Rap Capital

 I wanted to love this book so much.  I am a huge fan of Atlanta rap music and even wrote a term paper on it in high school. When I first heard about it from Stereogum's ‘The Number Ones' column I immediately ordered it because it sounded perfect for me.  I was eager to learn even more about the history of Atlanta rap music.     This book is not about the history of Atlanta rap.  It is instead a loosely connected group of stories focusing on various figures important to the industry of Atlanta rap in the current era, mostly those involved with the Quality Control label.  It describes these figures as they first get involved with rap and follows them to where they are today.  Throughout we learn about the general culture of Atlanta, from its politics to its crime.  One thing I want to give Coscarelli credit for here is his characterization of these people.  Coscarelli clearly loves the people he is talking about and makes them seem both like mythological figures as well as human beings just struggling to make it through the day.  This is a well-researched book that does go deep into these peoples' lives and personalities.  If you want to find out just what Lil Baby is like, this book will tell you all you need to know about him.  Another thing I want to credit Coscarelli for is how he doesn't only look at the success stories.  Yes we spend a lot of time with Lil Baby and Migos, two massively successful artists, but we also spend time with Lil Reek, who wasn't able to make the most out of his time in the spotlight as well as Marlo, who ultimately died because of the gangbanging that is so vividly described throughout this book.  It is nothing if not comprehensive, and I appreciate Coscarelli for showing just what Atlanta is, warts and all.    With that said, this book has a serious structural problem.  Something about Rap Capital feels poorly edited.  It just... doesn't have a flow.  While I understand the difficulties that come with trying to describe a massive industry and its connection to the city that birthed it in less than 400 pages, the fact remains that this book has a problem with pacing and cohesion.  I feel like the book would be better served if it took all the Lil Baby segments and put them in one section back-to-back and did the same thing with the other figures in the story.  Jumping from one person to the other in a somewhat chronological way just makes this book feel awkward and I can't get over that.  There is an amazing book within these 370 pages, but the order of everything means that this version is not that amazing book.    I think if I came into this book with lower expectations I would have enjoyed it more.  As it stands, its structural issues prevent it from reaching the top quality that I feel it could achieve.  It's a good book that I wanted to be great.