...If You Didn't Know How Old You Are....I will let the quote sink in for you. Then you can read the rest...Oh and for you 'cats that claim you know sports and you don't know who Satchel Paige is..'....no more arguing sports for you in my presence. Ever. In Life. He's an old head and without THAT OLD HEAD, NOT NARY ONE OF YOUR HEROES AND SHEROES on the TV would be here. (Along with many other 'old heads'.I'm going to try not to make it seem like I don't like the youth. I DO. I am raising some myself. I love the youth. I hate stupid older people too. I've written about them here as well. That's not what we are talking about here today though. (Somehow, you dense ass niggas will miss that and take it personally though...I know how you do..)
Ah.....being the 'old head'. You know, because I was never some 'bird chested lil ninja' after say age 14, I have been the 'old head' for most of my life in most settings believe it or not. Sounds weird doesn't it? A 16 year old being called 'old head' because he of his maturity? (Or lack of uncouth behavior in certain situations) Probably not to some of you 'cause well....you were doing the name calling to folks. To the 'rest of the World' though, it is pretty strange. It was always strange to me. As I grew up though, I found out why folks would say that.
You see, folks are incredibly insufficient when it comes to judging folks ages/maturity levels and equally as narrow-minded when it comes to how they think folks 'their age' should act. As a result, I have often been labeled 'the old head' in many situations. Mainly on the basketball court, that usually stops after I bust one of those 'young boys' up a bit or a well placed pick or four or crossed a nigga over twice, but also in many settings. Make no mistake, the term, while sometimes used endearingly, is meant to be 'disrespectful' more than it was used to be 'respectful'. I never took it 'to heart' 'cause I LEARNED TO BE SECURE WITH WHO I AM but understand that I knew that folks were trying to basically trying to diss but showing me 'respect' at the same time:
Translation: They would acknowledge the obvious (I am not a small dude...) but still 'try me' to see if I was a punk.
Which is pretty standard in theory @ trying to see if I was a punk. The interesting thing about that though is the half 'respect' thing. It was if their brain was telling them:
"I know what we've been 'told' about his type but I dunno...Let me see if I can still 'carry it how I'm supposed to' without drawing his ire...Maybe he won't know I 'really dissed him'? Yeah...he isn't from 'where I am' and he 'doesn't' get it anyway...Besides, I'm from (insert place)...No way he can......I think..."
In other words, the SAME WAY WHITE FOLKS USED TO TREAT US, some of us try to do that to each other. Shit is sad as fuck too. Like I'm not gonna see/recognize/or respond to it in SOME FORM. Nigga please. 'Cause I am 'older'? C'mon fam.****
Which I find to be QUITE AN ENTERTAINING VIEW. For those of you who don't follow why I would find that 'entertaining', let me break it down for you.
Here you have someone (or a certain sect of folks) thinking that 'old head' means 'out of the loop' and 'can't hang' when that SAME OLD HEAD has been through ALL OF THE SHIT ONE CAN GO THROUGH AND BACK AGAIN FOUR TIMES OVER. I mean lets be clear, you can give WHATEVER IT IS the youth are 'going through'* a new name but it is the same thing for most of us. Now maybe for some of YOU who are my age, these things 'didn't exist', but they did where I was at and last I checked, I didn't live on a remote island in the fucking South Pacific.
Niggas were getting beat up. Robbed. Shot.
Manhood tested on the daily. Actually MORESO BY THE WHITE PEOPLE THAN IT IS NOW. At least now, you CAN GET ON THE INTERNET AND SPEAK ON IT. Have 'web rallies' and shit. Couldn't do that back then. Once Jeb and 'em got a hold of you, you were ASS OUT.
Folks weren't handing out jobs**
Relationships weren't 'respected'.....aka...folks
Folks partied all the time..
SOME WHITE PEOPLE WERE STILL REALLY RACIST AND BLATANT with it too. There were no 'apologies' and shit. @ any 'misconstrued' words. It was what it was and THEY HAD GUNS, COULD SHOOT YOU/HANG YOU AND THE LIKE and black people STILL SHOT/BEAT UP/ETC EACH OTHER AND DIDN'T DARE BRING THAT ANGST OUT TO THE WHITE FOLKS WITH THE SHEETS.. Just like today..
