An Interview With Coke La Rock

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Coke La Rock

September 2008

Around 1983, while in Brandeis High School I heard of an emcee by the name of Coke La Rock for the first time. At the time I had no idea who he was, nor did I realize he was looked at as the first emcee ever. But what I did notice was the name COKE LA ROCK. The whole name to me was a symbol of Street, Fire, and Coolness. One day while interviewing Kevie Kev of the legendary Fantastic 5, I bought up the name Coke La Rock and right away Kev said, “That’s my man, someone not to be toyed with.” When Kev said those words my eyebrow went up because I would never figure Kev to give props to anybody but himself and the Fantastic 5. Imperial J.C. of The Herculiods spoke of him the way we spoke of the infamous Larry Davis the night of his coming out. When I finally met Coke La Rock for this interview he lived up to all expectations. This is Coke La Rock’s story.

Troy- Let’s go back to the very beginning of time for you where were you born and raised at?

Coke La RockCoke La Rock- I was born in the Bronx that’s why I said hip hop began in the Bronx. I was born and raised in the Bronx. One would say west Bronx but I was born on the east side on Home Street, between union and prospect.

Troy- So how did you make it over to Kool Herc, over on University Avenue?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coke La Rock- Well my mother moved when I reached the 6th grade. So from the 6th grade to the 8th grade I lived on the west side on Jessup Avenue. And I went to Jr. high School 82. I knew Herc before hip hop, before the party’s. Herc and I met in my neighborhood because of a young lady he was dating that lived on my side of town. We also use to see each other at clubs like The Tunnel or The Puzzle as well as the Audubon. I also have to say that Herc was a graffiti artist before he was a D.J. but I my self was not one at all. But I did come from an era where you thought it was legal to sell drugs and that was the way to go. I am going to call it how it is.

Troy- Well how old were you and Herc when you guys first met?

Coke La Rock- When we first met I guess I was 15 years old, he was 16. Herc has a year on me. We use to go to the night center. You know what I am saying because cats don’t know what that really is. The schools use to open up from 6pm to 9pm.

Troy- Right

Coke La Rock- Because the night school centers use to be from 6pm to 9pm the after school centers were from 3pm to 5pm. To get into the night center you had to be about16. And a lot of schools had a night center. So you went there and you played what ever recreation they had there such as basketball, pool etc. I taught Herc how to play basketball and that’s no disrespect to my man but he was from Jamaica and he was a bigger fan of playing soccer, swimming and lifting weights.

Troy- So Herc ended up becoming extremely good at playing ball?

Coke La Rock- He could jump, and he was powerful with his dunks. He didn’t have a game like say one of those fly brothers from Harlem, he was straight power! I made him stay down low under the basket. Herc had one of his greatest games against a guy name Bear from Dewitt Clinton High School. He was one of the biggest, strongest mother f—— in Clinton High. Bear dunked on Herc about two times, Herc dunked on him like 6 times!

One time I had Herc lift 250 lbs 25 times in high school. The gym teacher tried to out do Herc and caught a rupture.

Herc use to ride his fix (bike.) 20 plus miles every Saturday and Sunday down in Central Park. Then come back up to the Bronx and ball with us. And you could never tell he did all those miles on the bike because he would go all out on the court. He was on some strong s—.

Coke La RockBut then on some rah rah s— Herc got into a fight with some big cat I knew who was getting money, who use to go back and forth to jail. The dude was fouling me hard so Herc was ready to put it on him. The dude made Herc’s lip bleed but he didn’t knock Herc down. Then the crowd broke it up. So I saw that this cat had a better knuckle game then Herc. He wasn’t better fighter then Herc, but he had a knuckle game. I said, “Herc f— the knuckle game, dopefein yoke that n—–!” (Troy starts laughing.) So the n—– swung and Herc got under him and dopefein yoked him and started putting him to sleep. The cat was out and his crew went to like break it up and I stood in front of them and pulled out and told them to sit the f— down. I said kill that n—– Herc! The n—– eye balls rolled back. I said let him go Herc! Herc let him go and he was a sleep.

Herc is strong, very strong. Herc didn’t have the traditional knuckle game at that time, but over all he was still no match. Now if Herc had to kick him he would have soccer kicked his ass around, but at that time you know you had to give a fair one. (We both start laughing.)

