By Brett Callwood
Gardena author Innton Tagger has released a new book titled My Hip-Hop Wiz: A Journey Through Rhythm, Resilience and Self-Discovery, which he describes as written “from a place of passion, resilience, and hope.”
“Innton Tagger, doesn’t just tell stories, he reinvents them,” the cover notes reads. “With My Hip-Hop Wiz, he transforms a timeless classic into a high-energy fusion of hip-hop, fantasy, and raw emotion. This isn’t just a retelling, it’s a revolution, one that turns The Wizard of Oz into a pulse pounding odyssey of resilience, power, and self-discovery. Imagine: if KeKe Palmer was Dorothy. Chris Brown was the Scarecrow. Mike Epps was the Tinman, and 50 Cent was the Lion. The chemistry, the charisma, the clash of personalities, it all electrifies My Hip-Hop Wiz, bringing the journey to life with energy and authenticity like never before.”
As the title suggests, the book is a retelling of The Wiz/Wizard of Oz story, from a contemporary, hip-hop perspective. “When I first dreamed up My Hip-Hop Wiz, I wasn’t just thinking about telling a story,” Tagger says in the preface. “I was thinking about building a world where magic, rhythm and resilience all share the same stage. This is not just a retelling of The Wizard of Oz. It’s a reinvention. It’s a remix. It’s a celebration of the culture that raised me, taught me, and carried me through every storm I faced.”
In the tradition of The Wiz, the book sees magic and music merge. “In this story, Dorothy isn’t some fragile figure wandering through a fairy tale,” Tagger says. “She’s a force of her own; a queen with a crown stitched together from struggle, laughter, and the music that pulses through her veins.”
“Hip-Hop gave me a voice when the world tried to silence me,” the author continues. “It taught me that you can turn pain into poetry, loss into an anthem, and dreams into an empire. That;’s what this book is about.”
My Hip-Hop Wiz is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9265PQP.
