“I realized he was more than a former pimp and a writer, he was also deeply committed to the Black Panthers and other far-left organizations.”ĭiane Beck gave Gifford more of her husband’s documents and writings and Gifford began to realize Iceberg Slim was a contradictory character - a misogynistic pimp and a writer who was deeply committed to his family. “I bought the clothes and shoes and asked if I could interview her,” Gifford said. There, he came across Diane Beck, Iceberg Slim’s wife who was selling his suits, shoes and other clothes to raise money for a charity. He started searching eBay for anything about Iceberg Slim. Gifford likened the prose to the gangsta rap he listened to growing up. “A lot of the language seemed familiar, particularly Iceberg and the characters he draws, and pimps speaking in rhymes or ‘toasts.’” “Not only was it interesting in terms of where it sits in the landscape of American literature, it seemed to be the precursor to hip-hop,” Gifford said. “It was actually a genre I had never seen before. “I was doing research and I found the book again on a book table in Harlem with other books,” he said. But five years later, he found the “Pimp” bio again on a book sale table in New York City. His books have sold millions of copies and his words and street name have influenced such rappers as Ice-T, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, Gifford said.Ī student of American and African-American literature, Gifford forgot about the Iceberg Slim autobiography after that first encounter with the book. “It was so deep in street slang, it was difficult to understand.”īut Iceberg Slim, the street name of Robert Beck, a pimp and ex-con in the 1940s and 1950s, became a remarkable voice in mid-20th century black literature. “It looked like a Harlequin romance novel,” Gifford said of the book. Gifford, now a University of Nevada, Reno English professor and author of the just-released book “Street Poison: The Biography of Iceberg Slim,” had never heard of the book or the author. Including the real story behind a chapter of The Naked Soul, written especially for this book by acclaimed anthropologist Richard Milner (Black Players). Additional photos are included in this Apple edition.Justin Gifford’s introduction to Iceberg Slim came when some students at the South-side Chicago school where he taught showed him a copy of an autobiography titled “Pimp: The Story of My Life,” published in the 1960s. These interviews are complimented by rare photos and must-read articles about Iceberg Slim. Inside, Icebergs fascinating life as a writer, father and husband is also revealed for the first time in exclusive frank interviews with his daughter Misty Beck, and Bentley Morriss of Holloway House Publishing in Los Angeles. In this book Iceberg speaks unflinchingly, sharing his qualified and valuable perspective on important topics: sex, drugs, racism, crime, prison, politics, family and writing. He influenced artists such as Ice-T, Donald Goines, Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z. He lectured at colleges, advising students to learn from his mistakes and lead socially constructive lives. As the USA’s best-selling black author he was read by millions. In his forties Iceberg Slim became a legendary storyteller of another kind. STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH: Iceberg Slim gives unprecedented insight into his incredible life as a pimp, when he played God to hundreds of women, in this collection of rare interviews.
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