As far as high school I went to Alfred E. Smith because I liked cars and I thought I wanted to fix cars for a living. I later realized I didn’t want to fix them I just wanted to drive them. What got me and Herc even tighter was I was supposed to have a fight with this guy from the school. Being as I knew Herc and a few others from the school the word got passed around, “Coke is about to have a fight!” So the whole crew was there. And I did what I had to do. The dude I fought was named John Shaft. I beat Shaft up and they gave me the nick name Bumpy!

Troy- Bumpy?

Coke La RockCoke La Rock- Yeah Bumpy, they said Bumpy beat Shaft up! That was the reverse side of the movie.

Troy- right… (it takes Troy a moment.) you’s a funny brother!

Coke La Rock- (Coke recognizes that Troy remembers the movie Shaft.) There we go. So the next day they were calling me Bumpy because I beat Shaft up. Shaft was a senior I was a freshmen, so everyone was surprised. See growing up D.j.s were not popular they were the last guys on the totem pole when it came to respect when we were growing up. A n—– will put his foot in your ass, take your records, take your money and your sodas and beer and tell you have a nice day! The only cats that got true respect in the streets were the pretty boys, the boys that were getting money, if you could fight and the ball players. Those were the four popular cats coming up.

Troy- Pretty much the same thing in Harlem.

Coke La Rock- See what I am saying. We use to go down to Harlem. I knew a couple of cats, like Charlie Rock who was from 139th street’s pit. I use to go to the Pit after midnight because the hustlers use to play for like a Grand or better. Then one day me and Herc bumped heads with Cisco. Now a cat getting money knows about Cisco.

Troy- Cisco from 116th street that was cool with Freddie Myers.

Coke La Rock- Thank you. Cisco created The Wiz Kids basketball team and he wanted us to play for them. Cisco was the first cat I saw getting real money when I was a young guy. Back then he had the two Mercedes Benz. He had the big jewelry, he was getting that paper. Herc mostly knew all the D.J. cats coming up, I was more in tune with those cats getting money. I meet Cisco through my friend that also went to school with me. I later found out my friends father was a bank robber. So that went with that. When I met Cisco I wasn’t hustling yet and we tried out for his team and Herc and I could have played for his team but we were from the Bronx. Plus I really enjoyed watching the game as well as playing it because Coke La Rock wears glasses so it can get real physical on the courts and you throw an elbow and brake my glasses I am not responsible for what happens next. But one on one I use to play in the Pit on 139th street in Harlem for that money, I am talking about $1200 a game.

Troy- You talking about Five Two then!

Coke La Rock- Thank you, you know what I am talking about. Some times it wouldn’t be Five Two it might be one of those 6 feet and under games. The hustles played and guys left them alone because of their rep, but very few of them could really play ball. I use to see Pee Wee out there too when he use to bring his man Joe Hammond out there with him. I remember Joe Hammond getting like 80 points up in the Rucker back in 1979. Harlem was fascinating.

Coke La RockI remember you telling me in the past you went to Brandeis High School well my man Diamond Dee went there as well. This was my man from back in 1971 the original Diamond Dee. See when cats want to take your name they want to have your fame. So my man Diamond Dee took me to Brandies one day and they had 6 fights in the lunch room during the dance. The party never ended I was like lord these cats are crazy. I remember another spot in Harlem over by Dante’s on 160 something street between Broadway and Amsterdam called The Devils Inn.

Troy- Over there by Wilson’s restaurant bakery that I thought would never go out of business.

Coke La Rock- Right, well The Devil’s Inn was the first real club I went to in Harlem to feel the difference. When you come out of there at night you see at least two n—— lined up against the wall dead. They would have fights inside and the party would still go on. That was unbelievable to me. It was like the tough survive and the weak perished. That spot woke me up. Then I went to this spot called The Factory West which was on 125th street one block down from The Apollo.

Troy- You talking about The Factory where you walk up the stairs! (It was changed years later to Randy’s Place. B Fats, Crazy Eddie and The Treacherous 3 and other young hip hop stars started making their bones there.)

Coke La Rock- Thank you. Well the fifth time I went there they killed the bouncer and just threw a sheet over him and kept getting that paper and partying. I didn’t know at the time if the police found a body at a spot the party is dead!

Troy- Right.

Coke La Rock- They couldn’t take him out so they waited until the party was over. But people kept coming in stepping over this man and he was dead.

