Reading Smut." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5225091 I personally thought this was an interesting disscusion. After listening to this, I was even more confused about Nick Chiles opinion. On NPR, he said that he didn't have a problem with street lit when according to the NY Times article it is evident that he DOES. He claims that he has a problem with walking into the African American Fiction section and the first thing he sees is street lit. He also said on NPR that he didn't have a problem with street lit being in the same section as other African American Lit. That is not what I got from the NY Times article. I mean in the article he even named actual titles of the books that he called smut! He had such a sca...

Being a music enthusiast since I was a child, it's a no brainer that I've put in my time as a sales clerk, assistant manager, and manager for some music stores in my young adult years. I worked for 3 years at Vibes Music (which was under National Record Mart) on Marquette University's campus in Milwaukee, WI. That store closed in May 2001 due to being an 'underperforming' store for the chain. Ironically, it wasn't just our store because The NRM chain would fold totally by the end of 2001! Luckily, I found myself another job with Tapeworld which would soon convert to FYE in the summer of 2001. But alas, the ever-changing music market and tough competition from big box retailers caused the Milwaukee location to close in January 2003. So the only major music entity that existed in the city from that point on was Sam Goody. They had a store in the Grand Avenue Mall where FYE was located and was it's only competitor. They also had stores at Bayshore Mall, Mayfair...

R.I.P. JAY DEE (aka J Dilla) ~Super Producer/Solo Artist/Former Slum Village member~ (1974-2006) Show him some love here or at Okayplayer.com You will be truly missed. If you have Winamp, copy and paste this online tribute of 300 Jay Dee songs . Keep him in your hearts and your decks forever. Charles http://www.urban-reviews.com info@urban-reviews.com

Here is the latest installment of IS IT ME? ...this time dealing with Hip-Hop and R&B stars on tonight's GRAMMY show. Leave your comments if you agree or disagree with my comments. (this is just meant to be funny, y'all..don't get all bent out of shape if I talk about your favorite person in this post...that includes you too, Radiah!) [wife is a huge fan of Mariah Carey] IS IT ME???... or should Ciara have kept this beautiful white dress on rather than that 'street corner wear' she had the nerve to appear onstage with? IS IT ME??? ...or are you appalled that the Black Eyed Peas won for best 'RAP' anything? IS IT ME???... or is this picture of Common and Taraji P. Henson enough proof that he's gotten Erykah Badu out of his system? IS IT ME???... or were more disturbed by the 'possible' breathing tube that was strapped to the mic than Sly's out-of-this-world mohawk? IS IT ME???... or did Kanye West's outfit in this pic make him loo...

This is a section that I used to have in the 1990's when I had my own website of music reviews and had some special features. It's kind of like 20 Questions in Vibe, but better (at least that's what I believe!) So, here is my current list 'Is It Me?' questions....and if you have some, feel free to comment by clicking the small link in the bottom right of this post. I will post them in the next posting of the 'Is It Me?' section! 1. IS IT ME? ...or does Charlie Wilson have the biggest teeth you ever saw in your life (they're even bigger than Ron Isley's!) 2. IS IT ME? ...or does the relationship with Beyonce and Jay-Z need to go to the next level? 3. IS IT ME? ...or are you surprised that they gave Queen Latifah a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before Will Smith? 4. IS IT ME? ...or did Lou Rawls always look like a jive turkey when you saw him? 5. IS IT ME? ...or do you wish movie soundtracks were as good as they were in the early 90s (i.e. Menace ...

Wow....I can't believe we are in 2006, and 2005 is a just a memory. (Memorieeeeeeeees...I've had a fewwwwwwww!!!!!!) ~Sorry about that~ Anyways, Here is my list of best albums for 2005. I decided not to put them in any particular order so I would not put one album ahead of another one by mistake! BEST OF 2005 - HIP-HOP Common - Be Beanie Sigel - B. Coming Slim Thug - Already Platinum Paul Wall - The People's Champ Little Brother - The Minstrel Show Kanye West - Late Registration Slum Village - Slum Village Talib Kweli - Right About Now Cuban Link - Chain Reaction Bun B - Trill Miri Ben Ari - The Hip-Hop Violinist Lil Kim - Naked Truth David Banner - Certified Ludacris presents - Disturbing The Peace Big Boi presents - Got Purp, Vol 1 BEST OF 2005 - R&B John Legend - Get Lifted Raheem Devaughn - Love Experience Lyfe - 268-192 Eric Benet - Hurricane Kindred - In This Life Together 112 - Pleasure and Pain Mary J Blige - The Breakthrough Jamie Foxx - Unpredictable Anthony H...

