Book Review: "Damaged" by Kia DuPree

Damaged by Kia DuPree
Release date: January 2010
Reviewed by A. Jarrell Hayes

Life isn’t perfect, and neither are the people we encounter in it. People’s backgrounds and motives are too complicated to judge a person without knowing them. Kia DuPree’s upcoming novel Damaged takes the reader into the life of Camille Logan, a.k.a. Nectar, a teenage prostitute working the streets of Washington, D.C.

Camille narrates her story from the 1st-person perspective. Starting from her joining the Brinkley family as a foster child, Camille begins a tale of sexual abuse by her foster father. Camille accepts the abuse in exchange for the gifts Mr. Brinkley buys her.

Throughout the novel, Camille allows herself to be used sexually in return for monetary benefits. She comes off as a gold digger – and that hurts her ability to be a sympathetic protagonist. She also doesn’t seem to have any direction in her life; no goals, no talents, nothing that makes her unique.

That’s excusable, because the novel takes place through Camille’s teenage years. She’s barely an adult by the end of the novel. Having no plans and being materialistic are quite reasonable traits for a teenage girl to have these days.

But that’s part of the novel’s charm: none of the characters are perfect, and everybody has some flaw that reflects the society we live in. Camille’s boyfriend, Chu, is depicted as a loveable and great guy – except he’s a drug dealer. And not just peddling weed, but hardcore drugs.

Unfortunately, the narration isn’t as realistic, and Camille makes references that seem inconsistent with her voice or experiences. The novel isn’t as graphic as perhaps other novels in the same genre (like Sapphire’s Push) – which isn’t necessarily bad. The details of the sexual abuse and day-to-day life and experiences of a hooker fit the novel well.

There’s little growth in Camille shown in the novel. It cuts off almost abruptly just when Camille decides she has a future that can be different from her past – however, she doesn’t seem to have a plan as to what that future entails. She does save money while working as a hooker by overcharging her clients and pocketing the difference, but at the end she finds escape through the forethought of another person.

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Novel's Debut Album Listening Party Last Night....

Last night I attended an exclusive listening session at Capital Records here in Manhattan for the label’s newest signed recording artist, NOVEL. Now I had already checked out his mixtape – 808s and Mixtapes, and his EP – I Am Future Black President. However, last night was at the first ever premier listening session for some of the tracks on Novel’s debut album, The Audiobiography - dropping in March. For a man who “wrote eighty-five percent of the record,” I must say this now – what I heard was beyond exceptional!

The Audiobiography will not going to be just “another album from another Hip Hop artist”. This album and the artist are both something more. True music connoisseurs will listen to this and understand that this man is telling a story about his life through this album. Novel’s brand of music will not easily be able to fit into one genre either, as the tracks are a collage of Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, Alternative, Country, and Rock influenced. This man is in fact not just a Hip Hop artist. He is a singer, songwriter and producer as well. This man has been in this business for ten years, he has produced and written for artists such as Kelis, Beyoncé and Monica, so it’s only fair that his own album be a masterpiece.

From the Intro, The Audiobiography takes off running like a racer on a racetrack that just heard the last shot fired at the starting line. His first radio single, Makes You Happy is a soulful blend of Hip Hop tittering on the cuff of Neo-Soul. This is one of the few tracks that Novel did not produce (production by DJ Toomp) but yet made his own. It has a down south type of flow, but never the less, it sets the tone for what’s about to come on the rest of the album.

My favorite track hands down is Think We Landed. Novel stated it’s a song about chilling with a girl while being buzzed. The track has that kind of Gnarls Barkley meets Maroon 5 feel to it. The sound is a blend of Hip Hop, Alternative, and Electronica all in one. This track will definitely be a great club banger for when you want to get the party started on a Friday or Saturday evening. (Side note: a vote was taken last night at the listening party about what his first single should be, and this one was most favored!)

The next track reviewed is a track called Song Cries. Novel said he got the idea from an old Jay-Z track he heard where song cry was the hook. This version of the song actually features Novel’s father, Mickey Stevenson – who was a head at Motown Records back in the day on Novel’s version. It’s a very Neo-Soul sound to it.

