Code-47 was an open plot waiting for the right subject matter. It did not start out being a commentary on Hip Hop. It sprouted from a story I had written called The Writer’s Block, which I’m sure, is a title every writer has used. I personally suffer from the type of writer’s block when there are too many ideas and possibilities. I have a very psycho-Hamlet approach to writing.
Anyway, the story was inspired by a poem I wrote by the same name. It centered on the lives of four different types of Black writers who were trying to start a publishing company. There were also plans to write a short screenplay to film. The story never really went anywhere; it was dialogue and character driven. But the plot moved at a seasonal hour-long drama pace.
Didn’t really work on it much.
The story transformed into something that looked like a Black version of a Kevin Smith movie. I’ll stay mum on that plot. I really liked that story. I just made notes for it. At the time, I was also outlining Freezing Reign in Summer for 12 Stories High. And of course, I thought of making a short story from the second idea. But the second idea had two ways to tell the story. One was titled Codebreakers. The other story was titled Our World. I decided to combine the two and hope for the best to create a screenplay that would finally be made into a movie. But completing and publishing 12 Stories High was the main focus. The stories and screenplay dwindled away.
One night, speaking to my friend Panic (inspiration for the character Law), I was given the rundown on how the music industry worked. It was cold. It was real late. Our conversation must’ve been for three hours, between 12am and 3am. Panic was always rolling his eyes at people who continuously complained about the state of hip hop. Panic has war stories. Real ones. He wasn’t a fan; he was part of the hip hop industry on both the creative and business side. It’s the difference between studying Vietnam and actually haven been there. Anyway, Code-47 has a shortened version of this conversation between the characters Keith Joseph and Law Forsythe in an early chapter.
But even after our initial talk, and creating a backdrop for a ‘hip hop heist’, I went back to the Writer’s Block/Codebreakers/Our World stories and created many possibilities for a heist. The story that is ‘hip hop heist’ was originally a backstory for Keith Joseph. It was just a story that got Keith recognized to help someone else with another heist.
Then came the melting pot phase where all the ideas are shoved into one. Next came the picking off, figuring out what works, what doesn’t. Keith, towards the end of the book, exclaims other stalled, Black creative outlets. He names other music genres, literature, movies … all of which were explored as possibilities for the actual heist.
But hip hop stood out. Too many people have been complaining. And I wanted to write a book about people taking action. Instead of another non-fiction book by someone documenting the timeline of hip hop’s degeneration and how it was done.
I felt like, “Okay, hip hop conspiracy theorists. So we know. Now what?”
It’s now time to get to work. Code-47 in effect.
I dedicated the book to Negro Spirituals because of how their influence shaped the book. And my boy Panic … for being realistic.
Code-47 is my first novel (published), 3rd book released. Oddly, I look at Code-47 as the beginning of my writing career.
When the plot was outlined and put together, there wasn’t too much to stray from. It was straightforward. Finishing the book, editing it, and publishing it did not come on time. I wanted it released 2007.
Missed that year.
Then I wanted the book released on my birthday, April 21, 2008.
Nope.
It was finally released fall 2008. October 30th.
Oh, well. It’s here.
N-joy
