Brian Coleman - Check The Technique available now.

Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
edited June 2007 in Strut Central
I did a search and there was an earlier post about this coming out soon, but the post went off an IP/fake name tangent, so I am starting this new one. http://www.waxfacts.com/index.htmBrian Coleman is a super nice guy. When he wrote the first book "Rakim Told Me" I went to his website and ended up ordering the book directly from him. He ended up being super nice and down to earth. I am down to support anyone who is doing their thing and is extremely nice about it too. Besides being a nice guy, the book is an excellent read. You get to hear the actual artists talk about the albums they recorded and tell funny stories and interesting anecdotes. Some examples include:-KRS One talking about sampling the drums straight off of Eric B Is President for The Bridge is Over-Schooly D talking about the reverb on PSK and how they did it in a classical studio and scared the engineer.-Slick Rick talking about all the songs that he hated and thought were filler on Great Adventures.-Biz talking about Goin' Off and not understanding why Marley Marl changed the singles on the LP.-De La discussing many of the songs off 3 Feet High and Rising.there's lots of good stuff. The new book adds on to what was in Rakim Told Me and includes a whole bunch of new albums I'm looking forward to reading about. Sorry for what seems like an ad, but he's been a really cool guy to me and I appreciate his work and want to share this so people will support the book.
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  Comments


  • Phill_MostPhill_Most 4,594 Posts
    omg its great, as was "Rakim Told Me". this one is the same as that one + xtra

  • Do they sell these in normal bookstores? or is it hip hop places and online only?

  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    I imagine that it will make it's way to some major book stores, but probably in small numbers. you may have to ask for it too. I don't know for sure. It's available at Amazon, so I imagine it will also make it to some of the other retail chains.

    Chapter list:



    2 Live Crew - As Nasty As They Wanna Be
    Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
    Big Daddy Kane - Long Live the Kane
    Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
    Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded
    Brand Nubian - One for All
    Common - Resurrection
    Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill
    Das Efx - Dead Serious
    De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
    Digable Planets - Reachin??? (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
    Digital Underground - Sex Packets
    EPMD - Strictly Business
    Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
    Fugees - The Score
    Geto Boys - We Can???t Be Stopped
    Ice-T - Power
    Biz Markie - Goin??? Off
    Marley Marl & Various - In Control Volume 1
    MC Lyte - Lyte As A Rock
    Mobb Deep - The Infamous
    M.O.P. - Firing Squad
    Onyx - Bacdafucup
    Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
    Poor Righteous Teachers - Holy Intellect
    Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
    Redman - Whut? Thee Album
    Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca & The Soul Brother
    The Roots - Do You Want More??!!??
    Run-DMC - Raising Hell
    Schoolly D - Saturday Night: The Album
    Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
    Too $hort - Life Is??? Too $hort
    A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
    Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers
    X-Clan - To the East, Blackwards




  • Phill_MostPhill_Most 4,594 Posts
    Do they sell these in normal bookstores? or is it hip hop places and online only?

    you're in philly, right? borders should have it, if i remember correctly

  • Do they sell these in normal bookstores? or is it hip hop places and online only?

    you're in philly, right? borders should have it, if i remember correctly

    Just searched the borders site, they don't seem to carry either book. I guess I'll just order it online.

    p.s. If i was gonna write a book these are the books I'd write. So he stole my books. Now I can't write a book.

  • Phill_MostPhill_Most 4,594 Posts
    Do they sell these in normal bookstores? or is it hip hop places and online only?

    you're in philly, right? borders should have it, if i remember correctly

    Just searched the borders site, they don't seem to carry either book. I guess I'll just order it online.

    the borders at broad & chestnut should have it. saw it there about a week ago

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Yeah, Brian's book is on a major press (unlike the self-distributed "Rakim Told Me") so most bookstores probably will end up carrying this, especially the mega-stores.

    I'm still bugging out that Coleman was one of the OG breaks LP dudes. I'd mention the series but

  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts

    I'm still bugging out that Coleman was one of the OG breaks LP dudes. I'd mention the series but

    Interesting. I did not know that.

  • Damn, I been sleepin on this cat. Thanks for the heads up, this shit sounds too good.

  • KidKKidK 119 Posts
    Rakim Told Me



    If you're a fan of vague sensationalistic generalisations that add no new insight to topics that have been beaten into the ground, then this is your kind of book. A lot of chapters in Odub's book were able to much more seriously and intelligently critique and analyze many of the same records in about half the words.

  • PABLOPABLO 1,921 Posts
    Damn, even O-Dub's rockin' alias' up in here now!?

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Rakim Told Me



    If you're a fan of vague sensationalistic generalisations that add no new insight to topics that have been beaten into the ground, then this is your kind of book. A lot of chapters in Odub's book were able to much more seriously and intelligently critique and analyze many of the same records in about half the words.

    Dude, they're two totally different books. I love Brian's books - they're just straight up, from-the-horse's-mouth accounts on what it was like to put together all the albums that get discussed. It's not meant to be critically frame those albums (that'd be my book) - they're meant to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at what, say, Evil Dee and Walt were tossing around in order to produce "Enta Da Stage."

    Seriously, for any hip-hop fan for whom these albums meant anything, you'll like a lot of these stories. Period.

  • JacobWizzleJacobWizzle 1,003 Posts


    Seriously, for any hip-hop fan for whom these albums meant anything, you'll like a lot of these stories. Period.

    Why anybody would not want to hear the story from the artists mouth is baffling. Bought both books and love em. I actually sought the Liner Notes book out on Tuesday. Can't say I've ever done that for a book before.

  • gravelheadwrapgravelheadwrap corn 948 Posts





    I like his music too.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Rakim Told Me



    If you're a fan of vague sensationalistic generalisations that add no new insight to topics that have been beaten into the ground, then this is your kind of book. A lot of chapters in Odub's book were able to much more seriously and intelligently critique and analyze many of the same records in about half the words.