Another club I went to was the Sand Pan. During this time you had other clubs downtown of Manhattan like The Eckanema and The Cheba. I was 17 years old when I started hanging out at the Sand Club down on 34th street between 7th and 8th avenue. At that time it was a club and a restaurant and a bar all in one. You had to be 21 to get in but I got through and it was the first club I really loved. And during this time on the forth of July all the fellas that were balling or getting a little paper would go out to Coney Island and you chilled by The Hemilayer ride, dancing and showing your wears off. I lived fly and I loved lizards so I stayed in the reptile house. Cats were wearing Penny loafers I was wearing reptiles. I couldn’t even go in zoo because the animals acted up. And I was G money man I kept a G and better on me. I walked around with 16, 17 hundred a day on me that was a normal thing with Coke La Rock.

So my man was like, “Come on over to The Sand Pan I was like nah I am only 17.” He said pull out that knot because it is only 5 dollars to get in. So I pulled out 1700 and gave the cat a $20 and I was in there. I felt like a big man, I got the older women saying, “hey.” I got 3 or 4 entrées of food around me. I’m smoking weed, got my car outside.

Troy- So you were doing all this before you got on the mic?

Coke La Rock- Right, but this is what threw me more deeper with Herc. I use to sell weed at Herc’s parties. I would sell like 40 nickels a night at Herc’s recreational room. So I was always scrambling….

Troy- Scrambling! Damn I haven’t heard that in years.

Coke La Rock- Right and I really fell into it because one night Herc’s family went away and Herc wanted a little time with his girl. So Herc was like Coke play the records for me for awhile. I was in the recreational room but nobody knew me as that because d.j.ing wasn’t my thing. Herc said he was going to take less then an hour. But when he came back in the rec. room which was two hours later everybody was partying hard. He asked me if I wanted to be down with him, I didn’t mind because while I was playing music I was selling all my weed at the same time. See I go back with the weed, back to the days of The Chunky Black!

Troy- Chucky Black? Damn Coke you went way back to the Chucky Black from 23rd! (123d street between 7th avenue and Lenox Avenue had some of the most popular weed spots in Harlem and the rest of America probably.)

Coke La Rock- Lets go back Troy I was a Chucky Black man. I go knock on the door they look through the peep hole and let me in. They had 5 spots that covered both sides of the street. I take you deeper with the smoke part, they use to sell Motar back in the days and that was even more powerful and cats couldn’t get that. That Motar was over on 157th between Amsterdam and Broadway.

Troy- I heard about it, but it wasn’t easy to get.

Coke- Exactly, because this spot sold it once a week. And that was only for a chosen few. Now on the hustling tip I got like a little $1700 a day off the deuces and treys.

Troy- You talking about those deuces of heroine that got four dudes high?

Coke- Damn kid you remember those days.

Troy- This was up in the Bronx you was doing your hustle?

Coke La Rock

Coke- Exactly and see a lot of cats that were getting money in Harlem lived in the Bronx. And on the quit tip nothing could challenged Harlem, Harlem was, is The Mecca of the world! Let’s get that part real. Harlem is the Mecca of the drug game.

But the west side up here in the Bronx were I am at had families that had money. I went to Jr. High School and kids had 6 and 7 leather coats. And I was struggling to get one. I came from a single parent. My mother raised us and she worked 6 days a week. I had to stay at my grand mother’s house while my mother was at work. So really my grand mother and grand father raised us. I went to church every Sunday so I wasn’t raised as a street cat, but once I got in the game it has to be what it is. Plus you have to be in it to win it. The old saying goes, “it wasn’t nothing funny, it was all about the money.”

Coke La Rock

Troy- So how did you get the name Coke La Rock?

Coke La Rock- The name Coke La Rock came about the 3rd or 4th party, once we started really making an impact on everybody. Herc was like, “Coke you have to get a name!” I was like, “nah I ain’t with that.” But Herc had his name, so I thought about it, but I was taught because I am getting all this paper hustling you don’t put your name out there like that. But to be honest Troy it came in a dream.

I’m tell the story and no one has ever heard the real story before. I was smoked up one night in this dream and I was hanging with cats that were getting plenty money and one night some of my people came over to the spot and said come on we going to run down to Mexico and they was paying for it. So in this dream we are in Mexico and I say to Herc where can I get some Coke from? We go into the saloon but they call Coke, “La Rock!” You know what I am saying? They don’t say, “I got Coke.” All they would say is, “La Rock! I got La Rock.” So one of the Mexicans that was selling in the dream really took to me because of the money I was spending. So He asked me what was my name in Spanish! I said, “Coke!” So the next time we seen each other he said, “yo what’s up Coke La Rock, I got the La Rock!” So I was like Coke La Rock, o.k.! So when I woke up the next day I went looking for Herc and said I got my name. He said what? I said, “Coke La Rock.”

