Two Trailblazers in Music

Doctor Dread (Gary Himelfarb) has committed his life to producing reggae music and releasing it on his label, RAS Records. He has become one of the world's foremost reggae producers, and has worked with almost all the genre's icons. He even founded his own line of Jamaican food items, Doctor Dread's Famous Jamaican Jerk Products. The Half That's Never Been Told: The Real-Life Reggae Adventures of Doctor Dread (Akashic) is a must-read Rasta ride for anyone interested in reggae music, Jamaican culture, and the colorful characters that created an unforgettable scene.

Born in Miami's notorious Liberty City, Luther Campbell witnessed poverty, despair, and crime firsthand. He created one of the first hip-hop record companies, Luke Records, which started out of a shed in his mom's backyard and grew into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. As a rapper on his own label, Luke became known as the "King of Dirty Rap" and helped pioneer the worldwide phenomenon of Miami Bass. He went on to become the front man and manager for the rap group 2 Live Crew, and was key to the success of the group's controversial platinum recording As Nasty As They Wanna Be. The Book of Luke: My Fight for Truth, Justice, and Liberty City (Amistad) is Campbell’s raw and powerful true story of how one man invented Southern Hip-Hop, saved the First Amendment, and became a role model for his disenfranchised Miami neighborhood—living proof that one person can make a difference in the world.