Donald Goines (pseudonym: Al C. Clarkhttp://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/goines.htm) (December 15, 1936 — October 21, 1974) was an African American writers of urban fiction. His novels were deeply influenced by the work of Iceberg Slim.
He was born in Detroit, Michigan on December 15, 1936, to a middle-class black family. He was addicted to heroin at various points in his life. Goines accomplished an amazing feat by writing 16 books in five years. He began his writing career while serving time at Michigan's Jackson Penitentiary, where he was influenced by the work of Iceberg Slim. In his vivid depictions of ghetto and prison life, Goines employed both standard English and dialectal forms to great effect. Donald Goines
Some of Goines's novels have become films, such as Never Die Alone, which starred DMX, and Crime Partners, which starred Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, and Ja Rule. A minor independent movie made of his life was released in 2003. Goines's better known works include Black Gangster, the semi-autobiographical Whoreson, Dopefiend, Street Players, Eldorado Red, Daddy Cool (which was made into a graphic novel) and White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief. Inner City Hoodlum, which Goines had finished before his death, was published posthumously in 1975. The story, set in Los Angeles, was about "smack", money and murder..
Goines and his common-law wife were shot to death in Detroit on the night of October 21, 1974. According to some sources, Goines was gunned down over a failed drug deal. But it is popularly believed that he was murdered by neighborhood criminals who objected to characters and storylines that they thought were based on themselves and thus clues to their identities and crimes. The identity of the killer or killers remains unknown.
If Donald Goines wrote my life my name would be Kenyatta
I don't choose to kill a brother but to stay alive right now I gotta
-from 'Take Em To War' "Scars & Memories"
Grand Puba
The skills go back to the days of flippin' coins
Pass time readin' books by my man Donald Goines
-from 'Who Can Get Busy Like This Man...' One for All [1990]
Vado
Like Donald Goins you write a hell of a story
-from 'fetti' "boss of all bosses"
Also, there is a rapper with the moniker Donny Goines, which was derived from Donald Goines. One of the members from rap group Pitch Black goes by the name of D.G. which was inspired by Donald Goines. D.G. also mentioned Donald Goines in the song "R U Ready 4 This (feat. Busta Rhymes)" from Pitch Black's album "Pitch Black Law".
