Queens, New York has a storied Hip-Hop history. It has produced some of the most popular and
influential rappers of all time. It also
has another legacy, albeit one much darker.
During the 1980’s, it served as ground zero for New York City’s drug
trade. The Southside was a hotbed of
activity, lorded over by a new generation of violent and ambitious hustlers. The most fearsome and remarkable of this new
breed was the fabled Supreme Team. Headed
by the charismatic Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, the team set up shop in the Baisley
Park housing projects, from which they instituted a reign of terror. Their style and swagger left an impression on
a generation of rappers, many of whom would take their crack game gospel
worldwide.
Back in 2005, Ethan Browne’s Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop
Hustler examined the mythic history of the Queens underworld and its
relationship to Hip-Hop. Though a
captivating read, it was clearly done from the perspective of an outsider. One could tell there was surely much more to
the story. True Crime author Seth Ferranti,
whose Street Legends series has covered
such drug game luminaries as Frank “Black Ceaser” Matthews and Wayne Perry, takes
one particular aspect of that vast tapestry and puts it under a
microscope. The Supreme Team: The Birth of Crack and Hip-Hop, Prince's Reign of
Terror and The Supreme/50 Cent Beef Exposed sets its sights squarely on the
team, particularly its governing body. It’s comparatively limited scope gives it
considerably more depth than Brown’s effort.
Like Queens Reigns
Supreme, The Supreme Team offers
a brief pre-history of the Queens underworld as it is known today. It doesn’t just focus on the usual suspects
like Fat Cat and The Seven Crowns gang, but even makes mention of lesser known
legends such as “Pops” Freeman. That
attention to detail is the books greatest strength. It goes deeper than just court records and
newspaper articles. Ferranti crafts a
narrative largely from insider testimonials as well as more traditional media
sources. The testimonials aren’t of the
rambling variety. They are mostly
relegated to tiny sound bites that directly relate to what is being discussed
at the moment.
A good example of Ferranti’s strengths as a writer is the
portion of the book that deals with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s ongoing war with
Supreme and the Murder Inc. label. He treads
where traditional media outlets dare not go, dealing with rumors regarding
Supreme’s alleged involvement in the murder of 50’s mother. Though he comes up with no definitive
answers, Ferranti manages to cover enough ground to give the reader a full picture
of the complex relationship between these two men. The story isn’t that different from the one
in Carlito’s Way, with a seasoned
hustler harboring resentment towards a promising young upstart.
My only real complaint about Supreme Team is that it gets repetitive at points, making the same
observations one too many times. I
suspect this is because Ferranti, being the resourceful and thorough journalist
that he is, had so much material to choose from that he wanted to include all
of it. He wanted to leave no stone
unturned. Regardless of that one
misgiving, the book delivers exactly what its press materials promise. It’s strengths significantly outweigh it’s
weaknesses.
Too often, true crime novels that focus on the hood read as
though they were written by a tourist. They
lack a true insider’s perspective to make the reader feel as though they are in
good hands. The Supreme Team: The Birth of Crack and Hip-Hop, Prince's Reign of
Terror and The Supreme/50 Cent Beef Exposed goes above and beyond the call
of duty to leave the reader both informed and entertained. It actually makes a nice companion piece to Queens Reigns Supreme, as it shows a
more aggressive and knowledgeable approach to the subject at hand.
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