Yeah..shit was the SAME for those of you with a foggy memory. Yeah...yeah...yeah.. Steve Jobs 'created' the.....and now we have...Again, I'd like to welcome some of you to '98. @ those of you who are late on the computer thing. I know you JUST GOT HERE but some of us have been here a minute. We knew this day would come to. Rued it to the core. (How's that for 'honesty'?) So again, these things existed...
I say ALL OF THAT TO SAY THIS:
If a 'old head'survived ALL OF THESE THINGS this long, he just MIGHT know a little more than you. Alas, this isn't how the mind of the young nigger (yes I said it..look up the REAL DEFINITION. Not the 'made up one' or the 'urban' one...THE REAL ONE.) works.
Not a chance in hell. @ most of the youth thinking like that. I get part of it too. There are some of us 'older' folks that are REALLY SHITTY ACTING TOWARDS THE YOUTH. I will readily admit that. That's not all of us though. Just like it isn't 'all the youth' that is dismissive about 'older' folks. You have to learn to take people on a case by case basis.
Regardless as to whether you are the 'old head' or the 'young wavy nigga'. If you come out with an attitude though, you are liable to get treated in kind. You are gonna get static and cause ALL TYPES OF UNNECESSARY ISSUES. You never KNOW WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO. Especially on the Net. You might be talking to a 'killer' on the other end. You might be talking someone who doesn't 'kill' but can 'kill' your dreams and ruin your life so to speak. All while smiling in your face or letting you think you 'silenced' them with your tough talk. You also don't know WHAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN THROUGH IN THEIR LIFE. IT IS USUALLY A SAFE BET TO ASSUME THAT IF SOMEONE HAS MADE IT FARTHER IN LIFE THAN YOU AND MOST OF YOUR PEERS, THEY MIGHT NOT BE THE ONE TO FUCK WITH. You NEVER KNOW what position a person plays in this thing called Life.
Hopefully, some of you younger cats learn this before you end up on a T-Shirt over some silly little 'beef' about bullshit. It is all 'fun and games' rhyming about the shit until it is your man laying in the ground. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I see the pain in ya'lls eyes when you think about 'What could have been...' and I want to feel bad and HELP YOU. Can't do that though if you are gonna look at this 'old head' like the 'enemy' though and I don't owe you shit to have to risk my life to try to help you. No amount of gooning, thinly veiled threats or any of that can change that fam. Take some of that aggression elsewhere and leave me out of it.
I re-learned a lesson yesterday on this very subject and re-affirmed why I don't 'reach out' to help a lot of you. You think you know everything. You think that 'your champagne life', your Louis buckets, your bags of 'loud' and that 'stack a week' you get is ALL LIFE HAS TO OFFER. Some of you seem to be under the misguided illusion that just 'cause folks aren't out here 'offering' information on their financials via chains, rims, cars and going to 'every party' that somehow, folks are broke. I mean if being a 'target' is your twist, do you my nig. No sympathy here when you end up in a cell or on a T-shirt promoting that dumb ass 'challenge the World even when it isn't called for' shit. Keep being 'Super Nigga' or the "Street Heavyweight Champ of Your section of The World". Folks are good out here. Trust me. Don't need you or want to be like you. The goal is to 'live' and while living in 'fear' isn't, living like an ass isn't what's up either. Which is what some of you are out here doing.