Troy- So were did the Coke part come from?

Coke La Rock- The Coke part came because as a child they use to call me Coco. As I got older I felt only the ladies could call me Coco. I couldn’t have the fellas calling me Coco.

Troy- Right.

Coke La Rock- So I chopped the Coco and had the fellas calling me Coke.

Troy- So why did they call you Coco at all?

Coke La Rock- Well I was a premature baby so I didn’t take to the regular milk so my mother had to mix it with coco. They didn’t have nestle quick and all that other stuff back then like they have now. So that is how that truly came about.

To be honest when we were all growing up no one really had their government name it was nick names all over the place. Cats didn’t know your government like cats didn’t know your momma. Everybody couldn’t eat in your house. They didn’t know your mother cooked chicken on Sundays. Back then it meant something when you said this is my boy or my man. Today it is held real loosely. That’s why I use to say this is my mellow this is my fellow this is my ace king boom. This is my pride and joy, this is my boy. You know what I am saying you would die for him. Just like when I got in the game with Herc, I told Herc it’s me and you against the world. That’s how we got to live. We could never be wrong amongst people but we can be wrong amongst each other. And that’s how it goes.

We made it fashionable for cats to hold their heads up, and say you know what I do, I play music. See because the same money we start making off playing music was the same money cats I knew were getting that were coming off 116th and 126th street in Harlem. When cats would come up after scrambling all day he might have 10 or 20 thousand on him. Our first party together Herc and I made $8000. That’s when I knew right then through the law of average if I leave the drugs alone and get into this here I could settle for at least $5000 a week. Compared to going to jail in the process of that other hustle! And people don’t recognize this but we killed Disco! I don’t care what anybody says.

Troy- (Troy starts laughing.)

Coke La RockCoke La Rock- The last person was Donna Summers, that’s what cats were rolling with. Even the great Pete D.J. Jones he was Disco. You read in the books Pete cut Herc up and Pete had Flash and Starski. He had a bunch of cats and don’t get me wrong I love those brothers I am not saying anything against them but Pete controlled the Bronx with that music. But that was Disco. We came with those beats and we played what we wanted to play the same I played what I wanted to play. I am going to drop a rhyme on you about the different clubs we played back in the days.Coke La Rock

 

“It started in a spot we called the twilight Zone
This is were Herc and I became men of our own
We took it down to spot we called the Exec
That’s were we started demanding respect
Then we took it to the Parkside
Created a land slide
That’s where we seen we owned the Bronx
Because we were packing every spot
Then we took it up to the Hevalo
And from the Hevalo everybody knows
Because we did seven nights in a row
At the Hevalo
It was packed back to back standing room only”

And not for nothing The Hevalo was the first Fever. As far as rapping I never wrote anything down I just told you what was going on. Also I was always strapped. That was a bad part of the game but it was a part of the game that was real, and that was to let you understand you not taking anything from us. You weren’t robbing us and then you see us tomorrow like its all good. We treated it like the drug game. You ain’t robbing those drug dealers and you ain’t robbing banks so go ahead with that. Because I was taught if you ain’t robbing enough to live with for the rest of your life why rob!

Troy- So let me ask you this, why did you choose to be an emcee instead of a D.J.?

Coke La Rock- I’m glad you ask that I was always a D.J. I was a D.J. first then I became an emcee. I guess they classified me that because it was so new to them that a cat was popping shit out the mouth, and cats felt I had the gift for gab. I felt I was just talking and relaying messages and giving props to my friends and other people out in the crowd.

Troy- So lets talk about that you being the very first emcee of hip hop, who inspired you at all being that their was no one in front of you to give you a platform! Because maybe I am mistaken but was any one doing it before you that I don’t know about?

Coke La RockCoke La Rock- Of course not I was the first, no one was doing it in the fashion that we were doing it. But I did listen to the Last Poets.

Troy- Well that was what I meant were you inspired by say Rudy Ray Moore, Pigmeat Mark Ham, The signified monkey or those Last Poets?