Wonderful is a very personal and intimate song. He recorded it with Chrisette Michelle and it’s actually a story about his ten year-old daughter and how for the first two years of his daughter’s life, he did not know about her. When he finally did find out about her, the song describes how his daughter is an image of him. This song is one that will definitely bring a tear to your eye.

Novel decided to add the song, I Can Be President on the album – which is a song of empowerment aimed at minority men. It captures President Obama back in November after his historical win for bid as President. It’s a song that basically lets the next generation of young minority men know that this time in our American history proves that you can do anything if you work hard at it.

A very close to heart song that will be making the album is a song Novel wrote on his first album titled, Velvet Sky. While the song has a Prince-like Purple Rain element to it, the song itself is about losing someone who has passed on. Novel stated that the artist Prince heard this track and had to meet him after hearing it. This was the only track that was played all the way through and you could tell was Novel’s most favorite track. This track is definitely another tearjerker.

Novel brings a very Deep South sound on the song, I’m Not Drunk, I’m Just Drinking – which has a ‘country meets ballad’ sound to it. The track tells a story of a guy who’s in a state of being a little intoxicated but thinking and his woman for some reason thinks he’s clowning her when in actuality he’s just chilling. It’s a very good joint.

It was an honor to learn that the group of listeners who attended last night’s event was the first people ever (outside of Capital Records staff that is) to hear excerpts from this album. Overall, I believe that this is going to be the best thing to hit the music scene since the iPod was invented! As I stated earlier, this man’s album tells a story and has something for everyone on it. Novel stated last night; “I think everybody takes something from everybody. It’s just how you do it,” when commenting on his musical influences. I’m encouraging everyone to stay tuned for The Audiobiography in March. Its real music unlike anything you’ve heard in recent years. Yeah, you could run out and get a new Lil’ Wayne album or Soulja Boy, but I guarantee anyone else’s album you get won’t evoke emotion in you as The Audiobiography will – and as true music should do. I recommend checking this dude out and listening to his story, as you may learn something.

- The Prince Of All Media

Visit Novel at: noveltheartist.com Myspace.com/novel facebook.com/novel 

Book Review: Back Door to the Black Door

“Betrayal”

By Velvet

Reviewed by A. Jarrell Hayes

Welcome back to the Black Door, where all your desires can come true. Hidden behind unique and colorful Venetian masks you can take on a different persona. You are endowed with the ability to become a new sexually free person, and experience life as it is meant to be lived: absent of categories, such as son or wife. Just like the fictional Black Door sex club, Velvet’s most recent book in the Black Door series, Betrayal, is much more than a hedonistic romp; it has the ability to grab the reader with its vivid prose and multi-dimensional characters.

The characters come to life on the page and bring their own emotional baggage to the story. There’s Trey, only son of a squeaky clean Supreme Court justice and owner of the New York-based sex club The Black Door; Preston, Trey’s father, who is a bit of a pathos and is too preoccupied with his own life that he blindly trusts everyone around him, to his detriment; Ariel, Preston’s wife and Trey’s ex-lover, the foster child who grows up to have a successful law career but is haunted with abandonment issues; and Michele, the sexy slim-downed ex-fat girl that will use her acquired “influence” over men – and women – to her advantage.

The betrayal in this novel happened previously in the Black Door books. Trey and Ariel have an affair. But at that time Trey is dating Michele and Ariel is with Trey’s father, Preston. Both Preston and Michele discover the betrayal, but Preston has a stroke and can no longer recollect the incident. Ariel then takes this prime opportunity to marry Preston, and enlist Trey and Michele in a cover-up scheme worthy of Richard Nixon and Watergate – the only thing this book is missing is Deepthroat, but there was another kind of deep throat going on in this title.

To add tension and conflict to the novel, Michele, the only reluctant participant in the cover-up, lands a job working as Justice Preston’s secretary and assistant. Obviously Ariel and Michele are constantly at one another’s throats throughout the entire novel, but the only reason Michele keeps her job is that she is the weakest link in Ariel’s chain of deceit used to keep her husband.

