Everything You Need to Know About Our Debut Novel "The Sound of Southside"
A Dope New Book On The Way From Gritty Vibes (Sneak peek below)
Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear about the book release: https://grittyvibes.com/subscribe/In a rapidly gentrifying Queens NYC, a young musician named Maliki sets out on a journey to continue his father’s legacy and reopen a Jazz Club in the community. Along the way, he encounters Afeni, a passionate -- but homesick -- actress from Jamaica, West Indies. The two creatives build up a bond as each of their pursuits are met with resistance. Afeni's dreams are disregarded by her immigrant family, and Maliki struggles to raise funding for the Jazz club. Eventually, Maliki decides to accept an offer from a mysterious street figure, a decision that will change everything for years to come.This is the premise of Gritty Vibes’ very first novel “The Sound of Southside”, coming to a shelf near you. This novel is a long time coming for ya boy. Creatively, I’ve written films, short stories and hundreds of articles on this platform and still, the question I received most was “When are you gonna write a book?” Truth is, I wanted to wait for the right story, the one that really sums up who I am and what I have to say. With “The Sound of Southside”, I feel that I truly achieved this. I can’t wait to share it with you all.
You can expect a little bit of everything from this novel. The characters in the book pull from all of the colorful characters that I grew up around. Conversations I’ve overheard on trains, stories from grandparents, arguments on Jamaica Avenue, all have made their way onto the books’ pages and helped breathe life into the story.“The Sound of Southside '' also stays true to its roots and offers up an authentic sense of place. Jamaica Queens was once referred to as "The Home of Jazz" by New York Times. Jazz musicians like Lena Horne, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and much more called the community home. The Sound of Southside pays homage to the neighborhood roots, while presenting the story in a modern context. Although the story features musical references throughout, it’s enjoyable for all readers – Jazz lovers or not.As a treat to my OG Gritty Vibes readers, I’m sharing the first page with you. Read up below and make sure you sign up to our mailing list so you’ll be the first to get an update regarding the book’s release.Sign up here: https://grittyvibes.com/subscribe/
The Sound of Southside, page 1
“South Jamaica is never the same place twice. Miss out on a year or so of these streets and the young cats look at you like an out of towner, like leaving the ghetto's orbit for that brief moment, just to catch a glimpse at the other side made you weaker.
It's easy to get lost in it's labyrinth, when some street sign that you used to know is now changed, dedicated to a soul who lost his life here while you were gone. The grim reality is that if you don't quickly readjust, and reacquaint yourself with the politics of the new South Jamaica, you can very well be the next name, on the next sign.
These are facts that were easier to digest before I myself took the pilgrimage out of Queens only to return back to a foreign land. When we were young, we'd watch the so-called shot-callers return home from stints upstate and claim that they lost a step, like they were urban lions who somehow lost their ability to hunt. Now, in perhaps a display of poetic justice, here I sit on a city bus trudging me towards a community I haven't seen in years.
On the other hand, Jamaica Avenue is as vibrant as it’s always been. A chorus of local vendors, catcalls and Caribbean music radiate through the summer air. The scent of Halal food and shish kebabs pour out of street carts, competing with the stench of fake perfume being sold on every block.
People are always rushing to get somewhere on the Avenue. Thing is, you'd never notice it unless you’ve been away long enough to tell the difference. Through the bus window, it’s easy to distinguish the Queens veterans from the transplants who started popping up recently. It’s a rhythm thing, you either have it or you don’t.
For a while I remain fixated out the window, marveling at all that’s changed and all that hasn’t. Finally, the bus turns away from the vibrance of the Avenue and descends into the concrete greys of South Jamaica.”
If you want to read the other 56,000 words, you gotta cop the book. Make sure you join the mailing list here: https://grittyvibes.com/subscribe/