Monday, September 06, 2010
Book Preview: Bad Seeds: The True Story of Toronto's Galloway Boys Street Gang by Betsy Powell
This one's for my peoples who like to keep up with street sh-t as (sadly) perpetrated by real street cats and not studio gangsters.
FYI: for those of you not in the T.dot or who are here but not well-versed in what's poppin' on the streets (er... kind of like me, truth be told!), The Galloway Boys run the blocks near where I get my hair cut. Yes, they keeps it real here in Toronto too! For the uninitiated, preview this book about them G-way Boys in the PDF embed above but read the synopsis below first:
"This book tells the story of the Galloway Boys, who as young teens banded together in an urban-blighted area of Toronto's east end to sell drugs and run guns. They were led by Tyshan Riley, born into one of the toughest neighborhoods in Canada and raised by an often absent and erratic mother. He learned his lessons on the streets-how to sell drugs, how to steal--and used violence to get the money, sex and respect that he lived for.
The area known as Galloway is home to 186 hectares of public housing. Crossing bridges is the only route into the area. It created a sense of isolation and for those who lived there a sense of mistrust of anyone from the outside. The area was a fertile ground for the growth of gangs--and as well for the drug dealers, prostitutes and crackheads who survived along a major east-west thoroughfare leading in and out of Toronto's downtown core. And while the Galloway Boys lay claim to their turf, farther to the north the Malvern Crew was laying claim to theirs. The war was inevitable and it would claim ten casualties, including the innocent.
For three Galloway Boys - Tyshan Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom - their days in the street were numbered. With the cold-blooded murder of Brenton Charlton and the near fatal shooting of his friend Leonard Bell at a busy Toronto intersection on March 3, 2004, the police investigation would lead to the arrest of Riley, Atkins and Wisdom, and with the testimony of a former Galloway Boys gang member, Roland Ellis, the three would be convicted of the first-degree murder of a man who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Through the testimony of Ellis and that of other witnesses, the wiretap evidence, Crown attorney and defense arguments, a portrait of a gang emerges, one that lives on our streets yet is hidden to our eyes. Bad Seeds compels us to take our blinders off and face a reality of modern urban life that no one professes to care about very much. There is peril in willing blindness."
Read more excerpts from the book, Bad Seeds... at the Toronto Star HERE.
BUY Bad Seeds: The True Story of Toronto's Galloway Boys Street Gang by Betsy Powell on Amazon HERE.
[via]
Labels: Books, Its a T.dot Thing
Monday, August 30, 2010
Video: Sha-Rock of Funky Four Plus One Introduces Her New Book Luminary Icon
BUY The Story Of The Beginning and End Of The First Hip Hop Female MC...Luminary Icon by old school hip hop legend and pioneering female MC, Sha-Rock of The Funky Four Plus One on Amazon.com HERE
.Related:
Also, don't forget TONIGHT is the premiere of My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop, the documentary on women in hip hop airing on BET. Click HERE for more details.
Sha Rock - twitter | myspace | youtube
[via Grandgood]
Labels: Books, Female Rap Ain't Dead, Old School Hip Hop
Thursday, August 12, 2010
TONIGHT in Toronto: Maestro – Stick To Your Vision Book Launch
I LOVE that Maestro has written this book. Peep game:
The Drake Hotel and The Manifesto Festival Present:
Wes “Maestro” Williams Encourages Readers to “Stick To Your Vision”
Iconic Canadian Rapper/Actor Releases Motivational Book for Readers of All Ages
Having experienced the highs and lows that come with being a performer, Wes “Maestro” Williams, “The Godfather of Canadian Hip Hop,” has passed many hurdles in his life. Knowing that others out there face the same challenges, Wes, along with co-writer Tamara Hendricks-Williams, present Stick Your Vision. Sharing the same title as one of his hit singles, Wes provides practical and empowering strategies to help readers define their vision, determine how they’re going to achieve it, and what to do once it’s been achieved.
The Official Toronto Book Release Celebration!
DATE: August 12, 2010
TIME: Media Launch @ 8pm, Doors open to public @ 9pm
MUSIC: Dj Mel Boogie & Starting From Scratch
VENUE: The Drake Underground
PRICE: FREE!
[via City On My Back]
Labels: Books, Its a T.dot Thing, Parties and Events
