inter viewbyblackdogbone
made heroes out of them. We make heroes of outlaws.
Somebody gotta have the element. Maybe that’s my
blessing that I came from such a true story. My stories
are so real. No on, I don’t care what they say about
me, there is no one who can deny the gangsta rhythm,
the truth of the G of my story. It’s true. If that’s true
and if I can turn around and say I think it’s a bad idea,
then why ain’t that true too? I really lived the gangsta
life, I really got involved and then if I turn around and
say it was a bad idea—it one is true then why ain’t
the other one true as well? Tookie Williams took his
last breath trying to advocate for the brothers to stop
gang bangin.
Who was that?
Tookie Williams. Until his execution the brother was
telling brothers to stop the violent with his last breath.
And his life was gangsta. He spawned my lifestyle.
Do you read a lot of books, X-Raided? What do you read?
I pretty much read everything that comes across my
path. Yesterday I got a book from my mom; it was “The
Complete Works of Emerson”, all of his poetry. That’s
how she is, she sends me books. I got a couple of
meditation book. I’ve got “Mindful Thinking”, a book
about meditation and how to get yourself a stronger
mind. I’ve got a habit of picking people’s brains
when they got gray hair. I don’t know what it is, a
psychologist could have a field day on me over that. If
I see some gray hair and it’s a legitimate dude, I push
up on him and say, “How are you doing? What is your
life experience?” I just ask ‘em what he went through
Sometimes those OG’s will come
and give me a book and tell me that
this book will give me perspective
on what we talked about. So I
come across and read a lotta
things. I also understand the need
of entertainment. Some of our best
minds went over the edge because
they immersed themselves strictly
in things of spirituality and politics
and they didn’t give themselves no
entertainment. There’s a poison in
becoming to serious. So I’ll read a
James Patterson. I just read “The
Passage” by Justin Conin, a real
good book about an apocalypse
happening on earth. I saw parallels
in our situation cause it’s a zombie
type of thing and I see these
brothers like zombies. When I say
zombie, a zombie usually wants
to eat your brain. When I see
somebody out in the streets that
wanna impress somebody because
of their intelligence, the zombies
are trying to eat his brain. Because
he got a brain on him and he using
it so you wanna eat him. That’s why
I enjoyed the book. Eat a brother
because he’s intelligent. It ain’t a
good thing now to be smart. It’s like
you’re too good. Damn, just cause
he knows how to read?! You gotta
mistreat him? We gotta defend
these old dudes around here from
these mouthy-ass kids that wanna
talk stupid to him because he older.
Man, you don’t know what the fuck
this dude is about! It’s amazing.
But I gotta enjoy myself in here.
I’m a football junky, San Francisco
49ers. I was the only Crip you see
wearing 49er gear on 24th Street,
risking my life to rep for the 9ers. So
I ain’t above the enjoyment. I enjoy
the company of my very beautiful
woman. I enjoy the company of my
brethren. I like to listen to music. I
listen to some bullshit too.
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I’M LISTENING TO THE MUSIC. I’M FEELIN WHAT
EVERYBODY DOIN. I EITHER AGREE WITH IT OR
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DON’T, BUT I STILL LISTEN JUST TO CHECK IT OUT.
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THEN I DO WHAT I GOTTA DO. I DO ME. IN A CERTAIN
WAY, ME BEING SEPARATE FROM SHIT PUTS ME IN
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A POSITION OF A WATCHER. I’M THE DUDE ON THE
MOUNTAIN COMING DOWN TO GLEAN THE INFOR-
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MATION. I’M NOT IMMERSED IN THE BULLSHIT THAT
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EVERYBODY’S CAUGHT UP IN. SO I’M BRINGING A
FRESH PERSPECTIVE CAUSE I’M SEPARATE FROM IT.
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and a brotha might tell me he was in Vietnam or something. I’ll
approach a Mexican dude, and I mean a real Mexican who’s
probably gonna get deported when he gets out of prison. I’ll
find me one and ask him what was his life experience. I’ll find
me a brother or an OG White dude, and I’ll ask him about his
life. I might shock the shit outta him, dude might be 65 years
old, been in prison for 35 years. I’ll stop him and ask him,
“What was it like in America when you were 10?” This is a
man who witnessed a time when it was patriotic to denounce
another race as a whole, and a law came into effect where
you can’t do that no more. He had to have a life change. I ask
him what was the process like? He look me in the eye and I
would ask that question. They give me an answer and I dig that.
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