Imagine landing your dream job, complete with drop of a hat travel, rubbing elbows with hip-hop pioneers, and a competitive six-figure salary.

Now imagine if the only price to pay for it all, was your soul.

That is the duality hip-hop journalist KIM OSORIO describes in her new autobiography as the first female EIC of the Source Magazine.

Those of us that follow the culture are well aware of the story. Osorio took the reigns of the Rap Bible unofficially in 2002 during it’s most tumultuous times only to have her tenure there marred with legendary infighting, one of the most ridiculous and damaging track beefs in recent rap history and allegations that her personal life bled into the very pages she’d always dreamed of writing for. And let us not forget the invasive and humiliating sexual harassment.

And now, three years later a detailed and resilient Osorio is finally telling her side of the story.

‘Straight From The Source‘ is a vividly personal account of Kim’s life during the roughly 16 months leading up to, during and immediately following her history making post. She talks openly about her own personal life, including the internal struggles she faced daily as a single mother working well over 60 hours a week. And she meticulously recounts the many incidents that led to her sending that notorious email that has since become the stuff of legends.

Within it’s pages, Osorio paints a picture of an Empire crumbling at the hands of an awkwardly placed CEO and the lunatic wanna-be rapper that inexplicably pulled all the strings. If its understanding of the relationship between Dave Mays and Raymond ‘Benzino’ Scott that you’re looking for, you won’t find it here. But in fairness, Kim offers bluntly, it is a relationship no one understands, including her. And that somehow lends more natural sympathy to the people caught at the mercy of their employ.

‘Straight From the Source’ offers true fans of Hip-Hop a rare backstage glimpse at the inner-workings of the industry. The names alone are enough to draw some in. Osorio even speeks somewhat frankly about romantic relationships with both Nas and 50 Cent. But unlike some of the other ‘Tell-alls’ that have come forward in recent years, Osorio’s approach is clear. This is not an attempt to smear reputations. This is Kim’s first-hand account of the attacks on hers. 

The book isn’t perfect. There are uneven moments where several pages are given to mundane topics and mere lines are offered about game changing events. But perhaps the biggest frustration comes from a lack of clear understanding of why after all of the humiliation and demoralizing treatment, Osorio stayed as long as she did. But as any good writer will do, just before you’ve lost your understanding/empathy/connection with Kim, she makes her motivation clear: 

“In my five years at the company, they had done a long list of things that had made me uncomfortable. In my desire to get ahead at the company, I had let it all go and sometimes even complied. From the inappropriate comments to the harassment to the physical threats I’d received from coworkers, I was willing to deal with all of it to maintain my job at the magazine… Everyone knew that was just the way things went at the Source.” 

Whether you’re a Hip-Hop head, a casual acquaintance, a feminist or someone going through similar workplace drama, there is something here – for everyone. And finally, after all of the headlines, sound bites and public rantings from Benzino, it’s Kim Osorio – straight from the source.