 First edition | |
| Author | Zack O'Malley Greenburg |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Fab 5 Freddy |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biography, non-fiction |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
Publication date | March 6, 2018 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), E-Book |
| ISBN | 978-1478911784 |
3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise is a non-fiction book by Zack O'Malley Greenburg published by Little, Brown in March 2018. [1] [2]
The book examines the careers of Diddy, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z through reports and interviews from people such as Swizz Beatz, Kendrick Lamar, Shaquille O'Neal, Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles, Troy Carter, Grandwizzard Theodore and Lovebug Starski. There is consideration of the nature of characteristics that made the figures most successful, the general economic nature of hip-hop and a potential "4th King", 50 Cent. [3]
3 Kings has been reviewed in multiple outlets such as the Wall Street Journal [4] and USA Today . [5] Exclaim! reviewed the book, writing "Greenburg's ability to weave the facts and figures of his subjects into hip-hop's cultural lineage makes 3 Kings an engaging read for fans of the beats or business". [6] Rolling Stone also reviewed 3 Kings, stating that "The number of hundred-million–dollar deals Greenburg chronicles is staggering. But he's also aware that hip-hop's mega-mogul phase is fading, as artists like Kanye West and A$AP Rocky reduce their pursuit of pure payments in a search for prestige ("a currency that's becoming perhaps more valuable than the dollar")." [7] The Kirkus review considered the attempts to link the success factors of the three "a bit ham-fisted" but praised the book as "a pleasingly broad perspective of hip-hop as economic triumph" and "a wide-ranging survey of the first four decades of hip-hop that vividly brings some of the culture’s biggest success stories into one place." [3]
Andre Romell Young, known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and was the president of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru in 1985 and later found fame with the gangsta rap group N.W.A. The group popularized explicit lyrics in hip hop to detail the violence of street life. During the early 1990s, Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a subgenre of hip hop characterized by a synthesizer foundation and slow, heavy beats.
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Jones began his musical career in 1989 as he adopted the moniker of "Nasty Nas" and recorded demos for Large Professor. He was later featured on the 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source.
West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the west coast of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the early to-mid 1990s with the birth of G-funk and the emergence of record labels such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records, the continued success of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, Aftermath Records belonging to Dr. Dre, and others.
Three Kings refers to the Biblical Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men, appearing in the Gospel of Matthew.
The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse is the seventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 12, 2002, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Island Def Jam Music Group. The album serves as a sequel to his sixth album The Blueprint (2001). Parts of the album were later reissued for his album, titled Blueprint 2.1 (2003). The album debuted at number one, shipping with first-week sales of 545,000 units. The album is certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. In 2013, Jay-Z cited this album as his second-worst due to an overabundance of songs on the album.
Jay-Z: Unplugged is rapper Jay-Z's 2001 live album that contains some of his past songs with live instruments performed by the hip-hop band the Roots. The album, which sold more than 600,000 copies, was recorded during the taping of an MTV Unplugged 2.0 episode on November 18, 2001.
Varick D. Smith,, better known as Smitty, is an American rapper and hip-hop ghostwriter from Little Haiti, a neighborhood in Miami, Florida.
"Still D.R.E." is a song by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 2, 1999, as the lead single from Dre's multi-platinum second studio album, 2001 (1999).
"Lost One" is the second single from Jay-Z's comeback album Kingdom Come. It was released on November 21, 2006 and peaked at No. 58 on Billboard Hot 100.
"I Get Money" is the third single from 50 Cent's third album, Curtis. This song was #14 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. The song peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Confessions of a Video Vixen is a memoir written by Karrine Steffans which details the first 25 years of her life. Part tell-all covering her sexual liaisons with music industry personalities and professional athletes, and part cautionary tale about the dangers of the otherwise romanticized hip-hop music industry, it caused considerable controversy in some circles.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2008.
This article summarizes the events, album releases and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2010.
The Source Presents: Hip Hop Hits, Volume 3 is the third annual music compilation album to be contributed by The Source magazine. Released November 30, 1999 and distributed by Def Jam Recordings, Hip Hop Hits Volume 3 features seventeen hip hop and rap hits. It went to number 29 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Zack O'Malley Greenburg is an American writer, journalist and former child-actor. He is a senior editor at Forbes magazine, where he covers music, media and entertainment. He is also the author of three books: 3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise ; Michael Jackson, Inc.: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of a Billion-Dollar Empire ; and Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office. He has a fourth book in progress, A-List Angels: How a Band of Actors, Artists, and Athletes Hacked Silicon Valley. He played Lorenzo Odone in the 1992 film Lorenzo's Oil.
Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office is a biography of hip-hop mogul Jay-Z authored by Zack O'Malley Greenburg, released in March 2011 by Portfolio, the Penguin Random House business imprint.
Jon Kevin Freeman Jr., better known by his stage name Jon Connor, is an American rapper and record producer. Connor has released various mixtapes and an album effort during his career including the Jay-Z inspired The Blue Album, and the Eminem inspired The People's Rapper LP. His debut studio album, Unconscious State was released in 2013. Shortly thereafter, he was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment from 2013 to 2019, where he did not release an album. In 2015, he garnered notoriety for being featured on Dr. Dre's album Compton (2015) as well as The Game's album The Documentary 2.5 (2015).
Michael Jackson, Inc.: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of a Billion-Dollar Empire is a non-fiction book written by Zack O'Malley Greenburg, published in June 2014 by the Simon and Schuster imprint, Atria Books.
The Documentary 2 is the seventh studio album by American rapper the Game. It was released on October 9, 2015, by Blood Money Entertainment and eOne Music. The album serves as a sequel to his debut album. The project is first half of a two-piece project with other half The Documentary 2.5, which was released the following week. The album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Kanye West and Future, among others.
Val Anthony Ronald Lawrence, known professionally as Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, is an American record producer.