    
H_i_c_k_s_o_n
Newbie Poster
Username: H_i_c_k_s_o_n
Post Number: 14
Registered: 05-2006
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 04, 2006 - 01:24 pm: | 
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GHETTOHEAT
August ’06
“I SAID WE’RE MOVIN’: MOVIN’, MOVIN’ TO THE FUNKY BEAT!
I SAID WE’RE GROVIN’: GROVIN’, GROVIN’, GOT YOU OFF YOUR FEET!
I SAID WE’RE MOVIN’: MOVIN’, MOVIN’ TO THE FUNKY BEAT!
I SAID WE’RE GROVIN’: GROVIN’, GROVIN’, GOT YOU OFF YOUR FEET!
…COME ON, GET UP, AND DANCE—TO THE MUSIC! GET UP, GET UP, AND DANCE—TO THE MUSIC!
COME ON, GET UP, AND DANCE—TO THE MUSIC! GET UP, GET UP, AND DANCE!”
—CRASH CREW, FREEDOM
Hey everybody!!! People all over the world, come dance with me, if only for just a moment! I’m movin’ and grovin’ this afternoon, sitting in my chair right now dancing as I type. Not knowing exactly what to share with you yet, because I always freestyle while creating this newsletter. It all just hits me at once, I stare into the monitor for a few seconds and then BOOM—immediately, I’m inspired to type.
Today, folks, I’m in such a great mood! Why? Just because. These last few weeks have been rather stressful for the HICKSON, but today, is a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l day. The birds are chirping over the fire trucks’ sirens, firecrackers are popping over the rolling dice being slung by neighborhood thugs at the corner bodega, the sun is shining brightly as “Niecie” argues loudly with her baby’s father down the hall, “NEWPORTS-NEWPORTS-NEWPORTS-LOOSEYS!” is being yelled by local peddlers selling cigarettes and bootleg Nike “Air Force 1’s” on the avenue—a lovely day today up in Harlem.
A heat wave now surrounds us, 110 degrees to be exact—it’s feeling quite toasty, as my summer tan has me looking like a chocolate Easter bunny. Yet, I’m used to the heat, “the hotness”. Totally feeling no pain at the moment—folks, I’m extremely happy! At this very moment I’m pumping my music: “LET IT RAIN, CLEAR IT UP. CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP! CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP!”
The volume now is up to 40, as I’m still movin’ and grovin’. Speaking of moving, I relocated to a newer place. Yes, everyone, I’ve moved again since that last time in January, when I was musically battling my rude neighbor with old school break beats. Remember? This time, I had to do a mad dash. I was robbed…an inside job…. The owner of the place that I’d rented from decided to sell the building and steal from a few of his tenants before moving to Miami. Me being one of them.
The owner got me for a twenty-four carat gold, antique ring from the late 1800’s that my grandfather gave me before he’d passed on in 2000. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper when I discovered that my lock on my bag containing my items was picked. I found that my ring was missing right after I’d finished signing copies of CONVICT’S CANDY at the HARLEM BOOK FAIR on July 22nd, which I will discuss more in detail later. After being overwhelmed and drained from the book event, and disgusted from receiving a very disrespectful phone call from someone, as the rain began to downpour on my books and promotional items, the last thing I needed was to come home and find my precious ring stolen; the only thing I had left from my grandfather.
As much as I dislike cops, I went to the local precinct to file a police report, packed up all of my things that evening, searched through newspapers for rentals, got on the internet and reviewed listings and “voila”, my new short-stay. Then I decided to do a Google search on my ex-landlord…. You’d be surprised what will pop up on Google. I now have his new home address in Miami….
“CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP! CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP!”
I’m not going to run wild with negative thoughts, I’m moving forward, moving on! I’m on a good groove right now, so why ruin it, right? But karma is severe, and what goes around comes around though. I’m just going to continue my journey on a positive note and not dwell on my stolen ring, nor block my blessings, because, people, something greater is in store for me, I truly believe so: “CHICKEN-NOODLE-SOUP-WIT’- A-SODA-ON-THE-SIDE!”
“MOVIN’?”
“…DOIN’ IT?”
“YOU KNOW, CAN I GET A COUNT OFF?”
“GO AHEAD”
“A-ONE-TWO-THREE-FOUR…(Horns)
GET UP, GET ON UP. GET UP, GET ON UP. STAY ON THE SCENE, GET ON UP. LIKE-A -SEX-MACHINE: GET ON UP!”
JAMES BROWN, SEX MACHINE
A few weeks ago, I participated in the HARLEM BOOK FAIR where I was there on the scene with a good friend of mine, TONY COLLINS, author of GAMES WOMEN PLAY, along with our newest family member, literary ingenue, SHA: FIRST LADY OF GHETTOHEAT®. We were out there hustling, in spite of the off-and-on rain storms. I was pushing copies of GHETTOHEAT® and CONVICT’S CANDY, snapping photographs, while handing out flyers of GHETTOHEAT®’s new campaign this season called, READING IS SEXY!!!; featuring SHA, JASON POOLE, DAMON “AMIN” MEADOWS, DRU NOBLE and of course myself, HICKSON.
SHA was making her debut appearance, meeting and greeting everyone while promoting her upcoming novel, HARDER, a tale that is going to take the streets by storm! Mark my word. In between it all, we managed to also take pictures with famous photographer, DR. JAMEL SHABAZZ, creator of BACK IN THE DAYS and A TIME BEFORE CRACK, and one of my favorite poets, the beautiful SONIA SANCHEZ. Towards the end of the event, we were exhausted but had tons of fun; just happy to be there representing.
This was my third year participating in the HARLEM BOOK FAIR in which I always enjoy the vibe of the event and the energy of the people. This year was extra special for me, me being able to showcase my artists and their works at the fair, but what really touched me was when I saw my face on the cover of HARLEM WORLD’s magazine—a moment I’ll never forget, it being my first cover.
I was fortunate enough to grace the cover of HARLEM WORLD MAGAZINE with authors, QUEEN PEN and K’WAN, in which this issue featured the “The New Faces of Urban Literature”, being the commemorative edition for the HARLEM BOOK FAIR. I was and still am, truly honored to be shot for the cover, knowing that it was a monumental experience that will go down in history forever, especially knowing the fact that many within the publishing industry try to discredit this particular genre of literature.
