Tough Breaks

In Tough Breaks: The Story of BaltimoreClub Music, music journalist Al Shipley draws from 18 years’ worth ofinterviews with dozens of DJs, producers, vocalists, party hosts, promoters,and the founders of the clubs, labels and record stores that shaped the genre. With the untold stories behind labels like Unruly Records and clubs like TheParadox, Shipley digs deep into big personalities, obscure samples, profanelycatchy chants, and friendship and feuds that drove a competitive scene to keepthe 130BPM beats going for decades. Baltimore icons who died tragically younglike Miss Tony and DJ K-Swift are remembered through the eyes of friends andcollaborators, and producers like DJ Booman, DJ Class, and Diamond K reveal theinspirations behind some of their classic tracks.