ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When I first started out I said I’d never do this but I’ve been shown so much love that not only do I feel compelled but I am proud to say the following: Good-looking-out on the props. Nuff respect to all readers and friends who holla at my government, Anthony Whyte. Thanks goes from me to you and God: without neither none of this would be possible. What’s good, reader? Thank you for copping GHETTO GIRLS and GHETTO GIRLS TOO. I hope you enjoy both and continue reading. Remember; it’s fundamental.
Run out and tell your neighbors from Hotlanta, Ga. to CaliforNIA, all up and down the east, west, north, and dirty south. I don’t care, tell ‘em to cop that Ghetto tihS and help stomp illiteracy da fu@# outta Hip-Hop. Now that’s real. Holla if you feel it! I’m doing my own thing at Augustuspublishing.com now FUBP! One love to everyone at Smooth Magazine.
To all scribes real in the field: Shannon Holmes the don of this urban fiction. Keep slaying ‘em. Much success goes to Eric Gray, Mark Anthony, K’wan, Treasure Blue and all other scribes out there doing this damn thing. Big ups to Jojo and Leondrie Prince, D-ware connect. Antoine Inch Thomas, much success, bars can’t hold you.
Shout to the members of the Tuesday Night Writers’ Workshop. Sue Shapiro, Gerry Jonas: May you kiss and make up. Together you did big things. Thank you both. What’s up Red?
Special shout to all booksellers whether or not you’re in stores or outdoors. To Hue-man Bookstore and staff. Shout to all my peeps doing it on da corners, Sidi @ 125 and 7th. Vas Gut?
Carl Weber @ Urban Books d’ya, damn thing ting. What’s up Zane? It was nice to put faces with governments’.
Big-ups to Vickie Stringer, writers and staff @ Triple Crown.
Respect due to Tania Nunez and Kim Cabble doing the damn thing at Amiaya Ent. What’s going on Kenya? Black Girl is that magazine, ya heard me!
I’d like to give thanks to God, family and peeps. Jay Clay you catching bodies for these dope designs: Nothing can stop us now.
Lisette Matos, editor extraordinaire you were there from jump. Goodlooking out on the cuts and edits. Thanks for staying around to the finish.
Respect due to Jason Santiago at Sublime Visuals and all that Freaky Ice. Shout to photogs, Sanji Gomez and Will Treez.
Nuff respect to all the hard workers at ACS, Bebop, Mercedes. Virginia Vacca thanks for looking-out, Sheila and Unit 391. There’ll never be another. Nothing but love forever for y’all, Karen, Tonya, B-Law, Big Tone, and last but not least, Uppie the Regulator. Hate on us if you wanna. And while we on the topic, if you hating, thanks for motivating. It wouldn’t have been possible without the birds, bees and trees.
Holla atcha Rodnu and all my peeps up in Harlem World, BK, da BX, Shaolin, Money Earning, Y.O., doing big things. Trent METAPHL360.
Mad love for the physical; Juliet, Yolanda, Joy, Shawn, Patrina and family, Rick, Pam, Michele, Nicholas, Nellie, Phillip, Joan, the D.C. and Baltimore, MD connect: Vee, Black, Holla atcha boy. Loraine and Kerry Ann, thanks for all those prayers and words of inspiration.
One love to my nigga Silky Blizack, and the heads at Laconia barbershop. Respect to Wild Life, Show Biz, Reese Kid, Shane, the And 1 street-balling crew, I see you. Respect to Jessie West. Do your thing, Ghetto Superstars. Represent Tru God, Ainge, Ed, Trent, O and all the ghetto celebs doing they thing up in Edenwald. D.Fraze, they can’t guard u sun. Shout out to Kev @ Jackson Press. Big Tone RIP, you’ll always be my nigarow.
Young ladies, good looking out all y‘all. Keisha, Teres Baldwin, Katrina, Chaloe Williams; poets y’all are. Thanks for the love and support. Shout out goes to the Vacca family.
Vivienne not only are you a talented singer - you’re fine ma. I lu’ da way you ‘Hold Me Down’ on my book cover. Much success in your musical endeavor.
Shout to my peeps in da ‘Heights‘, Home of da Haze, all da niggas holding me down, shout to Redman. Lick shots for all my peeps on Gunhill Road, Justice n da gods. Big-up all massifs on White Plains Rd. D.J. Lodose, Disco Dave, Bhuda stay on your grind cuz sun will shine. One love to all my Philly peeps.
One Love, to the Gaillard family of S.C. Troy, what’s good? Zonyia my Atlanta connect, Marcus at Nubian Bookstore. Thanks to you both. My Houston peeps. Good looking to my Miami peeps. Big-ups to the Hyatt family. Hola to the Matos family.
This goes out to every single person who has suffered a loss or had a setback in this struggle called life. Just in case you’re still stuck in that rut, let one thing be clear: In order for you to be rewarded with life treasures you’ll have to reach for a plain much higher than any other, it’s at the apex of that desire you’ll meet destiny; your true self.
To all the soldiers captured and on lock, keep your heads. Remember bars can only hold you physically, never really imprisoning minds. Let your thoughts roam. You’re already home.
Now, to Yolanda, my niece, she told me to say this: “If I didn’t mention you by name on this go around, don’t feel too bad cuz I will holla atcha next time, peace.”
You can do anything you’ve set your mind to do. You just got to really believe that it’s possible.
One Love-Ant Whyte
ONE
He heard multiple explosions and felt his whole body rock. At the same time, bullets hit him with so much force that he was separated from his Timberlands and viciously slammed against a fallen untitled Korean painting. Stunned, he recovered grasping at the hole in his stomach.
“Ah, what da fuck, bitch? You shot me. A-a-ah-h-h, no you didn’t. You fucking bi-bi-bitches!” Lil’ Long screamed. “You fucking bi-bi-bitches!” he wailed before staring wide-eyed, his mouth gaping in silence when he saw all the blood gushing from his wounds.
In a last ditch effort, Lil’ Long tried to grip the steel in his hand. His fingers were slow to respond. Instinctively, Lil’ Long twisted his body and tried to roll away when he saw another flash. With three slugs already buried in his body, his motions became sluggish and he labored badly. His reaction time was a lot slower than he thought. He had been given props for reigning terror on the hood so payment by bullet wounds was new to Lil’ Long.
This wasn’t part of the plan. He was without his main ally, Vulcha, and completely defenseless. Another round crashed into his body leaving him immobile. Slumped over on his backside, his eyes rolled uncontrollably. This is fucked if it’s the end. His mind wouldn’t rest. Lil’ Long could sense the joy in the expressions from those