    Dude, they're two totally different books. I love Brian's books - they're just straight up, from-the-horse's-mouth accounts on what it was like to put together all the albums that get discussed. It's not meant to be critically frame those albums (that'd be my book) - they're meant to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at what, say, Evil Dee and Walt were tossing around in order to produce "Enta Da Stage."

    Seriously, for any hip-hop fan for whom these albums meant anything, you'll like a lot of these stories. Period.

    First the ass-hurt in the Just Blaze thread and now this foolishness.

    Why is it that SoulStrut dudes struggle with the concept of primary sources?

  • jaymackjaymack 5,199 Posts
    JUst ordered both mufuckin books from amazon. hope i get them before i leave for my trip on saturday. some good airplane reading.

  • KidKKidK 119 Posts
    primary sources?

    Huh?

    Liner notes are primary sources. Press releases are primary sources. Soundscan numbers are primary sources. Saigon airing out Just Blaze is a primary source.

    Artist interviews are primary sources.

    Brian Coleman telling me seventeen times that Ultramagnetic MCs are 'lyrically ahead of their time' is not a primary source. I would be much more excited about the book if it were simply transcripts of the interviews he had with all the rappers / producers / exectuives / stepfathers.

    I'm glad you all enjoy it; it's just not for me, I guess.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts


    Artist interviews are primary sources.


    Dude, you obviously haven't seen the book. Here's a brief description of what it is:

    simply transcripts of the interviews he had with all the rappers / producers / exectuives / stepfathers.[/b]

    Jeezus.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    primary sources.

    Sample page:

  • KidKKidK 119 Posts
    Are we talking about the same book?

    Maybe you're thinking of this one:



  • KidKKidK 119 Posts
    primary sources.

    Sample page:

    The track by tracks are pretty much the book's only redeeming qualities.

    I'm talking about the 12 other pages on Too $hort that Coleman himself writes.

  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts

    I'm talking about the 12 4.75/B> other pages on Too $hort that Coleman himself writes.

    Not trying to be petty, just sayin'...

    I'm sure dude wants people other than the small percentage of folks who already know the history of damn near every one of these artists to buy and understand this as well. Gotta give the people SOME kind of background.

  • KidKKidK 119 Posts

    I'm talking about the 12 4.75/B> other pages on Too $hort that Coleman himself writes.

    It's right about now that I wish my copy wasn't stored away in a box for moving.


    I'm sure dude wants people other than the small percentage of folks who already know the history of damn near every one of these artists to buy and understand this as well. Gotta give the people SOME kind of background.

    This book was very much written for rap nerds -- that's the reason so many strutters cosign it (or at least aren't incredibly bored by it). It's not marketed or even immediately appealing to a crowd that wouldn't at least be vaguely familiar with most of the titles discussed. Unfortunately, for the most part the author resorts to tired cliches to describe the music, and I'm not trying to read that.

    b/w

    We're alowed to hate on music here, but not on books?

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Unfortunately, for the most part the author resorts to tired cliches to describe the music, and I'm not trying to read that.

    I really don't see why you find the comments with which Coleman framed his interviews so objectionable, though we must all concede that for eye-gouging use of tired cliche they pale in comparison to the likes of the below meditation on Field Mob:


  • KidKKidK 119 Posts
    Is the difference between a quick summary on a message board and a book that people pay to read really that hard to spot? Come now.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Yeah, not to beat a dead horse here but the transcripts are the main point. If you don't like Coleman's framing...well, don't read them.

    The books aren't meant to be read in linear fashion so jumping from transcript to transcript isn't going to mar the experience.

    Saying - not liking Coleman's writing style or opinions is one thing but shitting on the book as a whole is classic "baby with the bathwater" short-sightedness.

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    Got this through the post this week - been playing the game of listening to the music on my headphones while reading the chapters after finding that every album I started reading about made me want to run home and revisit it.

    Had never read Rakim Told Me so am just soaking it all in at the moment.

  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    Yeah, not to beat a dead horse here but the transcripts are the main point. If you don't like Coleman's framing...well, don't read them.

    The books aren't meant to be read in linear fashion so jumping from transcript to transcript isn't going to mar the experience.

    Saying - not liking Coleman's writing style or opinions is one thing but shitting on the book as a whole is classic "baby with the bathwater" short-sightedness.

    Exactly. I can understand his point to some degree (if Dave Tompkins wrote a book like this it would take some serious willpower to sit through ), but the bottom line is, this book is an account direct from the artists with very little interjection from Coleman.

    I bought the first book directly from him and I gotta say the same thing as Controller 7, dude was incredibly nice and took the time to talk about the book as well.
    and I can't wait to get the new one.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts

    This book was very much written for rap nerds -- that's the reason so many strutters cosign it (or at least aren't incredibly bored by it). It's not marketed or even immediately appealing to a crowd that wouldn't at least be vaguely familiar with most of the titles discussed.

    That is PRECISELY who the book is written for. It's not meant for general audiences who want an "introduction" to hip hop. It's strictly for nerds and based on how well "Rakim Told Me" did, that audience is cleaerly out there. Morever, that audience isn't caught up on issues or prose or diction.

    Bottomline: if you don't like the book or the writing - fine. But it is very appealing to a wide segment of hip hop fanatics.

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    -Slick Rick talking about all the songs that he hated and thought were filler on Great Adventures.

    That shit was kinda crazy to me. Rick was pretty down on a good portion of Great Adventures and was constantly saying, "Oh, that song was stupid...that song was pure filler...I only did that one because we needed another song on the album."

    If you are a rap nerd, you will like this book. A lot.
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