Have Gun Will Travel

Rating:
Summary: Ganster's trying to be respectable
Review: Ronin Ro spins out an interesting tale of beat-downs, scare tactics, murder and other crimes and misdemeanors. This book details the rise and fall of Death Row, but in particular Marion "Suge" Knight. It details his brilliant move to get into the rap business by becoming an intermediary into the dispute between Andre "Dr. Dre" Young and Eric "Easy E" Wright. Once he gains the trust of Dr. Dre, he convinces him to form a company with him named "Death Row". The rest, shall we say, is history. Death Row went on to gross millions and millions of dollars with artists such as Snoop Doggy Dog, Da Dogg Pound, Tha Lady of Rage, and others. All the while, you had Suge ruling over this vast empire with an iron and thuggish hand. Many, many tales of people not being paid for work on albums that grossed millions; senseless beatings and public humiliations are detailed throughout the book. It also details the violent fall of Suge, which included the senseless death of Tupac Shakur (perhaps the most intellectually sound rapper of all-time). Many of the "lucky" ones were able to escape unharmed but not necessarily unscathed. Dr. Dre is still riding high on the success of The Chronic 2001 and his successful label Aftermath records. However, Suge continues to spread vicious rumors about Dre being gay. Snoop Dogg engineered a slick defection to No Limit Records in New Orleans. Suge, who is still serving time for violating probation, insists that Snoop is a complete "sellout" and can never show his face again in the ghetto. For fans of the golden era of gangsta rap (1988-1994) this is an excellent read. Given the pending release of Suge, one can't help but wander what await those who crossed Suge during his incarceration. It could get ugly folks.

Rating:
Summary: Ganster's trying to be respectable
Review: Ronin Ro spins out an interesting tale of beat-downs, scare tactics, murder and other crimes and misdemeanors. This book details the rise and fall of Death Row, but in particular Marion "Suge" Knight. It details his brilliant move to get into the rap business by becoming an intermediary into the dispute between Andre "Dr. Dre" Young and Eric "Easy E" Wright. Once he gains the trust of Dr. Dre, he convinces him to form a company with him named "Death Row". The rest, shall we say, is history. Death Row went on to gross millions and millions of dollars with artists such as Snoop Doggy Dog, Da Dogg Pound, Tha Lady of Rage, and others. All the while, you had Suge ruling over this vast empire with an iron and thuggish hand. Many, many tales of people not being paid for work on albums that grossed millions; senseless beatings and public humiliations are detailed throughout the book. It also details the violent fall of Suge, which included the senseless death of Tupac Shakur (perhaps the most intellectually sound rapper of all-time). Many of the "lucky" ones were able to escape unharmed but not necessarily unscathed. Dr. Dre is still riding high on the success of The Chronic 2001 and his successful label Aftermath records. However, Suge continues to spread vicious rumors about Dre being gay. Snoop Dogg engineered a slick defection to No Limit Records in New Orleans. Suge, who is still serving time for violating probation, insists that Snoop is a complete "sellout" and can never show his face again in the ghetto. For fans of the golden era of gangsta rap (1988-1994) this is an excellent read. Given the pending release of Suge, one can't help but wander what await those who crossed Suge during his incarceration. It could get ugly folks.