Coke La Rock- Well I use to hear stuff like Signified Monkey and the other stuff you mentioned but we were not really allowed to listen to that stuff because that was what your parents played I would have to be in another room.
That was like the nasty records, The Wild Man Steve and them type things. But what really got me with the rap thing was the Richard Pryor records. We use to say this little thing for my man Timmy Tim. Timmy Tim use to do this thing with the monkey routine Richard Pryor had in his show called, “little tiny feet.”

 

Troy- Right I remember that very well, Richard Pryor was hilarious when we were growing up. “With the tiny little feet!”

Coke La Rock- Yeah well I use to cut that in after Timmy Tim would finish his lyrics or rhymes. I would say you are listening to the sounds of Timmy Tim and then cut in with “little tiny feet.” (Troy starts laughing.) Then I would say you are listening to Clark Kent the man with Kryptonite the first Superman from the 9! Clark Kent was from the 9 and the 9 was tough in its own way. But most of the rhymes came by giving a message about us to the cat’s that was out there. One night I had to pull my gun out on some dudes because they weren’t listening to what I was saying.

Coke La Rock

Troy- What does that mean?

Coke La Rock- One night we were at the Exec playing and of course everybody was swamping Herc. Herc had about 9 cats up on the stage listening to him. So when it came time for me to play I got on the stage and being as I didn’t know any of these guys I told them, “no disrespect but I want you guys to step down from the stage.” They looked at me and said, “yo Herc run this here!” I said, “yeah I hear that but fellas I am asking you to leave the stage. My name is Coke La Rock I am Herc’s partner. I am not a worker!” They was like, “man f— that! I was like o.k.” I spent around to were my back was to them, and then when I spent around again I had my three seven out and I cocked it! I said, “get off the stage or I will blow you off the stage.” So they sure enough jumped off the stage and ran and told Herc on me. So when Herc came back he asked them, “yo who pulled the gun out on ya’ll?” They turned to me and said, “him!” Herc said, “That’s my partner, what did he tell ya’ll, get off the stage, then get of the stage! Why didn’t ya’ll listen!?” That was what made me say I can’t mess with D.J.s!

Coke La RockBecause just like today everyone has that jealousy, that hate, they had it back then. Cats were getting money but still hating. That hating bothered me a great deal. Then you had claim jumpers. You read these books and everybody is telling what they did and half these cats didn’t do any of that, and that’s fact. At the same time you hear somebody discussing hip hop and they talk about Herc! And all praise due to him that’s my n—–! But when they say Herc, Herc and they don’t say Coke La Rock you was not at the beginning. And that’s how I know.

Troy- I hear you.

Coke La Rock- Because me and Herc were like Bonnie and Clyde, like any two pairs that’s how it went. You had certain guys growing up that if you don’t see this guy then you not going to see the other guy.

Troy- I know what you mean.

Coke La Rock- that’s how that really went. That was why I stayed with the hustlers and left those guys alone. It was easy because I was a G money man and I hung with G money cats. So that’s the way that went. Also stick up kids backed up off of us because we had brand new guns. Everybody else had musket rifles and little 25.’s.

(Troy starts to laugh.)

Coke La RockI had a 12 gage pump, I had a three seven, Herc had a four five. And that was all we needed. And that was back in the 70’s. Cats from Bronx River remember us. Ask them what the stage looked like one night when we were up in there and some guy got shot! Ask them what the stage looked like. It was too much artillery up on that stage that night. We parted the sea like Moses. Nobody wanted to make a move. Nobody played tough guy that night. This was Bam’s house but we were playing that night and this was the early part of the 70’s before 1978. This was way before we got real big because I can tell by the equipment we were using. We only had a couple of speakers but we still out did everybody else. I told Herc one day, “You like the exorcist of this here s—. Every where we play people come.”

Cats had just came out of the gang era so nobody could go in other guys neighborhood and play music and all of that because they treated you like dirt. We went any and everywhere. I never knew half these cats; they never came to the west side. You be hearing these lies, “We were over on the westside playing music and we destroyed Herc!” Oh come on man that was all game there. I don’t know where they heard that from. Like I said that’s all claim jumpers.

But that night in the Bronx River we playing, and as a hustler you can feel that negativity like something is about to jump off, and quit naturally you can feel the tension. So automatically when I feel that I don’t leave the stage! I put my jacket on and I get ready, because it could happen any minute any second. See and sometimes at a party you might have an outburst and somebody might run up at your equipment and try and grab your equipment and run off with it.