Although we didn’t discuss it on the set, being photographed at the SCHOMBURG CENTER in Harlem, I know QUEEN PEN and KWAN felt just as proud as me, and I felt that we all represented properly. The full significance of the photo shoot didn’t hit me until someone came to my table and shouted, “Look at you, HICKSON, ‘the James Brown of the publishing industry’ on the cover of HARLEM WORLD MAGAZINE.” It didn’t seem real when I first saw it… Yet, reality set in when I immediately began autographing them to my supporters—you better know it!!! To see my big ears on this months issue, log on to WWW.HARLEMWORLDMAG.COM
“KEEP…ON…MOVING. DON'T STOP LIKE THE HANDS OF TIME
CLICK CLOCK
FIND YOUR OWN WAY TO STAY. THE TIME WILL COME ONE DAY.
WHY DO PEOPLE CHOOSE TO LIVE THEIR L-I-V-E-S…THIS WAY?
KEEP ON MOVING. KEEP ON MOVING DON'T STOP: NO
KEEP ON MOVING.”
—SOUL 2 SOUL, KEEP ON MOVING
SHA and HICKSON will be moving copies of HARDER and CONVICT’S CANDY during the READING IS SEXY TOUR, starting September 15th, SHA’s official book release date. Come see how we “move the crowd” on:
12.24.06 @ 9am-3pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
12.23.06 @ 2pm-10pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
12.22.06 @ 6pm-10pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
12.21.06 @ 6pm-10pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
12.16.06 @ 1pm-6pm Waldenbooks
7749 East Point Mall, Baltimore, MD
12.15.06 @ 6pm-8pm Hue-Man Bookstore
2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, NY
12.14.06 @ 11am-3pm Borders Express
9th & Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
12.9.06 @ 2pm-6pm Borders Express
123 Christiana Mall, Newark, DE
12.8.06 @ 7pm-8:30pm Barnes & Noble
SHA’s Book Signing
290 Baychester Avenue, Bronx, NY
12.2.06 @ 2pm-6pm Shades of Nubian
7 Station Plaza, Hempstead, NY
12.1.06 @ 12pm-6pm Empire Books
6106 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
11.30.06 @ 7:30pm-8:30pm Barnes & Noble
SHA’s Book Signing
675 Sixth Avenue on 8th St., New York, NY
11.25.06 @ 12pm-8pm Mejah Books, I-95 Tri-State Mall
333 Naamans Road, Claymont, DE
11.24.06 @ 2pm-9pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
11.19.06 @ 2pm-7pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
11.18.06 @ 2pm-7pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
11.17.06 @ 11am-3pm Borders Express
9th & Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
11.11.06 @ 5pm-8pm Karibu Books, Pentagon City Mall
Pentagon City Mall, Arlington, VA
11.11.06 @ 12pm-4pm Karibu Books, Forestville Centre
3282 Donell Drive, Baltimore, MD
11.10.06 @ 6pm-9pm Karibu Books, Security Square Mall
6901 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD
11.4.06 @ 1pm-7pm Waldenbooks
1404 North Parham Road, Richmond, VA
11.3.06 @ 3pm-6pm Bookman
3705 Rhode Island Avenue, Mt. Rainier, MD
11.3.06 @ 11am-2pm Bookman (Street Vendor Signing)
7th & D Street, NW, Washington, DC
11.2.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
10.29.06 @ 2pm-6pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
10.28.06 @ 4pm-7pm Urban Knowledge, Mondawmin Mall
2301 Liberty Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD
10.28.06 @ 12pm-3pm Urban Knowledge, Inner Harbor Mall
301 Light Street, Baltimore, MD
10.27.06 @ 4pm-8pm B. Dalton Bookseller, Newport Mall
30 Mall Drive West, Jersey City, NJ
10.26.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
10.22.06 @ 2pm-6pm Waldenbooks
5324 Kings Plaza Center, Brooklyn, NY
10.21.06 @ 3pm-7pm Waldenbooks
1061 Green Acres Mall, Valley Stream, NY
10.20.06 @ 3:30pm-7:30pm B. Dalton Bookseller, Gallery Mall
10th & Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
10.20.06 @ 11am-3pm Borders Express
1625 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
10.19.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
10.14.06 @ 1pm-7pm Waldenbooks
880 N. Military Hwy, Norfolk, VA
10.13.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
10.12.06 @ 3pm-6pm Bookman
3705 Rhode Island Avenue, Mt. Rainier, MD
10.12.06 @ 11am-2pm Bookman (Street Vendor Signing)
7th & D Street, NW, Washington, DC
10.7.06 @ 1pm-7pm B. Dalton Bookseller, Livingston Mall
112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston, NJ
10.6.06 @ 12pm-3pm A & B Books
146 Lawrence Street, Brooklyn, NY
10.5.06 @ 11pm-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
10.1.06 @ 12pm-5pm Mejah Books, I-95 Tri-State Mall
HICKSON’s Book Signing
333 Naamans Road, Claymont, DE
9.30.06 @ 1pm-7pm Borders Express
HICKSON’s Book Signing
1365 N. Dupont Highway, Dover, DE
9.30.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
SHA’s Book Signing
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
9.29.06 @ 5pm-8pm Waldenbooks
HICKSON’s Book Signing
1061 Green Acres Mall, Valley Stream, NY
9.29.06 @ 3pm-6pm Empire Books
SHA’s Book Signing
6106 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
9.29.06 @ 11am-3pm Empire Books (Street Vendor Signing)
SHA’s Book Signing
30th Street and Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
9.28.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
9.23.06 @ 2pm-8pm Borders Express
HICKSON’s Book Signing
2000 Route 38, Cherry Hill, NJ
9.22.06 @ 3:30pm-7:30pm B. Dalton Bookseller, Gallery Mall
HICKSON’s Book Signing
10th & Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
9.22.06 @ 3pm-6pm Empire Books (Street Vendor Signing)
SHA’s Book Signing
30th Street and Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
9.22.06 @ 11am-3pm Borders Express
9th & Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
9.21.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
9.17.06 @ 12pm-6pm Henry (Street Vendor Signing)
African American Day Parade
125th Street & Lenox Avenue, New York, NY
9.16.06 @ 1pm-7pm Liguorious Bookstore
2385 West Cheltenham Square Mall, Philadelphia, PA
9.15.06 GHETTOHEAT® PRESENTS: HARDER
9.9.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
9.7.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
8.24.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
8.20.06 @ 11am-8pm Unity Day/Empire Books
Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
8.19.06 @ 1pm-7pm Waldenbooks
880 N. Military Hwy, Norfolk, VA
8.18.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
8.17.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
8.12.06 @ 4pm-6pm As The Pages Turn Book Club
Café 3801 (Book Club Discussion)
3801 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
8.12.06 @ 11am-4pm Borders Express
9th & Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
8.11.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
8.10.06 @ 11am-7pm Massamba (Street Vendor Signing)
164th St. & Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY
8.5.06 @ 11am-9pm Pride In The City (Black Gay Pride Picnic)
Commodore Barry Park, Brooklyn, NY
8.4.06 @ 11pm-4am Men Are From Mars (Black Gay Pride Party)
Mars 2112, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY
“M-O-V-E! GET OUT THE WAY, GET OUT THE WAY, GET OUT THE WAY! M-O-V-E!”
