i find myself reading a lot more non fiction these days. there’s something more gratifying when learning about actual events and real people, rather than made up stories. it’s especially intriguing when delving into the history of significant contemporary cultural phenomenon’s closer to my own generation. this latest biography on def jam records certainly was an inspiring tale of big dreamers making the nearly impossible happen and changing the world in the process. similar to what berry gordy did in detroit with motown, rick rubin and russell simmons made history happen with not much more than guts and instinct. a great book with intricate details on the record biz. makes you want to make hits!

just a side note: it’s tragic the days of the self made record mogul are finished. i find it ironic that stealing music has become completely acceptable even at the upper echelon of music producers and dj’s. what’s so shortsighted about this is that very few new artists or producers will ever have the chance again to really reap a proper reward for their potential hit, whereas whole micro economies once burst forth from just that one big record. it’s a shame that because of this, lesser and lesser quality of music is being produced as the real struggling musicians can’t keep financially justifying the effort. and then the music you hear on the radio and in the clubs just keeps getting worse and worse by the year. it’s gotta change.