Preston, arguably the book’s most successful character, is also the most static. The main plot of the book revolves around him and his lost memory and the attempt to hide the ultimate betrayal from him until his memory returns, which allows him to be pushed and moved by the other characters in a way that seems out of character for a Supreme Court justice. He tolerates Ariel and Michele’s bickering without putting an end to it or choosing a side; he becomes an easy mark for Michele’s seduction and appears powerless to stop her; and he constantly believes anything the other characters say to him, regardless of concrete proof or evidence – especially when Michele glosses over her involvement in the scheme and adds other details not factual into story of the affair.

Even though Betrayal is the continuation of the story begun in the novels The Black Door and Seduction, it invites new-comers to the series with open arms and background reviews of important events portrayed in the earlier novels. The deep detail into the back story does create scenes and sub-plots that at first don’t seem to fit in the action of Betrayal – such as the scenes featuring the private lives of Senator Oglesby and his wife, Angelica, and their involvement with the Black Door club – but they bring to light some of the dark intrigue that effect the moods and attitudes of the characters, especially Justice Preston, and eventually foreshadow possible events in upcoming books.

If you’re expecting a book that is filled with sex for sex’s sake, you’re in for a shocking surprise. The sexual encounters, from the first scene between Trey and new beau Lexi to Michele’s desperate romp with the married Congressman Laird Forester, advance the plot and storyline and seem in no way shape or form thrown into the mix just to make the book an erotic tale. The scenes are tasteful, non-offensive, and sophisticated – just like the rest of the prose. Velvet’s descriptions of the places and smells and emotions are worthy of contemporary classic literature. In contrast, the images Velvet gives for the characters provide just enough detail for the reader to use their imagination and create pictures of the faces and bodies that work best for their own sexual fantasies. That’s what this book is: a fantasy with substance; a guilty pleasure that doesn’t leave you feeling guilty.

A. Jarrell Hayes’ most recent books are “Reign of the Good King: Book Two of the Good King Trilogy” and the poetry collection “Just Another Angry Black Man.” He is an educator and freelance blogger.

Up Next | Novel Campaigns to Be 'Future Black President'

I strongly believe 2009 will be the year that music – mostly R&B and Hip Hop – will make a comeback to music that's worthy of it's listeners breaking down the doors at local music retailers to actually purchase albums. (Side note: the young kids – 18 to 25 – still use the term 'album' right?) The reason I feel like this is because there already has been an abundance of emerging new artists that have some really good stuff set to drop.

One artist that I can speak for who already is blazing trails even before his entire album drops is Capital Records recording artist, Novel. He has been doing his thing for a while on the mix tape scene and behind the scenes writing, singing and producing. This brother recently released his EP titled, I Am Future Black President. I must admit if you haven't copped this yet off iTunes – you are missing out on some real good music. It's funny because when I interviewed this cat not too long ago, he said that this was going to be something that I never heard before – and he was so right!

I Am Future Black President The EP set the tone for his full LP coming out in March (The Audiobiography). My favorite track on this EP is Fly Away. The premise of the song to me is someone learning life lessons and not giving up when obstacles get in ones way. The beat on this track is wicked! Anyone who knows me I fall weak for a song that infuses a little Hip-Hop, a little R&B, and a little Pop all in one!

Another track I enjoyed was I Am featuring Ben Folds, Talib Kweli and Spree Wilson. I feel like every minority male needs to listen to this track and can learn something. Novel's lyrical rap content on this joint is on some real sh*t and speaks to me – something that I think has been lacking a while in the industry. Lastly, I'm feeling the track titled, Sista – which is Novel's take on 'The Color Purple' song the character Shug Avery did in the movie. All I have to say is listen to it!

In addition to his own project, Novel recently re-did a old Gary Jules joint called Mad World in response to the recent Oscar Grant killing in Oakland – which I can respect an artist who is in tune with what is happening in the world outside their own music world. I encourage everyone to check out I Am Future Black President the EP as it is the appetizer to Novel's entrée coming in March – The Audiobiography. Y'all better get ready for this dude!