—LUDACRIS, GET OUT THE WAY
WORD?:
1. READING IS SEXY!!!, so do it more often! READING IS SEXY!!!, the new tour and campaign at GHETTOHEAT®, encouraging folks worldwide to read regularly. When was the last time you’ve read a book? Pick up one today. READING IS SEXY!!! and being sexy is a state-of-mind. How sexy are you?
2. Speaking of sexy, SHA’s debut suspense novel, HARDER will be in stores September 15th. Preorders for HARDER are now being accepted for $10.00, in which this special promotion lasts until October 31st. Be the first to read SHA’s fast-paced, dramatic tale by sending a check/money order for $14.00 (which includes shipping and handling) to:
GHETTOHEAT®
P.O. BOX 2746
NEW YORK, NY 10027
Convicts are exempt from the shipping/handling fee. Please note that orders received postdated after October 31st will not be accepted for the discounted price. Thanks in advance for your support!!!
3. “DON’T DRINK THE MILK!”-“WHY?”-“IT’S SPOILED!”-“DON’T DRINK THE MILK!”-“WHY?”-“IT’S SPOILED!”-“DON’T DRINK THE MILK!”-“WHY?”-“IT’S SPOILED!”-“DON’T DRINK THE MILK!”-“WHY?”-“IT’S SPOILED!”- “DON’T DRINK THE MILK!” “WHY?”
—THE LITTLE RASCALS
Shout out to my con connect in the entire Bureau of Prisons nationwide who gives GHETTOHEAT® much love!!! WHAT UP, SON? (Screw face/Smile). Thanks for spreading the word, I see what y’all been up to. Real recognizes real, right? Of course. I’m glad to see that you’re appreciating me, my newsletters, and my efforts in “changing the game” to a much more positive, professional and productive state. Because it’s needed. I hear all the stories, you know all the stories; or do you? …Watch Court TV soon….
Listen, I’ve received a-l-l of your letters and I’ve returned a lot of them this month. Yet, there are some of you who keep sending multiple letters on top of the letters that I haven’t returned yet. Although I always appreciate your correspondence, P-L-E-A-S-E don’t send multiple letters, unless you have an urgent matter. I will respond.
As I stated before, I’ve been very busy, as you can see. It takes a moment before I can actually write back, due to me being out-of-town, or just handling other business affairs. Yet, I read all of your letters as soon as they are delivered, but my hustle doesn’t always allow me to respond immediately. Not to worry, I will get to you all like I always do. If you also sent me your manuscript and I received it, know that it’s stored safely and is probably being reviewed. You need not to follow-up, if I’m interested in your book, I will respond, if not, I will still respond. Okay? Also, DO NOT SEND YOUR ORIGINAL COPY, as I don’t mail manuscripts back, and unfortunately things do get misplaced and lost in the mail. Always have a backup copy to refer to. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
To have your manuscript reviewed, send a copy to the P.O. Box, Attention: HICKSON. Allow 90 days for the review process. Know that GHETTOHEAT® doesn’t steal manuscripts from convicts or other writers as some companies have done so in the past. It’s sad that some companies have preyed on convicts who aren’t able to afford to pay for the copyright fee ($45), instructing them to submit their works before it’s registered at The Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Cons, be smarter about how you do business.
Also know that I’m definitely not interested in authors coming from other publishing companies, or buying manuscripts. At GHETTOHEAT®, artists are paid royalties, and on time after the 90 day period. (50% of profit earnings of artists’ works, minus artists’ expenses). A win-win situation; people, do the math.
Yet, there is a high standard at my company, and all artists must strive for excellence at GHETTOHEAT®, needing to be better than the day before, personally and professionally. It takes more than just being a great writer to be considered here. Yes, you must be extremely talented, but you must also have drive, be professional, and have a great sense of business and positive energy. Signed artists are a reflection of GHETTOHEAT®, and I’m not going to sign or keep someone who misrepresents me, my company or themselves. I’ve hustled too hard to build GHETTOHEAT®, and refuse to let anyone mess up my situation. Comprende?
4. Convicts, are you looking for a great store to order your merchandise from? Then choose one that’s full of culture, books and other great artworks and products. It’s called MEJAH BOOKS, located in Delaware. It’s owned by my friend and sister in spirit, EMLYN DEGANNES, known in the community as “Miss Em”, a great woman of substance who I truly admire, honor and respect, not just in this industry but in general. She has a wide range of merchandise, specializing in books of all genres, whether urban or contemporary fictional novels, history, inspirational and cultural books, MEJAH BOOKS has it all!
They also take special orders. MEJAH BOOKS is located at the TRI-STATE MALL, 333 NAAMANS ROAD, CLAYMONT DE, 19703. Telephone: 302 793 3424. To place an order, send EMLYN a letter with the title(s) of the book(s) desired and a money order for the amount of the book(s), made out to MEJAH BOOKS; plus $3.00 for shipping and handling (a dollar more for each additional books ordered) to the store location. Contact “Miss Em”, folks, and tell her HICKSON told you so.
5. “BAD MAN FORWARD, BAD MAN: PULL UP! BAD MAN FORWARD, BAD MAN: PULL UP!” Wha’ a gwan, star? Everyting criss? S’ak Passe! Shout out to all the Caribbean folks. I’ll see you all in Brooklyn at the West Indian Day Parade on Eastern Parkway during Labor Day weekend! It’s going to be a passa, passa! (party) Come again, selector! Blap!-Blap!-Blap! R-E-W-I-N-D!!!
6. The fall is near, time for some new HARLEMADE gear! Fall up in HARLEMADE’s style shop at 174 Lenox Avenue, located between 118th and 119th Street for the hottest new pieces, or log on to their web site at: HARLEMADE.COM.
7. WARNING!!!! WARNING!!! WARNING!!! Authors/publishers and book buyers, last week on 125th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem, I had to violently snatch 20 copies of CONVICT’S CANDY off of a street vendor’s table for non-payment, unfortunately, and took 10 extra copies of another author’s best-selling book for collateral, until payment was made; which was made shortly after. As I told you before, people, HICKSON collects, one way or another… I’M NOT THE ONE!
