In Prison with T.I.
I arrived at FCC Forrest City Low on January 5, 2011. I knew that the superstar multi-platinum rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris was on the compound, serving his second federal skid bid in two years […]
Category: Hustling & Hip-Hop
Legendary figures of the drug game have been the province of myth and hearsay until the rise of hip-hop. Cocaine or gangsta rap is crack era nostalgia taken to its extreme. Read these stories and interviews where hustling and hip-hop collide.
Swagger-Jacking the Spirit of Hip-Hop
Rap and crack were both born 30 years ago, and more than a few rappers brag on their records about starting their labels with drug money. At nearly the same moment as Run DMC was growing to international fame […]
Real vs. Fake by Fridge
We used to say things like, “playas have fun/and suckas have none” or “real niggas don’t tell, we go to jail” and things that meant something like “the game is bought, not taught, sold; not told” and the classic that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the subject “pimps up, ho’s down.” Still get a kick outta that one […]
Rap and Gangland: Drugs, Guns, Hustle and Flow
Legendary figures of the drug game have been the province of myth and hearsay until the rise of hip-hop where rappers name drop weaponry by style number and drug dealers by name […]
Short North Posse
In Columbus, Ohio there was a group of youngsters that held it down like original gangsters. They lived by the code of the street and kept it old school […]
The Real Rick Ross
Is the rap game the new drug game? With all these rappers fronting, styling and profiling you would think so. From it’s origins in New York to LA gangsta rap to the bling-bling of the 90s to the South’s ascension hip-hop has always took its cue from the streets […]
Second Generation Queens Gangster
“Ground zero for gangsters- the Southside of Jamaica, Queens. Home to multi platinum rappers like 50 Cent and legendary crack era druglords like Fat Cat and Supreme […]
Public Enemy #1
The crazier a gang member is the more respect he gets from his gang. And this works for inter gang relationships too. The more brutal and terrorizing a gang is the less other gangs want to fuck with them on any type of level- MS-13 currently holds the crown as craziest gang in the country […]
Death B4 Dishonor
To live by a code, to embody that ideal, to be the real deal that is death before dishonor. A lot of dudes talk about keeping it real and staying true to the game but when they get busted and snitch they say, “Charge it to the game.” […]
50 Cent’s Obsession
50 Cent- gangsta rapper, multi-platinum artist, G-unit honcho, movie star, clothing line CEO, vitamin water pitchman, street lit publisher. Fifty seems to have all the bases covered […]