Rating:
Summary: A must-read for all Death Row/Rap fans!
Review: Ronin Ro's "Have Gun, Will Travel" chronicles the metoric rise and tragic fall of the top rap label of the '90s. In this compelling page-turner, Ro charts the label's very beginnings, from Suge Knight's college days as a football player/drug dealer at UNLV through it's untimely demise mired in legal troubles and federal inquiries. This book is must for Death Row fans. Ro's writing style has been criticized as "repetitive" by some, and while he does repeat a few anecdotes, it doesn't make this book any more difficult to follow. In addition, Ro shies away from making judgements about his subject matter. Instead, he lets their (alleged) actions speak for themselves. For example, Suge Knight appears to earn his reputation as a violent thug, first, businessman second, while the late Tupac Shakur comes across as a wanna-be gangsta in search of street acceptance. The most unflattering portrayal is saved for R&B crooner, Danny Boy, whose relationship with Suge Knight is called into question. All of the acts that the label's fans love are given equal time. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, Lady of Rage, etc. In addition, there are numerous questions that longtime Death Row fans have wanted answered and they'll find them here. Including the NWA reunion that nearly happened while Eazy-E was still alive, the truth behind the departures of Warren G, Dr. Dre and Sam Sneed, and the story of Gina Longo, who was Death Row's first (and only) white singer. The only criticism I had is that Ro relies on a few too many "un-named sources". While it's understandable, given Suge Knight's feared reputation, it makes a few of the stories seems a tad far-fetched. As a longtime Death Row fan, however, I give this book my highest recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: A must-read for all Death Row/Rap fans!
Review: Ronin Ro's "Have Gun, Will Travel" chronicles the metoric rise and tragic fall of the top rap label of the '90s. In this compelling page-turner, Ro charts the label's very beginnings, from Suge Knight's college days as a football player/drug dealer at UNLV through it's untimely demise mired in legal troubles and federal inquiries. This book is must for Death Row fans. Ro's writing style has been criticized as "repetitive" by some, and while he does repeat a few anecdotes, it doesn't make this book any more difficult to follow. In addition, Ro shies away from making judgements about his subject matter. Instead, he lets their (alleged) actions speak for themselves. For example, Suge Knight appears to earn his reputation as a violent thug, first, businessman second, while the late Tupac Shakur comes across as a wanna-be gangsta in search of street acceptance. The most unflattering portrayal is saved for R&B crooner, Danny Boy, whose relationship with Suge Knight is called into question. All of the acts that the label's fans love are given equal time. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, Lady of Rage, etc. In addition, there are numerous questions that longtime Death Row fans have wanted answered and they'll find them here. Including the NWA reunion that nearly happened while Eazy-E was still alive, the truth behind the departures of Warren G, Dr. Dre and Sam Sneed, and the story of Gina Longo, who was Death Row's first (and only) white singer. The only criticism I had is that Ro relies on a few too many "un-named sources". While it's understandable, given Suge Knight's feared reputation, it makes a few of the stories seems a tad far-fetched. As a longtime Death Row fan, however, I give this book my highest recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent choice; however somewhat repetitive.
Review: Ronin Ro's accomplishment is a magnificent portrayal of one of hip hop's most classic record labels. Trust me, Ro delves into some serious issues that revolved around Death Row's leader Suge Knight. Once I opened the book, I could not put it down, it captivated all of my free time, I could not wait to read what Suge had done next. The only problem with the book is that it is somewhat repetitive when dealing with the roles of certain people, but overall it was an excellent choice!

Rating:
Summary: He almost fooled me
Review: The book started off good for the first 150 pages and just went downhill. This book should be called Rap for Dummies. The author of this book needs to stick to magazines.

Rating:
Summary: Hip Hop!
Review: The book was better than average. It had a lot of interesting facts about the rise and fall of Death Row Records. I enjoyed learning about the lives of different groups of people. The book peaked my interest because I listen to Rap music. Rap music listeners are often stereotyped as being involved in drug abuse, sex, and violence. Rap does portray many of these ideas and words related to negative things but it's the listeners responsibility to determine right from wrong. Rap music cannot be blamed for the violence in our world, but it is an expression of the violence in our society. The book was very much like a biography of the Death Row Record label and it provided insight into how violent some artists are and how they live their lives everyday. This type of music, as the book points out, is the way some artist's express their life experiences. It also shows the difference between East Coast and West Coast rappers.

Rating:
Summary: THA BOMB!!!!!
Review: The truth and only the truth so help me Ronin. An exellent book on an exellent subject.I did not want it to end.I understand how Afro Americans feel seeing as i am a Catholic from the north of Ireland. Yet the book shows us what a waste it was loseing two of the best poets of our time. R.I.P. 2PAC AND B.I.G. KEEP THA PEACE (I WONDER IF HEAVAN GOT A GETTO)

Rating:
Summary: LIFE OF A MASTERMIND
Review: THIS BOOK HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MASTERMIND SUGE KNIGHT AND HIS DEATH ROW RECORDS. IT'S 372 PAGES OF CONSPIRACY, THRILLS, AND CHILLS ALL INTO ONE. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE THAT LOVES HIP HOP AND SUSPENSE .

Rating:
Summary: Worth reading if you're a rap fan.
Review: This book leaves me with a lot of mixed feelings. There is a lot of interesting insight into Death Row that you probably don't know. It connects the different 'eras' if you will of Death Row, from the Chronic to All Eyez on Me and does a fine job of putting Death Row in its place in the rap game. It flows easily and is a very interesting read. However, it is not without flaws. First, Ronin Ro tends to repeat things. He'll tell the same anecdotes multiple times in the book, which really comes across as amateurish. Moreover, I think a lot of people are buying this to read more about 'Pac. I know that was a large part of my motivation. However, that is not a good reason to get this unless you're interested in the bigger picture. Ro paints a very unflattering picture of 2Pac (and just about everyone on Death Row in one form or another except Dre). And, if you want to hear the cricisms of the man, "Rebel For the Hell of it" is more direct on 'Pac. The strongest part of the book, however, is the looks into how Suge built his business which is really interesting. No one else would say all this about Suge, and I'm betting Ro will be moving to another country by the time Suge is set free. If you're a rap fan, get this book. If you're not, or you're more into just 2Pac, you might want to think a bit about it, although I think most anyone would enjoy this.