Due to this street vendor’s silly tactics (I’ll call him “O”) GHETTOHEAT® will not be doing anymore business with him in the future. If you’re looking for GHETTOHEAT® products out on the street tables, you can find them any other place on the strip besides on 125th Street and Seventh Avenue. At GHETTOHEAT®, we do projects, not problems! No money, no “Candy”!!!
“CAUGHT UP IN THE MIDDLE I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR MAN IS UNTRUE?
THERE’S A-N-O-T-H-E-R M-A-N, A-N-O-T-H-E-R M-A-N, IN MY L-I-F-E…
…ANOTHER MAN, IS “BEATIN’” MY TIME. ANOTHER MAN, IS LOVIN’ MINE!”
—BARBARA MASON, ANOTHER MAN
CONVICT’S CANDY, written by DAMON “AMIN” MEADOWS & JASON POOLE, ESSENCE best-selling author of LARCENY. CONVICT’S CANDY, Available at: B. Dalton, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Borders Express, Waldenbooks, all African-American bookstores and everywhere else where books are sold. Buy it today. ISBN 0-9742982-2-0.
Order CONVICT’S CANDY today on aalbc.com, amazon.com, b-dalton.com, bn.com, bookhousecafe.com, GHETTOHEAT.COM, qbr.com, soulonwheels.com and theblacklibrary.com. You can also order CONVICT’S CANDY by mail, simply by sending a check/money order for $15, plus $4 for shipping and handling (Add an extra dollar for each additional book ordered. CONVICTS GET FREE SHIPPING) to:
GHETTOHEAT®
P.O. BOX 2746
NEW YORK, NY 10027
Please be sure to make payments out to GHETTOHEAT®. Also receive FREE SHIPPING when ordering on GHETTOHEAT.COM. Thanks in advance!!!
WORDS OF ART by Brandon McCalla, Industry Beginnings Magazine 7/06
Words of Art is filled with all forms of good sh*t this issue of i.b. Concept Magazine. Usually I build up the hype with a few sarcastic comments and a joke or three, not this time. This time we get right to the gist of things since we have such a nice range of various words of art.
CONVICT’S CANDY
DAMON “AMIN” MEADOWS and JASON POOLE crafted this one. I gotta be very real with you (since I always am), this isn’t the sort of novel I would generally read, but I gave it a try and finished the sh*t. I finished the sh*t in two days: this book is very interesting...and was one of WENDY WILLIAMS’ book choices for the month of March
Did I mention stores can’t keep this book on the shelves? Initially my publicist wanted to get her hands on it. She told me it was sold out in the three stores she ventured. I went to a bookstore and called her on my cell because the store I was in had at least four copies left. She told me to get her one. I did some browsing and shopping in other stores then went back to the bookstore to get two copies of CONVICT’S CANDY. They were gone. I was like “sh*t”, they were snagged that fast. How long was I browsing and shopping anyway? I should have got them when I had the chance. I guess that means that CONVICT’S CANDY is in high demand, especially when you are in jail. Just read the book and find out how true that statement is.
CONVICT’S CANDY comes from HICKSON’s GHETTOHEAT® PRODUCTIONS.
DID YOU KNOW...? By Alina Oswald, A & U Magazine 8/06
Alina Oswald Talks with Harlem-Based Publisher HICKSON About Getting the Word Out About HIV
Did you know...
That HIV circulates in prison through unprotected sex?
That condoms are not allowed in prison, in order to not advocate sex?
That convicts often use potato chip bags or latex gloves as condoms? They also use Vaseline, which eats out the latex….
That HIV-positive convicts rarely receive treatment? Or when they do, medical professionals do not monitor it? Same goes for hormone therapies for transgenders.
That transgenders are at high risk for getting infected with HIV, especially those who are forced to buy cheap, black market injectable hormones?
Why should we care?
“I get this [question] a lot at book signings,” HICKSON—who goes only by his family name—tells me during our phone interview. “The real issue is HIV/AIDS,” the founder and CEO of GHETTOHEAT® explains. Set in the heart of Harlem, his multimedia company publishes books that explore off-mainstream topics like the ones mentioned above. The newest GHETTOHEAT® production is CONVICT’S CANDY, a novel based on the true prison experiences of its co-authors—JASON POOLE and DAMON “AMIN” MEADOWS. The story follows in the footsteps of Candy, a victimized transsexual who is arrested on credit card scam charges, only a week away from the surgery that would give her the body of the woman she really is.
Locked up with the other male convicts, Candy learns about prison life through sexual harassment, violence, stigma, and HIV exposure. She learns that the prison rule—“what happens in prison, stays in prison”—does indeed have its own exception: HIV/AIDS.
While the novel doesn’t leave anything out when exposing the reality of living behind bars, CONVICT’S CANDY offers a lesson on how not to get HIV—adding to the fight against the pandemic.
“I was really impressed with CONVICT’S CANDY,” HICKSON comments, “not only because the authors were writing [it] from prison, [but because, while] not many convicts touch on HIV/AIDS issues, [they] are very passionate about the topic.”
Because too many of his friends are battling the disease, HICKSON is also passionate about educating people, especially the younger generation (whose members he calls “rebels without a cause”) on how not to contract HIV. He believes that HIV infections will continue to rise and that the numbers will not go down soon for two reasons: people’s recklessness and the Internet.
Also, when using alcohol, meth, or other drugs that impair their judgment, people engage in unprotected sex. And sometimes sex itself becomes a “feel good” medicine…a drug.
But does the polar opposite of sex with multiple partners work?
HICKSON believes that abstinence doesn’t work either, because everything today revolves around sex, starting with BET and MTV. “People on TV become local heroes [to youth],” he comments.
“Values have changed,” he says talking about the fast tracks of our lives, as we focus more on work and less on spending quality time with our families. Parents are busy with work and often leave their children alone at home with too much time to watch TV.
Internet dating also fuels HIV infections. People meet first on the Internet and then in person. An example would be, say, an HIV-positive flight attendant involved in Internet dating who can set up numerous meetings with people all over the globe…and lead to a “world disaster,” HICKSON theorizes.
But is there a solution in sight?
HICKSON is an advocate for safer sex, helping spread the word through his monthly GHETTOHEAT® newsletter. As for raising awareness about the dangers of HIV, HICKSON points out that someone well-known needs to come out and talk about today’s HIV/AIDS issues and have a similar effect over people’s understanding of AIDS as Rock Hudson did in the mid-eighties.
