This is an interesting article. Tyree says he through with Urban Lit. The main reason seems to be that the genre is now calling the shots. Retailers are even getting into how gritty the title sounds as it relates to sales. This is the link to his article:

http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2008/06/street-lit-000748.php

Has the black readership been conditioned to expect one type of product that blurs out the talent of the individual author? Is this the first step in a return to a more diverse black literature selection? The answers lies in what our readers will buy.

Rooftop Diva – A Novel of Triumph After Katrina- ESSENCE bestseller
http://reviews.aalbc.com/rooftop_diva.htm
Fools’ Heaven – Love, Lust and Death beyond the Pulpit
http://www.therawreviewers.com/artman/publish/FoolsHeaven.shtml
http://DTPollard.com

Yes as an avid reader myself, there is a flood of "Thug life" books in the black book genre. That and a flood of Christian based literature.
Which the same thing happened to music for awhile until soul came back around. The problem is we don't control our publishing and image. I guess the larger question is why would someone want to put the image in the public that there is just one extreme or the other within black arts? And in larger black life.

I listened to him at a black writer's conference some years ago. He was obviously not full enough of himself as he continues to gorge himself with more of himself. But then he referred to himself as a 'storyteller' which is true because his writing sucks ass. Most black writing sucks ass, it is just the way it is, a step up from comic strips. I do not know if he started the ghetto lit, but he made his money there and has no reason to be mad about it. He is like Tyler Perry, he found an audience and made his money. It would be enough if that were good enough for him, but it appears not to be. If he wanted out, he ain't have to say nothing, just leave.

So now he can just shut up and go already. Or at least shut up. Black erotica (fuck books), and ghetto lit is all garbage, but people like it. What are you going to to, people like McDonald's too and it is garbage. People like garbage. Sell your garbage and shut up.