Troy- Right

Coke La Rock- We were the first ones to put a rope and that was one of the main reasons after Bronx River. So if you come pass that rope we are entitled to shoot you! Point blank that’s the mentality of us at that time. So any way a guy shoots another guy in the leg and the running starts and we don’t know how the crowd is coming but I had about 6 of my boys on the stage and all of us were strapped with burners, a sawed off shot gun and 12 gage. So there was a lot of fire power up there. Then you had a about 10 cats down with us in the crowd ready to go all out moving close to the stage. What was strange about that situation was just this year Herc and I see the brother that got shot that night after 30 years. I knew the guy but I didn’t know it was him that got shot in Bronx River. But basically that night that was beef amongst Bronx River cats and not us we just happened to be performing when that went down. But situations like that made it fashionable for cats to hold there head up.

Coke La RockWe were also big on schools and Hercs sister Cindy was on the school committee for Dodge High School. Being as we were on top of our game the committee sold out all the tickets in what seemed like seconds, and you know this is word of mouth not know radio or t.v. promotion. When me and Herc got in the party at 7pm it was jammed packed. By 7:30pm the police came to us and said, “yo ya’ll got to end the party!” The Police said it was too many people inside the school and outside in front of the school. The Police said it was so many people it’s going to cause a riot. Also cats were trying to break into the school from the side and back. Cops said it was too many people, if something happens it is going to get out of control and so the police shut it down.

Two weeks later we went to Roosevelt high and did the same thing. See another thing back then our promotion was we would come in your neighborhood and do a 60 40 with you. The next week is all ours. We give you a piece but the majority of the money is ours. And that was how it would turn into a Kool Herc production because we promoted our selves.

I guess it all started because one night we were playing at City Missions over on 170th street at the Cadet Core. I was playing the music and talking and I will never forget because this is what really made Coke La Rock, Coke La Rock. This guy comes up to me and says who are you? I said I am Hercs partner, I’m Coke La Rock. He said, “Listen we didn’t pay for you, stop all that talking. Matter fact we paid for Herc to play.” So I looked at him and said what? I said o.k. so I called Herc and said you got to play all night. I said, “How much does it cost rent this spot? He said $700.” Because I carried 1700 in my pocket I pulled out $700. I said let’s rent this in two weeks. That same person made $4000 that night, two weeks later we made $9000 and the party was packed. I played all night talking s—. All the hustlers were there and the fly girls. So home boy comes back that was talking about we didn’t pay for you, was now, “yo Coke La Rock next week…I was like nah yeah done!” A lot of people didn’t get a second and third chance because of the way you treated me. I am not a worker. A made a rhyme were I said,

“I am a man of my own/ I am not a stepping stone!”

So when you treat me that way I will show you I am a boss. Because I don’t know what a worker is. I am a boss. Any way it was destiny for Herc and I. I knew we were before our time. At our very second party together I was playing the music, Herc was at the door, his father was showing an 8 millimeter film on a white bedroom sheet of a party in the recreation room with me dancing as a young kid with all of our friends partying in one room. Hercs mother is in another room selling sodas and chili dogs. See we were before our time. That was a whole concept right there.

I know you asked me if I had tapes, sorry I don’t but back then I made 8 tracks and sold them to hustlers for $50!

Troy- And that was some money back then.

Coke La RockCoke La Rock- $50 a whop, because I only sold them to hustlers. I put your name on it, your car, I will even put your mother on it if you want! What ever you wanted Coke La Rock to say on it I would say. But I am not going to lie to you a lot of that stuff I lost through growing up living with different women and places. And by me being in the game so much a lot of that I shied away from. Especially all that picture taking.

Coke La RockLike I told you in Crotona Park me and Herc were like Nickey Barnes and Frank Lucas. How they were to drugs is how we were to hip hop. And look where it went, all over the world. It’s exactly that way and we came up through that era. I understand today that the drug side of the game was not the way to go or succeed successfully in life. You either get rich, go to jail, or die. And most of you don’t get rich at least most of us. Most of us go to jail or die. Like you said you do things but you have to recognize what’s what!

Troy- Well what’s the saying, “hind sight is 20 20!” If we knew then what we know now!

Coke La Rock- There we go, but I don’t regret nothing I did because that’s like wishing on a star, you can’t take it back.

Go to Part 2

Author: Troy Smith

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