Welcome

This section of my site will be dedicated to what will be my first big book project, a hip-hop cookbook. The URL states “bookproject01” because I want this to be the first of many books to come.

In the past I’ve done a few book projects that I didn’t take to the editing stages, so I have some other things that I have in my back pocket when I’m ready to unleash. One of them is a book of short stories I wrote in 2001. One of the stories I feel is good enough to adapt to a screenplay. In 2001 there were no such things as Facebook or Twitter so perhaps a proper update of various scenarios would be in order. I also wrote a children’s book, which was read by one person who said it’s nice, but it’s not sure whether it’s one type of story (fun) or another (educational). I had been told that it would be better to be one or the other, and not try to push the idea of doing both just because I can. If possible, it would be cool for the person in the children’s story to have his own cartoon series. With luck, this hip-hop cookbook will lead into the exploration of these projects, or other projects.

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Food. Do you cook? If so, would you be willing to share a recipe? When you do shows, is there something specific that you like to have before or after a show? Share your dish. Is there a comfort food that you like to have when you’re at your own home or visit your parents? Would you be willing to share that recipe with me?

Right now the working title for the book is Which Is My Favorite Dish?, which of course is based on the lyric by Rakim in “Paid In Full”. There was a time when people like DJ Fuze and Mike G. of the Jungle Brothers would say “I’m a chef, and I love cooking” but it seems as hip-hop became more materialistic, you heard less about comfort and more about what it takes to be a “star”. I want to break down the walls and show a different side of hip-hop that you never hear about, and that is simply passing the plate. I am looking specifically for people who do cook, but if people have food stories, whether it’s a family gathering, a meeting of friends, or a tour/show story that involves a meal, I hope you would be willing to share it.

In music, people have talked about everything from Fatburgers to White Castle, breakfast cereals to BBQ’s, so why not show that side. I remember years ago, when he was still with Goodie Mob, Cee Lo visited a family BBQ in Seattle and not only performed, but ate with everyone. I don’t care if it’s a half rack of ribs, a vegetarian or vegan meal, I want to place it in the book.

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I’ll get more into the process of what I’m writing and who is involved in this book. If you are interested in this book project and would like to contribute your secret (or not so secret) recipe, I’d like to talk with you. At this stage, no one will be excluded from the book. I would like to have as much content as possible by the beginning of September so I can have enough content to edit, leading to a proposal to submit for publication. You can e-mail me at johnbook9 AT yahoo DOT com.

I would like to thank everyone who has submitted something to the book thus far, I look forward to making this a reality for me. I also look forward to it being the first of many books to come.