The Donald Goines Documentary (ft. Seven the General)

Educational Documentary http://www.seventhegeneral.bandcamp.com Donald Goines is your favorite rappers favorite writer. A pimp and a stickup man, addicted to heroin most of his short life, Goines’s books, with titles like “Whoreson” “Dopefiend” and “Black Gangster”, have sold over 6 million copies. Written in a frenzy between 1970 and ‘74, Goines’ novels are a dark portal into black street life and the misery of addiction and are probably the most widely read set of books in the American prison and jail system. Other than the street itself, he is probably the single biggest inspiration to gangster rap music, a billion dollar business, and while Goines ended up with a criminal record for pimping, armed robbery, bootlegging liquor, and drugs he actually grew up in a relatively affluent family in one of Detroit’s most thriving black neighborhoods. So Goines’ family is like the Jeffersons, they had a mini dry-cleaning empire in Detroit, and Donald’s father I’m sure wanted to bring his son into the business, but after getting kicked out of Catholic school young Donald dropped out of the 9th grade and joined the Air Force, just in time for the Korean War. Goines came home from the military with two newfound hobbies that he’d picked up in Asia- heroin and prostitutes. He spent the next 15 years shooting heroin, pimping, and doing stick ups. He went to Federal prison for manufacturing bootleg liquor and state prison for robbing a numbers house. He once stuck up a Bingo hall that his own mother was at. He spent most of the 1960’s in prison and missed the Detroit riot of ‘67- he was locked up. In 1969 he read the bestseller PIMP, written by Iceberg Slim, and decided to start writing himself. Goines got a publishing deal with Holloway House, the same publisher as Iceberg Slim, and in a drug fueled frenzy Goines pumped out 15 books in 5 years, between 1970 and ‘74. Al Profit The film features: Seven the General (Recording Artist/Actor) Al Profit (Film Maker) Courtney Brown Sr. (Motown Mafia) Courtney Brown Jr. (Motown Mafia) Music: B Down the Boss (@BDowntheBoss)