For more information about GHETTOHEAT®, log on to WWW.GHETTOHEAT.COM.
Alina Oswald is a freelance writer, whose works have appeared in national and international publications.
CONS, EX-CONS FIND MONEY AND A VOICE
By Dwayne Campbell
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
After averting a life sentence for drug trafficking, Leondrei Prince settled down to serve eight years in a Delaware state prison.
With time to kill, he read voraciously – Webster’s Dictionary, chick lit by Terry McMillan, old urban fiction by Donald Goines, and new-school street lit by Teri Woods.
Then Prince wrote, just as voraciously. A few pages turned into Bloody Money, followed by Bloody Money 2, Me ‘n My Girls, and nine other manuscripts, written in the strong, often profane language of the inner-city streets where he grew up.
“I knew that when I got out, I couldn’t go back to selling drugs, and I wouldn’t be able to get a job,” said Prince, 33, who has had three books published since his release in 2003, “so I started looking at writing as a job. But this has exceeded all my expectations.”
Books by inmates, both current and former, are an increasingly lucrative segment of the fast-growing genre known as “street lit,” “ghetto lit,” “urban” or “hip-hop” fiction.
In many prisons, men and women on lockdown are spending their hours of solitude in a most un-Oz-like fashion, putting pens to yellow pads and finding words to describe the lives of poverty and excess that put them on a path to the slammer.
“Right now it’s the biggest fad in prison,” said street lit agent Joseph Jones, who signed Prince while they were both serving time for drug charges in Delaware. “The biggest drug dealer, the smallest crook, they’re writing books.”
The results are titles such as Dangerously Insured, by Shafeeq (Reginald Johnson), a state inmate from North Philadelphia; Thugs and the Women Who Love Them, by Wahida Clark, a Trenton woman who is locked up at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia; The Family II: Life After Death, the second book by Philadelphian Antonne M. Jones, who spent two years in a Delaware prison; and Memoir: Delaware County Prison, by ex-inmate Reginald L. Hall from West Philadelphia.
The books, often published under pseudonyms modeled after rappers, are hits, especially among young people in urban areas.
“They write about stuff I can relate to,” said Lynndrena Evans, a 19-year-old Community College of Philadelphia student who has read Prince’s books and other street lit. “It’s stuff we consider everyday life.”
Freebbie Rivera, a language arts instructor at Horizon Academy, a school at New York’s Rikers Island jail, said more inmates are writing books because “they see the success of other incarcerated authors, and they get motivated.”
Vickie Stringer, for example, left prison and a cocaine-trafficking past to become a best-selling author (Let That Be the Reason; Imagine This); start her own publishing company, Triple Crown; and cut a six-figure deal with Simon & Schuster.
“Now they’re writing manuscripts and asking for help with editing,” said Rivera.
Commonly, the writers self-publish after they get out of prison. But some start-up publishers and authors find each other and sign book contracts while they are both stuck in D-block.
Prince’s Bloody Money, which chronicles the drug trade and lives of four friends in Wilmington, was first a hit in Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington.
When inmates were clamoring for Prince’s manuscript, Joseph Jones became his agent and started charging prisoners - cigarettes or a can of soup - to read the work.
Now, in book format, Bloody Money is available to anyone for $15, and selling briskly.
According to Jones, the book has sold more than 50,000 copies since it was released, and the sequel, Bloody Money 2, is nearing the 25,000 mark.
“Selling 20,000 in paperback for an unknown author is very respectable,” said Charlotte Abbott, a senior editor at the trade bible Publishers Weekly. “Fifty thousand in three years is nothing to scoff at.”
Although many street lit titles are now in chain stores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble, experts say actual sales numbers are difficult to determine because sales out of car trunks, mall kiosks, and street-corner stands are not tracked.
Overall, the urban-fiction genre grosses about $50 million annually, said Earl Cox, the New Jersey agent and book consultant who published Hall’s gay-themed memoir and brokered Clark’s books to Kensington Publishing Corp. after Thugs landed on Essence magazine’s best-seller list.
Clark wrote Thugs and the sequel, Every Thug Needs a Lady, while serving her 101/2-year sentence for conspiracy, money laundering, and mail and wire fraud. Since going to Alderson, she has completed Payback Is a Mutha (in stores this month) and is currently working on a fourth book.
Kevin Cunningham, 35, imprisoned at Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica, N.Y., on drug charges, hopes the three books he wrote behind bars on legal pads help him avoid a fourth prison term.
“When I get home in July, I don’t have to focus on the streets,” said Cunningham, whose first manuscript, Sin City, is being edited by his cousin, Philadelphia-based author and literary agent Karen E. Quinones Miller. “I have found something I love.”
Jailhouse writers are prolific, said Mustafaa As-Salafi, 35, owner of Level V Publishing, because the only time that many people in the fast lane get to think about their lives is while they are in a cell.
“When you are in jail, there aren’t too many outlets," As-Salafi said. "And if your family cuts you off, you don’t have a whole lot of contact with the streets. All you can do is read, watch TV and write.”
With assistance from family members on the outside, As-Salafi started Level V Publishing while serving 51/2 years at State Correctional Institution at Smithfield for a shooting. He left there three months ago and last month released Shafeeq’s Dangerously Insured, a novel about two girls who insure drug pushers and violent criminals they believe are sure to die.
Shafeeq is still in the Huntingdon County prison, along with other budding authors, who include Monk (George Smith) who is in for life, and Cutty (William Alston), who will be released soon. Level V plans to publish their books this year.
The flood of prison writing, As-Salafi believes, is a result of the alarming numbers of incarcerated African Americans, many of them casualties of the war on drugs and three-strikes laws that ushered in long sentences for violent crimes and crack cocaine dealing.
According to the federal Bureau of Prisons at the Department of Justice, in 2003 (the latest year for which data are available), there were 586,000 adult African American males in state and federal prisons (there were 35,000 black women).
“We’re the result of that,” said As-Salafi. “We are the ones now explaining what happened during that time, why we robbed, why we sold drugs.”
Not all jailhouse writers wait for a publisher to walk into their cell. Jones and other street lit publishers say they receive dozens of letters and unsolicited manuscripts from prisons.
“There’s a lot of raw talent in these facilities,” said HICKSON, 36, the head of Harlem-based GHETTOHEAT® who goes only by his last name. GHETTOHEAT® published CONVICT’S CANDY, co-written by Philadelphian DAMON “AMIN” MEADOWS, now in state prison for dealing drugs. “Every week, I get about 20 letters and manuscripts and 15 of them are from jail.”
