Rollin' With Dre: The Unauthorized Account: An Insider's Tale Of The Rise, Fall, And Rebirth Of West Coast Hip Hop

Bruce William and Donnell Alexander

Random House

Andre Mihsin (CHARTattack)

07/01/2008 1:42pm

The early '90s gangsta rap explosion was one of the most significant eras in the history of hip-hop, making household names out of Snoop, Tupac and Dr. Dre. Behind the scenes was Bruce Williams, Dre's right-hand man and the self-proclaimed confidant to many members of the Death Row Records family. In Rollin' With Dre, Williams recalls a few inside tales from those hard-partyin' and gang-bangin' days and also brings up some interesting points on the state of the hip-hop industry. It's got some worth for the history, but the story's a little flat as a whole. Williams constantly reminds the reader that it was Dre, not Death Row that employed him, which for the most part kept him away from the label's most compelling character, Suge Knight. In fact, the book's best parts are the stories that back Knight's notoriously violent reputation. In contrast, Dre's Death Row days mainly revolved around the not-so-gripping routine of lengthy studio sessions, parties and avoiding any criminal activity, which really doesn't make for a whole lot of fodder for an insider tell-all.