Street lit: hip hop writers head for big time

"After years in the literary underground, 'street lit' -- a sort of hip hop black literature, often self-published and sold on street corners -- may finally hit the big time. Street lit stories are rough in every sense -- the language, the violence, the explicit descriptions of sex and the determination of the characters to escape desolate inner city neighborhoods. Religion, obsession with brand names and explicit struggles between right and wrong play a large role in the books, making them a combination of morality tales, Mario Puzo's most violent Mafia novels and chick-lit shopping fiction." Sister Souljah's novel "The Coldest Winter Ever" was the breakout work of the genre. It has sold a million copies since it came out five years ago. Full story here.