Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Crack Era

By: Kevin Chiles, Richard Ray Esq.
Narrated by: Richard Ray Esq.
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The Crack Era: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Kevin Chiles chronicles one of the most treacherous periods in New York City’s history. As told by a man The New York Times once described as, “the biggest drug lord in Harlem since Nicky Barnes”, the book lays bare the harrowing exploits of the narcotics trade Uptown during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s - a world where the lust for freebase cocaine set off a veritable gold rush that turned ghetto boys into young millionaires almost overnight.

“Baseheads” wreaked havoc on the Black community. What’s worse, upper Manhattan became the epicenter of murder and mayhem as drug-related killings pushed the city’s annual death toll well into the thousands. A teenager at the time, Kevin earned a rep as a boss among bosses, and along with a handful of hustlers from his ‘hood, he would directly influence the very music and fashion that ushered in the golden age of hip hop.

The crack epidemic parlayed money, power, and respect for Kev, but it also took his freedom as well as the lives of close friends and family. Now, this candid memoir exposes liars, dispels urban myths, and sheds light on an otherwise dark epoch that has bittersweet implications for many today. Having seen and survived it all, one of America’s most iconic street figures recounts a bygone era of fast cash and high stakes hustling in Harlem.

©2019 Kevin Chiles (P)2020 Kevin Chiles
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Crack Era

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    221
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    11
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    140
  • 4 Stars
    47
  • 3 Stars
    36
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    39
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    224
  • 4 Stars
    31
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Did not want it to end

ill give it -A I read the book and just wanted to see the different feel that I got from listening to it the audible was cool but the read was better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story !!!

Kevin Chiles is a true person for being loyal and smart.
I learned some real facts in this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Editing and performance fall short

Despite poor editing over a so so narration, I still recommend audiobook, story well worth it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Reviewer

Very informative and interesting! Very well read! I will recommend this particular book! Thought provoking!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

STUNNING

I was so impressed from start to finish due to myself being in the lifestyle and surviving it’s up and downs. Great job KC. 💪🏽💯🖤🥂

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

Great story from beginning to end. Brings you back to NYC during the 80’s and 90’s

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good book

Ended weirdly abrupt but overall a great book and great story it’s a very very insightful book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Profound

This book shed light on an era I was born into. At one time being too young to understand it’s great to gain a perspective on things I witnessed growing up in Queens-Brooklyn NYC. Great listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen

I’m a Harlem kid so the story was very familiar. It felt good to hear it first hand.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, but the narrator….

The narrator voice goes in and out. The book is constantly skipping and there are long pauses to the end of each chapter. But I’m a fan of true crime drama and the true G in this story is real! Stand up G! But narrator drags the story and it sounds like he’s reading versus telling a story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!