Son of the City

You might not know his namebut youve heard his work.Dante Ross, born and raised by political activists on New Yorks pregentrified Lower East Side, would play a pivotal role in the golden age of hip-hop. Named as one ofComplex Magazines Top 25 Greatest Hip-Hop A&Rs, Ross got his start at Tommy Boy Records, where he would sign and handle the careers of De La Soul and Queen Latifah. At Elektra Records, he would go on to sign Brand Nubian, Grand Puba, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, KMD, Busta Rhymes, and Ol Dirty Bastard.As a producer, he has worked on a range of hit records by artists such as 3rd Bass, Del the Funky Homosapien, Run-DMC, and Everlastincluding the multi-platinum albumWhitey Ford Sings the Bluesand the gold follow-up,Eat at Whiteys. Ross earned a Grammy in 1999 for his production work on Carlos SantanasSupernaturaland also produced and cowrote two songs featuring Macy Gray and Young Z for the soundtrack to Eminems8 Mile.In this highly entertaining memoir, Ross pulls no punches as he details his chaotic childhood, his life in hip-hop, and all the hard lessons he learned growing up in New York as a true son of the city.