In the late 1990s and early 2000, three books: Teri Woods' True to the Game, Omar Tyree's Flyy Girl, and Sister Souljah's Coldest Winter Ever, which alone sold over 475,000 copies on the street, together kicked off a whole new, and self contained genre of literature called "Urban Street Literature,” and what is now commonly known as “Urban Street Lit.”
Urban Street Lit is a 300-million dollar a year business. From the street lined vendors in Harlem, New York, to the swap meets in Compton, California, the urban book industry is rapidly becoming the equivalent to what Hip Hop music was in the 1980s. In the late 70’s and early 1980’s, Sugar Hill Records, Enjoy Records, and Def Jam Records were just a few of the pioneer labels that embarked on the genre of “Rap Music”. With King Tim III being recognized as the first rap single to be heard across the airwaves, it didn’t take long for a copycat to follow. And follow it did, in the form of The Sugar Hill Gang with their smash hit “Rappers Delight.” And the rest as they say…is history!
Urban Street Lit Media is prepared to be the Def Jam of the 21st century. We are focused on packaging successful Urban Street Lit novels to the silver screen and television, capitalizing on a unique and niche branding opportunity. Film and television production companies have always looked for ways to lessen the risk associated with these mediums. Adapting successful books into screenplays has consistently served as just that. For example, Terry McMillan’s accomplishment in being a highly successful author translated very well for her novels at the box office, with breakout blockbusters like Waiting To Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. With a business approach dedicated to expanding successful content based on established revenue from original literary works, Urban Street Lit Media will compose its media productions with a clear and viable vision that will target and expand the audiences and exceed fiscal expectations. In the end, Urban Street Lit Media will prove in whose hands the enterprise belongs.
There is a huge window of opportunity awaiting the company that can harness the power of this new and exciting genre of literature. Urban Street Lit Media is uniquely positioned to be that company, pioneering the adaptation of successful Urban Street Lit into compelling and market driven multi-media content.
