In an era where young people are less likely to be in church and more likely to be influenced by hustlers, rappers and movies like Scarface, things have changed. The 48 Laws of Power by author Robert Greene, has emerged as the hustlers Bible in hip hop. I have personally met people in the rap game that can quote Robert Green's Laws by number, more readily than they can quote any other book intended to refine their life. Any independent would be music mogul without The 48 Laws of Power is a pawn of those around him. Robert Greene replaced The Autobiography of Malcolm X as the book of choice on the block. Busta Rhymes, Bruce George, T-KASH, Jay-Z and 50 Cent are just a few hip hop icons that consult this book when battling on wax, the block or the boardroom. 50 Cent could easily be considered its most adept student. 50 has not only left peoples reputation and bank accounts in shambles, he has made more money arguably than any other rapper in the history of the art.
Which is why it makes sense that Greene's next book is entitled The 50th Law, co-authored by none other than 50 Cent. In this interview, Adisa Banjoko talks with Greene about how his book became today's street Bible, and how The 50th Law can help you step up your game.
VIBE.com: How did The 48 Laws of Power become such a rule of law with the hardest rappers and the most serious street cats?
Robert Greene: I think Jay-Z was the first rapper I ever heard quoting the book. Then it just started taking off. VIBE magazine was interviewing me. To be quite honest I'm not hugely knowledgeable about hip hop. I'm a little older. But then I started trying to find out what happened.
I talked to people like Busta Rhymes, or people who worked with Jay-Z or 50 himself. I feel like some of these managers like [50 Cent's manager] Chris Lighty got the book. Timing wise, I got kinda lucky. Because I was at a point were rappers were venturing hardcore into business. I think the book appeared at that moment and it struck a cord. Because if you've ever been in the music business before, its just brutal. Machiavellian to the 10th degree.
So the book allowed some of these managers to deal with the intense game playing that was going on. I think through them, it filtered down to the artists. Busta Rhymes told me he was doing a movie. I think it was Scary Movie, in 1999. His acting teacher actually gave him the book. I just think it resonated somehow. From 5 different directions it kinda converged onto the urban scene and took off. The book tells it like it is. I'm saying that this is the way the world has been for thousands of years.
How did you team up with 50 Cent for your latest book The 50 Law?
Well, I met him in 2006. I know his literary agent here in LA. He contacted me. 50 had some beef goin' on with Game. Offensively 50 and his guys wanted to meet me to discuss a strategy about Game. I had read From Pieces to Weight, his autobiography. I liked it. Its not your typical celebrity hack job. Its so much better than the movie.
I went to NY and I met him in this back room. Things were intense. There was still a little bit of weirdness going on. I really liked him. We got along really well. He looks you in the eye when he speaks. He's very down to earth. You don't have to stroke his ego. He's just really into certain things. War, strategy and that kinda stuff. So we talked about the Game, and I gave him my advice. The problem was that I didn't really know enough about what was going on. If I had known a lot more I probably would have said something a lot more intelligent.
Anyway, from that we kinda just kept in touch. He was gonna be doing some kind of business/success book with someone else. They ended up not liking the writer. They came to me. Instead of ghost writing a book, I'd collaborate with him directly.
What should we expect to gain from it that we have not learned in your previous books?
It's kind of an urban version of The 48 Laws. There are some similarities. There are some differences. I spent about a year following him around. From his house, to certain media stuff. His ideas and my ideas converged. As I looked at his life and watched him in action I sat down and we came up with these laws of hustling. There are 10 of them. They have no relationship to the 10 Commandments or anything. There just happens to be 10.
Essentially the hustler is a figure to me, thats very American. It goes back to the 19th Century. Its ingrained in our country. We've always kind of had that figure. But it kinda got taken to another level in urban America in the 20th century. Predominantly associated with the black hustler. The hustler is an entrepreneur. This book celebrates their mentality. These are people who are incredibly resourceful. They are incredibly inventive and creative. They just don't have the resources for anything that we consider worthy. But much of what they do is just as interesting as a business man or politician. Its working with the little you have, and making something out of it. The attitude, and the way they go about it fascinated me.
50 really embodies that. To the core he has that mentality. Each law, is kinda illustrated with stories like my other books. The stories are basically about him. His days as a hustler on the streets- dealing drugs mostly. Then there are stories about him in the music and business world. But he brings the same hustler mentality from when he was dealing drugs to how he now operates. I'm showing the connection of how this mentality is very appropriate to 21st Century America. Its a very powerful way of being. There is a lot to learn from that in a business sense, or a power sense or just a being sense.
It's not about promoting drug dealing. He has made the point a thousand times, that he was desperate to get out of that racket. He knew that it was gonna kill him or he'd be in prison the rest of his life. Its just the mentality behind it. That's what we're talking about.
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