In past year, I have read and heard a lot of opinions in regards to the African-American book industry. The main topic seems to have been the popularity of Urban-Street Fiction or "Hood" books. Some like it, some don't. Here's my take on it. As you've seen on my previous 2005 book list, I read a variety of books including urban fiction. I think that the urban fiction that I've read is wonderful. The books are entertaining and fast-paced. Now there are some that have numerous errors in it, but there are some errors that I've found in other genres of books so sometimes that happens. As long as it doesn't distract me from reading the book then I'm fine. I think the problem that people are having with it is that a lot of teens are reading these books and they feel that this isn't "good reading" or they're not reading the "classics". Well, at least they're reading something (I know I'm going to get hate email for this...

Hello Everyone. Happy New Year! I can't believe that it's already 2006. Time sure does fly. It seems like it was only yesterday that our website was launched. I want to thank everyone for their continued support of the website. As of right now, we have over 4200 visitors to the website and over 100 mailing list subscribers. Not bad for a website that launched in July 2005! Ok, now back to the matter at hand. In 2005, I had the wonderful opportunity to read some really great books. So here's my Best Books I've Read in 2005 List. These books are in no particular order, and some of them didn't actually come out in 2005. Best Books I've Read in 2005 1. Swingers by Torrian Ferguson 2. F.R.I.E.N.D.S & The Choices That We Make by Valerie A. Withers. 3. Friend or Foe by D.L. Moore 4. Brooklyn Jewelry Exchange by Meisha C. Holmes 5. A Dream Come True by Michael T. Owens 6. A Dollar Outta Fifteen Cent by Caroline McGill 7. Urban Affair by Tony Lindsay 8. Choose Me by ...

I guess you're wondering why I ask that question. Well, if you saw Dancing With The Stars tonight, you'd know exactly what I'm talking about. Trust me, I do not usually watch this, but as I was flipping the channels, I saw Master P doing the CHA CHA with some woman! And to make matters worst, the song the two of them were dancing to was a Jackson 5 song! WTF? Jackson 5 and doing the CHA CHA do not mix (and i'm not talking about that hideous Cha Cha Slide, people). I couldn't believe Jerry Rice (the former NFL player) was on there dancing the CHA CHA too! But at least his dancing was convincing. Master P looked like a stiff log! I mean, really...if Master P's son Romeo dropped out of the competition....that should tell you something! Did anybody else see this catastrophe? Luckily he got the worst score from the show's judges and probably won't be back next week after they get the votes from people who phone in their votes. But I don't even plan on ...

Well, it's 2am again.......but i'm finally done (for the most part) with the website. All the reviews are up and ready for reading! The newsletter is going out..... The contest information is in the newsletter. The only thing left to do is the Hip-Hop New Releases page....which I'll tackle tomorrow night. Now, I'm going to sleep. My wife had about a 3 hour headstart...... Oh well.....i'll get a whopping 5 hours tonight..... tomorrow should be better. Visit the site, post some comments, holla back! A 'fully-satified-yet-still-dawg-tired' Charles H. info@urban-reviews.com http://www.urban-reviews.com

Well, it's only 2am this time, but I finally have the Hip-Hop Reviews up on the site. Man, I can't believe the time it takes to explain some of these albums. I want to provide an honest review for each and not leave anything out that I feel is important enough to tell everybody about. For instance, I felt compelled to explain all the reasons why Chamillionaire's album is a 2.5 considering he used to be paired up with Paul Wall (who I recently gave a 4 out of 5). I left no stone unturned so that you could see the exact reason behind my rating. I do that for all my reviews. Sometimes I see short reviews on Amazon.com and I wonder how you could get any helpful information from four sentences. So I hope everyone appreciates the time and effort that goes into these reviews. Upcoming Updates In The Next 24 Hours: - Finish up the reviews for the R&B cds and post them by tomorrow night. - Send out the newsletter to the mailing list tomorrow night. - Get the ball rolling on our ...

Well, it's 3am...and the site is about 75% complete. Almost all the pages are complete. The only pages that still need to be completed are the Hip-Hop and R&B reviews. Everything else is up and ready! Check out all the cool new features we have: - A "flash" type introduction page - Media Center (which will expand tremendously in the weeks to come) - The Pinnacle (which you are reading now!) - Separate New Release pages for AA Fiction, Hip-Hop, and R&B. - Less clutter on the front page - Javascript Menu for easy navigating - User-friendly text links on the bottom of each page (just in case) - Separate page for Submission Guidelines - Events Calendar for all book and music related events across the nation - Separate Site Search page Look for the following updates in the next 24 hours: - Hip-Hop reviews uploaded - R&B reviews uploaded - Hip-Hop New Release page uploaded (somehow got messed up) - Send out the January 2006 Newsletter to our ever-growing mailing l...