Eighth grade was an interesting time in my life. In eighth grade I found Snoop Dog, Warren G, TLC, Dr. Dre, Eazy E, Bone Thugz N Harmony, and many more. In eighth grade I was convinced I had soul. I even changed my friend circle to include a nice mixture of folks that although ashamed to admit, I felt were my gang. Yes, I was a young gangster in a rural southern community. Next to a paper plant and a military base, agriculture was still the main job source. Yet, hip hop found me. I was uncomfortable in my skin, so I adopted a new persona. Never even able to fake being a bad boy I was basically the same old me but with drooping tapered leg jeans. I also added as much athletic clothing to my wardrobe as possible. My homies, as they were, included Fred (Black), Fred (White), Jared, Andre, Juan, and Demetrius. We were a fear invoking crew to be sure.
I don't know how this all came about, and I don't remember it being a real decision. One day I was with the friends I had grown up with and I was sitting with these guys the next. None of us had ever been involved in anything gang related regardless of the claims we made that were not even close to being true. We rarely ever called each other on the blatant errors in our stories. Jared, for example, claimed to have been shot. He had moved here, so it was hard to verify his story other than the fact that he lacked a gun shot wound.
It is painful to even think about. I was such a dork, but it would have took some convincing for me to see it that way back then. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a pretty fly white guy with tapered jeans pulled low (I actually didn't get straight leg jeans until my 9th grade year), a Tarheels jersey (Tshirt underneath as to not show skin), and some Nikes. I think the Nikes were the high top Force. I would also have worn a hat. The hat would have been either a Tarheels hat, or the very popular Miami Hurricanes.
I rapped lyrics about smoking chronic and acting like I could relate, but I never did. I never have. I don't think any of them had, yet, either. I also liked TLC's "Red Light Special" without having had any experience in that department either. I couldn't function well around the ladies. I had several crushes on black girls because they seemed to be somewhat nicer to me, not sure why, although I never had the courage to ask any of them out or make what could be deemed as a "move" on them. Looking back, I think it was pity on their part. Special call out to my old school shorties.
Surprisingly, I don't think any of my family knew that this was even going on. I was able to slip between my respectful country boy accent to the misunderstood gangsta from Compton during the long bus ride to and fro.
My gang life was short lived. I realized that it would lead down a pretty bad road. That precedent was set for me by "Boyz in the Hood" which was my favorite movie at the time. But for a short time at least, I was eighth grade original gangsta.