As these books make it to stores, some people express concern about the in-your-face literature that’s peppered with inner-city cliches (the young girl falls for the drug lord) and amusing stretches of the imagination (prostitutes in Prada).
“You don’t see literary leaps being taken,” said Patrik Henry Bass, books editor of Essence.
But the authors shouldn’t be broadly discounted, said H. Bruce Franklin, the John Cotton Dana Professor of English and American studies at the Newark campus of Rutgers University. Like street fiction fathers Iceberg Slim and Goines, who both served time, the new writers are capturing the life they know.
“When they are able to look at their own experience and turn that into some kind of art, it can be valuable for them and for everyone else,” said Franklin, author of Prison Literature in America: The Victim as Criminal and Artist.
It’s unlikely that Payback Is a Mutha will displace Beloved as a favorite among the literati, but those behind street lit say that was never their intention.
“A lot of people want to read about what they know,” Jones said. “The books are selling because people relate to them.”
STREET LIT GOES LEGIT
By Mark Allwood
Columbia News Service
In the world of rap music, street credibility is everything. The same is true in the growing genre of writing known as street fiction.
With titles like “Gangsta Lean,” “No More Baby’s Mama Drama” and “Blood Money,” street lit is often written by authors who come from hardscrabble backgrounds, some having served time in jail.
And mainstream publishers have started to take notice of what street vendors and readers across the country have known for several years.
Kwan Foye published his first novel, “Gangsta,” with Triple Crown Publications, which was founded by Vickie Stringer, who penned her first book, “Let That Be the Reason,” while serving a 7-year sentence for drug trafficking and money laundering. Foye’s last two releases, “Hoodlum” and “Street Dreams,” were published by St. Martin’s Griffin Press.
Other street lit publishers include Q Boro Books, GHETTOHEAT® and Urban Books. A sure sign that street lit is going mainstream is that rapper 50 Cent just inked a deal with Pocket/MTV Books to distribute his G-Unit Books, which will specialize in urban fiction.
Some authors and readers, though, feel the explosion of street lit has been detrimental to traditional black literature.
Violence, sex and drugs are usually at the core of street lit. In “Gangsta,” for instance, two members of the Crips gang move from Los Angeles to New York, one to start his life over as a writer, the other to become a criminal kingpin.
“I was sitting in my house one day and my baby’s mother was yelling at me about something totally irrelevant, so I started to spin this female character in my head,” said Harlem native Foye. “She needed a cast of characters, so I ripped off a piece of a paper bag and I started writing ‘Gangsta.’”
In downtown Brooklyn’s bustling outdoor Fulton Mall, a street vendor who gives his name only as Ray sells street books for $5 a piece. He says he usually sells 200 or more books a day and current popular titles include “Dogism,” “Money, Power and Respect” and “Going Broke.” Street vendors selling urban fiction are also abundant on 125th Street in Harlem.
“They have a lot to do with people’s lives and what’s going on now in the projects,” said Ray, who added that most of his customers are young black women.
Brooklyn resident Shawn Carter bought “CONVICT’S CANDY” for his wife, but he said he does not read street lit. “The story lines are good to her,” Carter said. “She likes most of the ones with drugs, prostitution and gangsters.”
Street vendor Luis Laboy, standing a block from the famous Junior’s restaurant in downtown Brooklyn, said his top sellers were “Grimey,” “Blinded” and “Dutch.” “Mostly street books are what they’re into,” he said of his customers.
About 50 other readers gathered at the Society Coffee Bar in Harlem on a frigid night in early March. These literary fans sat down to hot bowls of chicken tortilla soup, steaming cups of cappuccino and tall flutes of red wine for a reading by author Kenji Jasper, 30.
He read from his first work of nonfiction, a memoir about his grandfather titled “The House on Childress Street.” Jasper’s first three novels, “Dark,” “Dakota Grand” and “Seeking Salamanca Mitchell” deal with the same gritty urban environment that street fiction often portrays, but he is not lumped into the same category.
“On his fiction side, his milieu is very dark, very street,” literary agent Mannie Barron said of Jasper. “He reminds me of a modern day Raymond Chandler in his depiction of the streets and the underbellies, but like Raymond Chandler, he presents it in a very literary way.”
Signed to Harlem Moon/Random House, Jasper has seen firsthand the effect that street fiction has had on traditional black literature.
“It’s eclipsed it almost completely,” he said. “Mainstream authors and traditional publishing are taking a beating right now in the black community. I know authors who had great success three or four years ago but are now struggling or writing under pen names. They’re having trouble penetrating a marketplace that’s overrun. At least ten new [street] books come out a month, maybe more, and they’re being purchased by an audience that doesn’t necessarily read about books in magazines.”
Millory Polyne, who attended Jasper’s reading, said he was dismayed that young blacks were reading street literature. Although he stopped short of criticizing urban fiction because he does not read it, Polyne said that readers of the genre need to understand the foundations of black literature and what came before.
“They should understand how to hustle and how to get your stuff out there by all means necessary, but there’s a long legacy of writers who have worked really hard and their stuff is phenomenal,” he said. “People need to realize that they’ve paved the way and opened the doors for a lot of people to write their own literature.”
Barron, an agent with the Menza Barron Agency, believes that there is room for all forms of fiction and that street lit has actually helped add to the diversity of black literature. He doesn’t buy into the argument that urban fiction is degrading to the black experience.
“Equality gives us a right to mediocrity, so therefore not everything has to uplift the race,” he said. “This is our pulp fiction, and people forget you need to have this full spectrum. Just like in the broad society with a James Patterson or a Danielle Steele, nobody thinks that they are going to be the cause of the decline of the white race. There’s a time and a place for it. There are times when you just want junk food.”
THE ‘H’ MAN BRINGS THE HEAT
By Alina Oswald, Beyond Race Magazine 7/06
H is for Heat. H is for Harlem. H is for HICKSON, a native of Harlem with an ear for the heated stories of the inner city and with a few tales of his own. “Harlem is where the heart is,” 36-year-old HICKSON says, willing to talk just about everything but his first name (which, at least for now, remains a mystery).
He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1998, with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications. While attending college on a full-time basis, HICKSON also worked as a freelance stylist, a job that led to a wardrobe coordinator position with Audrey Smaltz and the Ground Crew, a recognized backstage management team. It was here that he was put in charge of coordinating catwalk queen Naomi Campbell’s outfits.
