Is thug lit losing its soul?

http://observer.com/2013/05/holler-if-ya-read-me-african-american-writers-and-writers-fret-over-the-future-of-thug-lit/

Holler If Ya Read Me: African-American Writers—and Readers—Fret Over the Future of Thug Lit

Will success undo the authenticity of a genre that prizes it?

By Darren Sands 5/15 6:53pm

The genre, with its allegiance to all-or-nothing street politics and a firebrand code of ethics, was initially fostered by a cadre of authors like Ms. Clark who had actually lived the lives they narrated on the page.

Now that street lit seems poised to jump from the ghetto into the mainstream, it’s an open question whether that authenticity can survive. A major record label has snapped up several of the most popular authors, including Ms. Clark. Reality stars are co-authoring books.

Suddenly, a genre that built its cachet in the hearts and minds of voracious readers is wondering if it’s losing its soul.