Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD's First "Hip-Hop Cop" 
asked by astrofizzy on November 1, 2006 11:51 PM
The stories are as infamous as the artists who tell them. With their boasts of drugs, extortion and even murder, in todays world rappers need rap sheets before they can even hope to have a platinum record. So with all this grandstanding about their criminal nature, why havent more hip-hop artists been busted for the crimes that they brag of, and why havent high profile crimes replete with witnesses and media coverage ever been solved? Derrick Parker knows why. A veteran of the NYPD, Parker served as the lead detective in the Rap Intelligence Unit, the first special force devoted to hip-hop crime. For over twenty years he served on the force, covering the hip-hop beat and uncovering the truth behind some of musics most notorious crimes. But in the midst of politics and internal strife, Parkers efforts to close the cases were stymied by the NYPD. Notorious C.O.P. will be the Serpico of the new millennium, exposing the flaws in the NYPD that have rendered them unable to adequately deal with the threat of hip-hop crime. From cops working part-time for the artists they are supposed to be pursuing, to their lack of understanding of gang culture and drug warfare, which has left not only these widely publicized murders unsolved, but has allowed notorious gang leaders to go unprosecuted for decades. Filled with photos, documents, interviews, and anecdotes, Notorious C.O.P. will be the most extensive and authoritative book ever written on hip-hop crime, exposing the facts behind the legends and the foibles of the NYPD that have left them unresolved to this day.
Reviews
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The title of this book should have been "Derrick Parker is the Bomb" by Derrick Parker. He seems a lot more interested in hyping himself then really giving any insight to the murders of Pac, Biggie and Jay. He said he solved Jay's case. Well, if he solved it, why is no one in jail? There were some pretty good moments, especially his stories from Miami. I would say that 50% of the book was Parker hyping Parker, 20% was interesting information and 30% was the just some things we've all read or heard before. I hope that the fools that put down Pac, Biggie and Jay get their due, but this book does not do a lot to help the cause.
reviewed by potato on November 17, 2006 5:04 AM
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Having read this book was quite more of an eye opener than I would have liked to think in regards to what takes place in the hip-hop realm. It is quite unfortunate to read about what goes on with many of the hip-hop artists from an insider and investigator's point of view. The self-perpetuating, and often self-fulfilling lethality of hip-hop is something one could only hope would one day cease to exist. The corruption within the police force...I suppose when one can genetically remove human nature then this could end that.
Overall, I tremendously enjoyed the book and would recommend it highly to people who want more perspective. The book takes on natural growth as Parker's outlines hip-hop's milestones that coincide with his development within the police force. Could the book be written better? Sure. The edits could have been more sensitive. However, I did not feel that anything was taken from the essence and message that Parker delivers. The truth is the truth no matter how it is written...we just won't even know it for sure.
Overall, I tremendously enjoyed the book and would recommend it highly to people who want more perspective. The book takes on natural growth as Parker's outlines hip-hop's milestones that coincide with his development within the police force. Could the book be written better? Sure. The edits could have been more sensitive. However, I did not feel that anything was taken from the essence and message that Parker delivers. The truth is the truth no matter how it is written...we just won't even know it for sure.
reviewed by megafan on November 21, 2006 4:14 PM
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Parker is a true character, and he and Diehl really make this book into a conversation between him and me (or you, when you read it). I appreciate the attention lavished on the old-school (Jay bookends the story) and the explanation of the continental divide that started in the 90s.
Parker really cares about the material -- both sides: the industry and the NYPD. Shocking (but in a good way) to hear such praise lavished on Bernie Karik.
Meantime, the pacing, the stories, the characters all make this a (sorry to use the cliche) page-turner. Can't wait until it's on the big or little screen (CSI: Adidas).
Two reasons I don't give it five stars: sad copy editing and underwhelming photos. Page-turners suffer when every page has at least one and often two no-excuse, let-me-read-that-again grammatical errors. And Parker, considering the interesting cops and music artists he's run with, ought to have a better array of photographs to complement the narrative. They'll fix this up for the second edition and get that fifth star.
Parker really cares about the material -- both sides: the industry and the NYPD. Shocking (but in a good way) to hear such praise lavished on Bernie Karik.
Meantime, the pacing, the stories, the characters all make this a (sorry to use the cliche) page-turner. Can't wait until it's on the big or little screen (CSI: Adidas).
Two reasons I don't give it five stars: sad copy editing and underwhelming photos. Page-turners suffer when every page has at least one and often two no-excuse, let-me-read-that-again grammatical errors. And Parker, considering the interesting cops and music artists he's run with, ought to have a better array of photographs to complement the narrative. They'll fix this up for the second edition and get that fifth star.
reviewed by perfectjen on November 23, 2006 5:50 PM