New Book Chronicling Run-DMC On The Way

Author Ronin Ro has penned “Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin and Redemption of Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay,” a new book that chronicles the personal and professional evolution of the Hollis Queens-reared rap group. The book, which is published through Amistad/HarperCollins, will be available for purchase in November 2005. In 1999, Ronin Ro caused a […]

Author Ronin Ro has

penned “Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin and Redemption of Run-DMC and Jam

Master Jay,” a new book that chronicles the personal and professional evolution

of the Hollis Queens-reared rap group.

The book, which is published through Amistad/HarperCollins,

will be available for purchase in November 2005.

In 1999, Ronin Ro caused a tremendous uproar with his controversial

book “Have Gun Will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death

Row Records." However, he said this outing is better than his previous

works.

“There have been many rap-themed books and ‘as told

to’ works since ‘Have Gun Will Travel’ –and perhaps just

as many imitations or clones–but ‘Raising Hell’ is unlike any of

them,” Ro told AllHipHop.com. “It’s better than ‘Have Gun

Will Travel’ It’s a new way to approach a story. It finds Run, DMC, and

a number of other individuals you wouldn’t think were involved in this tale

candidly discussing their career for readers tired of paying good money for

formulaic magazines, advocacy journalism, or the rash of books, magazine articles,

or documentaries inspired by ‘Have Gun Will Travel.’

There is one topic that “Raising Hell” will not

attempt to encapsulate and that’s the tragic murder of Run-DMC’s

DJ, Jam Master Jay.

“The book touches briefly on Jay’s murder; because much

really doesn’t have to be said. Murder, in my opinion, is usually simple. Means,

motive, opportunity,” Ro explained. “The book mainly focuses on

their lives, their art, and their friendships evolving as much as the industry

they were in. And of course the indelible imprint they made on popular culture

as a whole.”

Although the Run-DMC & Jam Master Jay story has been documented

in countless forms and formats, Ronin Ro’s said his will attempt to fully

humanize their lives and times.

“I saw [the group] not as mere ‘popular culture’

or the image, but as human beings. Fathers. Children. Friends. Taxpayers. Intellectual

beings. Brutalizers. Victims. Not just guys with hats and chains and sneakers.

Also, ‘Raising Hell’ finally puts their story in context,”

he said.

Ro also said that the book will be converted into a motion picture

to be released after the novel. At press time, the deal, producer and screenwriter

were being finalized.

Before writing books, Ronin Ro was a heavily sought after journalist

who once wrote for Vanity Fair, The Source, SPIN, Rolling Stone, USA Today,

VIBE and other publications.

He’s also

written books like “Bad Boy: The Influence of Sean ‘Puffy’

Combs On the Music Industry,” “Tales To Astonish : Jack Kirby, Stan

Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution” and the aforementioned ‘Have

Gun Will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records.”