Read A Book: Prodigy Of Mobb Deep Launches Infamous Books

Prodigy, 1/2 of classic Queensbridge rap duo Mobb Deep, just published his second book, titled H.N.I.C. after his 2000 album of the same name. After the positive reception for his first literary effort, 2011's My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy, the rapper has embarked on a second career as a different kind of wordsmith. This time around, he's not writing about himself but--in conjunction with British author Steven Savile--he writes a novella about Pappy, "an ambitious product of the streets who has his sights set on leaving the crime-life for something more stable."

Maybe Prodigy had a similar shift in mind when he decided to start Infamous Books, a publishing imprint under the Brooklyn-based Akashic Books (you may remember them from Nelson George's novel). Luckily for us, the launch of Infamous coincides with the release date for H.N.I.C. and you can hear the rapper-author-publisher speak about both this weekend at the Harlem Book Fair. This Saturday, July 20, Prodigy will sit down with Okayplayer literary columnist and rap scholar Rishi Nath to talk about H.N.I.C., Infamous and likely many other enticing hip-hop related topics. Check the details below and to hold you over until you cop your print of H.N.I.C., you can listen to the first chapter at Complex and come out this weekend to support hip-hop lit.

Harlem Book Fair x Prodigy w/ Rishi Nath

Countee Cullen Library Auditorium, 104 W. 136th St.

Saturday, July 20 2013

3:30pm - 5pm

>>>Info for book launch in Brooklyn on Thursday, July 25 w/ Sacha Jenkins (via Akashic)

>>>Info for book talk in Queens, next Saturday, July 27 w/ Laura Checkoway (via Akashic)