Five years into his work, on September 10, 2001, HICKSON decided to leave the industry, unaware of the tragic events about to happen the following day.
“After 9/11, I was living off my savings,” HICKSON recalls. He also started to put his life experiences into words at that time. Soon, writing became a creative outlet for HICKSON. He was writing poetry in between job interviews. At the advice of his friends, HICKSON published his poems in GHETTOHEAT®, a collection of verse portraying the experiences, energy, and vibe of urban inner city life. HICKSON says life on the streets of Harlem includes “the good, the bad and [definitely] the ugly, [but also] the beauty of it, too. It is not all tragic, it’s love as well,” he says. “I love my people and my native place, even if, sometimes it [can] get chaotic.”
To self-publish his poetry book, HICKSON founded his own multimedia company, GHETTOHEAT®. It all happened in 1996 in the Village during Veteran’s Day weekend. HICKSON was wrongly accused of not using a token for his train trip. He was handcuffed and locked in a men’s bathroom in the train platform…without being allowed to use the bathroom. It took the police four hours to release him, because they were waiting for the shift change to collect overtime. Taken to Central Bookings, ten officers were involved in an enforced illegal strip search of HICKSON, violating his rights. This led to a class action suit, which HICKSON won in 2000.
Three years later, HICKSON received his check. Two days later, on June 4th, 2003, he started his company, GHETTOHEAT®, “What exists before, during and after the fire,” as defined on its web site, WWW.GHETTOHEAT.COM
GHETTOHEAT®’s mission is to educate and empower everyone through entertainment by creating awareness, be it for safer sex, HIV/AIDS, or street-life awareness, in its products.
While starting with only one author (HICKSON) GHETTOHEAT® now publishes six authors and is seeking other new and original voices. GHETTOHEAT® authors come from all paths of life and from everywhere across the country. Two of them, JASON POOLE and DAMON “AMIN” MEADOWS, are co-authors of CONVICT’S CANDY, a novel inspired by actual events and the authors’ personal experiences. It exposes the reality behind bars and issues like HIV/AIDS and sexual harassment among convicts through the story of a transgender woman locked together with male inmates. While the two authors are awaiting their soon-to-come release, HICKSON is promoting CONVICT’S CANDY through book events around the nation. After all, HICKSON believes in the powerful message in CONVICT’S CANDY. That’s why he decided to make it a GHETTOHEAT® production.
But GHETTOHEAT® is much more than a multimedia company. It is a movement against illiteracy within inner cities, providing a creative outlet for youth to express themselves freely through the art of writing. GHETTOHEAT® has established a college scholarship fund intended for young adults pursuing careers in journalism and or creative arts. Funding for the scholarship comes partly from the sales of GHETTOHEAT® products.
THE GHETTOHEAT® MOVEMENT is also about everyday people across the world united in their efforts to promote the importance of reading. As defined on HICKSON’s web site, the movement’s mission is “to find a solution for the serious, ongoing problem of illiteracy within urban communities.”
HICKSON has been dedicating his life’s work to improving the lives of others through fighting illiteracy and bringing into the open real issues of life on the street. He hopes that soon it will be possible to make GHETTOHEAT® books into movies and, therefore as to the ways in which GHETTOHEAT® can help. After all, HICKSON concludes, “[GHETTOHEAT®] is all about making a difference.”
“I NEED AN AROUND THE WAY GIRL
[AROUND THE WAY GIRL]
THAT'S THE ONE FOR ME
[SHE'S THE ONLY ONE FOR ME]
I NEED AN AROUND THE WAY GIRL
YOU GOT ME SHOOK UP, SHOOK DOWN, SHOOK OUT, O-N YOUR LOVING!”
—LL COOL J, AROUND THE WAY GIRL
SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SH A:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA: FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FI RSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRS TLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTL ADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFGHETTOHEAT®SHA:FIRSTLADYOFS-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S -S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S -S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S!!!
An excerpt from HARDER by S H A
A GHETTOHEAT® PRODUCTION
spring of ‘97
Things couldn’t have gotten any better. I’d just turned 18, and everybody with a dick was hooked on my ass. Even those dyke-broads tried to holla, but whatever!
Wherever I went, my name rang bells. A hood-legend, as they call it, I was the most wanted female out here without a care in the world.
I was the shit!
* * * * *
“I’m just so damn fly with my long, light-brown hair that falls right above my butt, to my sexy-ass shape! Not to forget, my pretty-colored shifting eyes and caramel complexion.
HUMPH!
There ain’t a chick in New York, let alone Queens, that’s hotter than me! The only one to even come close is my ace-boom, Shelly; Shelly Wakes.
“We’re the same sign, got the same body type, and everything. Only differences are she’s quiet, humble and like dark-skinned cats. I’m all about the limelight, confident and only stay with the light-skinned, Al B. Sure-looking brothers! But Shelly’s pretty much down for whatever.”
Whatever!
“Kai! Kai…um, are you done with ya little monologue? I can almost see the words written on your forehead while you’re over there making goo-goo eyes at yaself in the mirror. You’re so damn narcissistic and vain.”
“Oh please, Shelly, quit bugging! I ain’t making ‘goo-goo’ eyes at myself.”
Damn!
I always had to wonder about Shelly always trying to break up my vibe. “Come on, Shells. Hillcrest is about to get out and I’m trying to check for dude that was at that party.”
“What dude? Jordan Richardson? Gurrrlll! Quit bugging! For starters, you know damn well every chick across the county wants a piece of him. Second, you’re only digging him because he’s sitting on old money. What you really need to do is figure out if you’re going to Baruch College in the fall or not and stop chasing dollars. School is what you really need to be worried about.”
I contemplated punching Shelly in her eye for trying to play me. Jordan Richardson was official!
“Aye, dog, for real-for real, there’s more to it than that, yo. Dude is crazy-fly, just like me. Let’s be honest, everybody knows that I’m the only chick around these parts that makes his perfect match.
“He and I are cut from the same cloth. You watch and see me become Mrs. Richardson one day!” After all, I was the flyest thing walking! “Besides, I’m through with school. What is there left to learn except how to make money. I don’t need school for that.”
Shelly never understood the thing I had for Jordan. She said, “So what are you going to say to Jordan if you see him today?” Shelly always countered with some good questions. “We might as well talk about him since attending college is a dead issue for you.”
What was college really good for? They charged you outrageous amounts of money for textbooks and tuition, and for what?
Nothing!
As for Jordan, I didn’t know what to say to “Mr. So Damn Fly.” I never did, but Shelly wouldn’t know that.
