Riddlore is one of the founding members of Chillin Villain Empire and by extension, a key player in the legacy of both The Good Life and Project Blowed. He has had a very long and varied career in hip hop that spans over thirty years now. Following the lead of Myka 9, he has now teamed up with Parker Pubs to release a book that is a hybrid of lyrics and memoir, Born a Villain.

Much like Myka 9’s book, the first section of Born a Villain is devoted to the lyrics of Riddlore, both from solo projects, CVE projects, and other collaborations. In this section, you’re really able to appreciate the intricacies of his lyricism, the way that his flow and word choice are intertwined, and the ways in which he is able to really work some nuance and empathy into his descriptions of growing up around gangs, drugs, corrupt cops, and more. In the second half of the book, we get an oral history-style of memoir. It’s especially interesting in the beginning, just getting the details of how CVE came to be, how Riddlore developed his style on the mic and as a producer, and how the scene developed starting in the ‘80s and progressing through the ‘90s. The book does unfortunately lose direction a little bit, in that it devotes a large chunk of this section to events where Riddlore is only in the periphery, such as the police raid on Project Blowed and the Rap Olympics. Riddlore was there for these things, but the book spends a lot more time on the experiences of others in these instances. They are useful in terms of telling the overall story of Project Blowed, but Riddlore gets de-centered in his own book because of this. As a result, we get less time to discuss all of the different projects he’s been a part of, and how collaboration and mentorship have driven a large portion of his career. It’s still there in the book, but it could have been more focused and given more weight in Riddlore’s story.

Born a Villain, while flawed, is still a necessary read for hip hop fans. Riddlore is an important figure in the history of Los Angeles hip hop, but because he never tried to break through in a major way, he often gets overlooked when people tell the story of the Los Angeles underground. Hopefully, this will help fill in the gaps for a lot of people, and help them appreciate a talented and innovative emcee and producer.