Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD's First "Hip-Hop Cop"

Parker's career with the New York Police Department from 1982 to 2002 paralleled the rise of hip-hop music and related crimes, and as a member of a "specialized, clandestine 'Rap Intel' squad" within the NYPD's elite Gang Intelligence Division, Parker investigated firsthand almost all the most famous hip-hop–related shoot-outs. This wealth of experience makes his book (the title is a play on hip-hop artist Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls) a powerful and fascinating—if often repetitive—account of what Parker calls "the truth about the rap music industry" as well as "the mechanisms within the NYPD and how law enforcement deals with hip-hop from the inside." He is not afraid to name the people he thinks were responsible for the still unsolved murders of Tupac Shakur, Smalls and Jam Master Jay of the rap group Run-DMC, and he also provides new details of crimes involving Puff Daddy, Jennifer Lopez, 50 Cent and Lil' Kim. Parker proves his assertion that there is a "seemingly insurmountable divide between the NYPD and the hip-hop world," but his accusations alone should ensure the book a large reception within the worldwide audience for rap music. (July)