Renaissance of a Boss: Notes from a Creative Reawakening

Hip-hop artist Ross (The Perfect Day to Boss Up) extracts haphazard insights about creativity from his efforts to pull himself out of an artistic rut. As he closed in on the 20th anniversary of his breakout album Port of Miami, Ross sought inspiration for a book on creativity he’d agreed to write. His efforts included taking psychedelic drugs and planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, a goal he abandoned partly because he’d failed to set deadlines for booking flights or physical training—a must, he writes, for “injecting a sense of urgency into the creative process.” He also took a meandering road trip from his home in Florida to Las Vegas, stopping en route at a race car museum that rekindled his passion for cars and reminded him of the importance of using one’s “childlike wonderment” to stick to creative pursuits in the face of others’ doubts. While there’s value in the up-close look at the often frustrating, start-and-stop process of an artist attempting to recapture his spark, Ross’s insights about creativity aren’t explored in enough depth and fail to coalesce into a coherent program or philosophy. Only the author’s most devoted fans need apply. (May)