“Ma, I won’t have to say a damn thing! He’ll take one look at me and know exactly what’s up! YA HEARD?”
Jordan Richardson was like a rainbow that broke in the middle of a summertime thunderstorm, bringing sunshine and singing birds. Yeah, yeah, I know that sounds like somebody’s poetry, but if you saw him, he would make you feel the same exact way.
He stood about 6’2”, 210 pounds, solid muscle with a dulce de leche complexion. He drove a ‘95 Acura Legend that was black-on-black and had shiny chrome wheels.
Most other seniors in high school were driving ‘hoopties’ if they were even driving at all. I swore everytime he passed by me, I heard Sade’s Sweetest Taboo playing in the background while his Nautica cologne intoxicated me. He was too good of a catch for me to pass up.
“You know what, Shells, forget him.” For years I tried to. I tried not to give him the satisfaction of having me go out of my mind like the other females.
Whatever!
That day, I was eager to explore my options. The options on a warm Friday afternoon would either be on Jamaica Avenue or at Green Acres Mall.
“Yo, Shelly, let’s just go up to Jamaica Avenue. I need to pick up some ‘54-11s’, and if I see him, I see him. But if I don’t, his loss and some next dude’s gain.”
Shelly replied, “Baby girl, you are wild! You know damn well that you’re too scared to say anything to him. Besides I ain’t got no dough for The Ave.”
Come on, who did Shelly think she was talking to? Money was never a cause for worry, especially back then. I had been working at McDonald’s for about three months and got monetary gifts from my little admirers on a regular basis. You couldn’t put ‘Kai’, ‘money’, and ‘problem’ in the same sentence.
That was unheard of!
“Shelly, you need some ‘54-11s’, too, because them Jordan’s you have on are looking tired as hell. Think of it as a belated birthday present. I got enough to cover several pairs of sneakers; so what’s really good?” Her broke-ass had to go at that point. Who passed up free kicks? Not big foot Shelly.
When we got to Jamaica Avenue, it was nothing but a whole bunch of high school kids out there. It was the first warm day of the year so everybody was out. Damn. Maybe I should’ve waited for another day when all those wack-ass females wouldn’t have been in attendance.
We’d just gotten off the Q5 bus and I could already feel the hate raining down hard on me and Shelly. Well, mostly me. I was used to it. Fuck it—we were already there. I figured that we might as well deal with it.
Not five minutes went by before drama introduced itself.
“Bitch thinks she’s just so fly…but let me see her try to act cute with a bubble.” It was this girl from Springfield named, Rhazza. She had a bad temper and looked like a man. Rhazza hated my ass ever since I moved to Rosedale. For what reason? I don’t know.
She was a sad story.
To think Rhazza was about five years older than me (still in high school), but would still try to punk me on a regular basis. I made that day the final day she would ever try to disrespect me, or anybody else for that matter.
“Fuck is you talking to, you Magilla Guerilla-looking-type-bitch? You better go ‘head with that bullshit!” I came back at her with fury in my voice and confidence in my swagger.
Rhazza got in my face.
“Oh word? You’s a hard rock now? You forget who the fuck I am? I’ma take that switch out ya walk fa good, ya lil’ bitch!”
As she said that, I quickly ducked her approaching right jab. “Rhazza, go home to ya baby, I’m really not tryna’ fuck wit’ you today.” I was never one to pass up on a good fight. However, I wasn’t about to let Jordan see me acting less than lady-like.
Rhazza persisted.
“Fuck you, Kai. I’m about tired of ya bullshit!” The next thing I knew, she pulled out a metal baseball bat and started swinging it at me. A crowd started to form around us. They were clearly in favor of her beating me down mercilessly.
Being outnumbered, I pulled out my mace: “Yo, dumb-dumb…take this!”
I sprayed it dead in her eyes and she started screaming, “Bitch, I’ma kill you! I’m blind, I’m blind.” Mace should just be called ‘bitch spray’. It turned the hardest individuals into suckers on impact.
Rhazza lost her balance and stumbled onto Archer Avenue with both of her hands covering her eyes. Too bad for her, a N4 bus was quickly approaching. It hit her dead on. She never saw it coming; she never had a chance.
Problem solved.
“DOIN’ IT AND DOIN’ IT AND DOIN’ IT WELL.
DOIN’ IT AND DOIN’ IT AND DOIN’ IT WELL.
DOIN’ IT AND DOIN’ IT AND DOIN’ IT WELL.
I REPRESENT QUEENS, SHE WAS RAISED OUT IN BROOKLYN.”
—LL COOL J, DOIN’ IT
SHA is the First Lady of GHETTOHEAT®, an 80s baby born in Brooklyn who grew up in Queens. In 2006, SHA attained her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology and is currently working towards her Masters. Writing has always been SHA’s way of dealing with life, penning poetry since the age of nine.
SHA recently tried her hand at fiction, growing tired of the monotonous titles that filled the African-American section of the bookstore where she worked at. Proudly representing for young women within the inner-city, being a creative force who speaks directly to her generation, SHA is currently working on the sequel to her suspenseful novel, HARDER.
To mail comments or questions to SHA, send all correspondence to:
GHETTOHEAT®
P.O. BOX 2746
NEW YORK, NY 10027
ATTENTION: SHA
or e-mail her at: SHA@GHETTOHEAT.COM
“FATTY GIRL, FATTY GIRL, FATTY GIRL, FATTY GIRL, FATTY GIRL, FATTY GIRL, FATTY GIRL: FAT AS A BITCH! ”
People, are you ready for SHA: FIRST LADY OF GHETTOHEAT®? Well get prepared, because sweet, sexy, sassy SHA is swaggering through with her ground-breaking, thrilling novel, HARDER. Did you enjoy the latest excerpt from HARDER? The book will be available in stores September 15th. Trust me; it’s a page-turner, non-stop action from cover-to-cover!!!
DROPPIN’ JEWELS:
Everyone, I hope you’ve enjoyed the newsletter this month. It’s time for me to run now, but before I go, I’ll leave you with this:
Never let a little cost you a lot! Take care of yourself, people!
HICKSON
CEO of GHETTOHEAT®
Publisher of GHETTOHEAT®, CONVICT’S CANDY, HARDER, AND GOD CREATED WOMAN, SONZ OF DARKNESS, SKATE ON!, GHOST TOWN HUSTLERS & SOME SEXY
P.O. BOX 2746
NEW YORK, NY 10027
GHETTOHEAT.COM
GHETTOHEAT®: THE HOTNESS IN THE STREETS!!!™
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