So yeah, call folks 'old heads' or just 'old' in general. Compare folks ALL DAY LONG to your 'parents' or whatever. It isn't a diss to the majority of them. Same way you 'sit back and laugh' at them is the same way they do you as you fall into ALL THE PITFALLS LIFE HAS TO OFFER. Nobody is out here 'hating on you' either plair. Do what you do. Fuck your liver up. Keep having babies, not paying child support and end up in the paper looking dumb. Keep trying to 'impress niggas who don't give ONE FUCK ABOUT YOU' so that your 'name will ring bells'. Keep it up. Hopefully, if you get your shit together, you MAY MAKE IT TO BE THOSE 'OLD HEADS' AGE. You will see just how much of 'life' you were really missing when you do. Just don't look around when shit comes crashing down looking for a 'old head's advice' and expect them to give you 'sunshine'. They are liable to spit the hard truth to you and ruin that your fantasy idea you have going on in your head. You know the one where you take the best of all the 'gangstas' you know and live 'Happily ever after' after you have done EVERY SINGLE DIRTY THING THERE IS TO DO IN THE WORLD TWICE OVER? Yeah that one. Shits fantasy B. Hate to break it to you. Those same niggas that are helping you 'clown the next man'? They will be the same ones to show that asshole side to YOU if they get a chance to do you in. It's proven. Ah but fuck it, what does an 'old head' know? He/she has only lived through the shit. Carry on young niggas...Carry on.
Until then, stay narrow my friends.
This is how some of you are gonna end up. Since we are 'keeping it 100% out here'. Crazy part about it is, that the person under the 'mask' isn't someone 'in power'. It is your peers. But ya'll stay screaming about the 'white man' and the Illuminati or whatever bullshit excuse you keep coming up with as to why it is you can't 'prosper'. -_- Hell, some of you are donning the mask and hanging YOURSELF with the rope. All while blaming 'society' and telling anyone without a brain that 'they don't care about us..' Nigga, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT US 'cause if you did, you wouldn't do the shit you do. Stop that shit. All that pseudo caring some of you are out here pretending to do doesn't make up for 30% OF THE DAMAGE YOU ARE DOING TO THE COMMUNITY WITH YOUR OTHER ACTIVITIES.
I know though... "The Sun don't shine if 'Son don't shine..."- Jay-Z. My bad...as you were...smh
and as for this 'What some of you wouldn't have tolerated back in the day' talk. It is just that. Talk. Ya'll out here copping out now @ the World's struggles. No way you would have revolted against the White Man. As long as he fed your ass and left you to your negro activities, partying, smoking, fucking and drinking, 95% of you would have been just fine being the 'King of Your people". You prove that everyday by not helping your fellow man out NOW and the 'Fuck everyone else attitude' you have. You aren't 'about the people'. You are about 'how can I get the people to love me and worship me.." Or fear me. Fuck outta here with that 'about the people shit' if you are out here killing 'the people' on sight for stupid shit. You aren't fooling me.
*I use that term loosely even when we were 'going through it'. We bought a LOT OF SHIT ON OURSELVES by the choices we made. They are no different. Sorry it is the truth.
**Why do you think folks of ethnic backgrounds always say 'Recession? Welcome to my whole life!" @ the jobs thing. We were NEVER FIRST IN LINE for most of the jobs anyway. So it was ALREADY HARD. Now the rest of America knows how we felt for a minute there. No excuses, you had to do what you needed to do to get one back then though. Don't use what I said as a crutch. You COULD get a job, it was just VERY HARD and you had to do the RIGHT THINGS ALL THE TIME.
****
Especially when we are talking about shit that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH 'HOW TOUGH YOU ARE' OR any of that other dumb nigga shit? C'mon fam. The 'computer' wasn't invented in 1999. Go look it up on your Cricket phone my nig. Shits been around and unlike you, I'm not on it because my 'friends said it was cool'. I have BEEN ON ONE. I can WRITE PROGRAMS. I don't have to OVERPAY SOMEONE TO RUN THIS BLOG. I can use my OWN BRAIN TO DO IT and I do just that. I actually have an educational background in...(gasp) MARKETING.. So while you 'know' what the streets want with your double titanium album having ass, I might ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO REALLY DO IT AND HELP YOU SELL MORE THAN 10 RECORDS outside of your immediate family and them leeching ass niggas you call your friends. You keep doing it your way though my nig... You won't have to let me know how it works out for you. I see it. You have gone double aluminum every time you tried 'cause your product isn't good AND you don't know what you are doing. No amount of 'gooning' is gonna change that cuz. I'm not calling any names 'cause I gave you enough free pub already. Fuck you. I saw you read ALL THROUGH THE BLOG YESTERDAY and couldn't find ONE BAD THING TO SAY...lol Even downloaded yourself some music and some flicks. I saw you down there.