“This is my Wayne Perry flow…You don’t know nothing about Wayne Perry though…District of Columbia/Guns on your tumbler,” Jay-Z, Tom Ford
That verse went over a lot of people’s head. Not too many people know what Hov meant by that. Who is Wayne Perry? And how did he end up in that verse?
Wayne Perry, who also was known as Silk, was the true meaning of a gangster in the mean streets of Washington DC. He had the intimidation game and extortion game on smash in the late-80s and early-90s. Dudes were scared shitless of Wayne “Silk” Perry. Just his name alone put fear in a lot of dudes’ hearts.
Wayne Perry also became known because of his association with Alberto “Alpo” Martinez. Alpo was a drug dealer from Harlem, New York City, who once upon a time ran with AZ and Rich Porter. They made the movie Paid in Full about them
Alpo came to Washington DC to open shop in the drug market game when Rayful Edmond got locked up and the streets of DC were for the takings. Alpo was a flamboyant NY drug dealer, who ended up on a lot of dudes’ radar, but it wasn’t until he linked up with Wayne Perry that he was able to set up shop respectively and begin his takeover of the city. Wayne Perry was well-known throughout DC all the way to Maryland and Virginia, so being on Alpo’s team gave Alpo the all access pass to run wild without a care in DC. All that tried to oppose or got in the way were disciplined or gunned down by the legendary Wayne Perry.
His gangsta was tremendously feared in the District of Columbia and because of Wayne Perry, Alpo was allowed to let his nuts hang in DC.
But loyalty runs thin, as Alpo turned on Wayne Perry when the feds came and locked Alpo up. He turned on the very one who kept him in power.
To know about Wayne Perry, read Seth Ferranti’s Street Legends Vol. 1.
Wayne Perry’s name still rings bells throughout DC even though he’s been gone over 20 years.
Jay-Z’s verse only saluted and gave respect and honor to a fallen soldier, and reminded those who wish that Wayne Perry was forgotten that real always recognizes real and through hip-hop his name will be kept alive.
And now you got rich white kids and the new generation of multi-race and multi-cultural hip hop fans singing about their Wayne Perry flow, not knowing they are paying tribute to a street legend who is buried alive behind concrete and steel in the BOP’s ADX Florence supermax prison for life.
Only a witty wordsmith like Jay-Z who is well-known to start and end worldwide trends can do something as amazing as that.
So now you know exactly what Hov is spitting about.