Survived Early 90s Drug Game in NYC AMA

[cjlaw93]

If you’re “Afro rican” what side you would you pick in Rikers ?

 

[BmoreGorilla]

The weed game is like the sturdy middle class of the drug economy. Not subject to the boom and bust cycles that crack and heroin (to a much lesser extent) saw. I don't know of any weed dealer who was getting money like the crack/dope guys in our prime, but it did bring longevity. Dudes stay below the radar and send their kids to college off of the money they make in the weed game. I know one blunt man in the Bronx who's been doing it since at least '94 and he's lived a very decent middle class life in an expensive ass city.

In my era weed dealers were not subject to the same craziness in the streets for the most part because they didn't need to operate on a bloc/territory or anything. Most of the blunt men I knew would go around on little mopeds when custies hit them up on the pager. And not surprisingly a lot of their customers were dope/crack dealers--being able to spend hundreds of dollars on weed was a status thing too back then (not my thing though).

Blunt men carried guns in New York in that era, but anyone running a cash business did. I never heard about them going to war with each other or having any serious beef. It was a stable relatively calm way to make money on the low in an insane era.

I feel you. The weed game almost becomes a lifestyle. The same years you were transitioning out the game was the same years I was coming in. There is a strip around the corner from the house I grew up in on a main street that stretches for half a mile. Weed is still sold along this strip to this day. We never worked for anybody or had to pay rent. Never dealt with extortion. As long as you had a connect you could come out and work. I had a couple OGs in the neighborhood Id get my work from. There was always a couple independent cats who would be out with some dope or crack if they got their hands on it but for the most part it was all weed

The main issue would be during a drought. We still had to deal with stick up kids tho but I was fortunate to only have a couple personal run ins with them. Had my stash taken a lot of times but you run that risk when you don't keep your work on you. That was really the only time I see beef pop off becuz we all knew who the stick up kids were. There was NEVER beef amongst us. For the most part weed dealers are much different. Yea we wanted to stack bread but it also allowed us to essentially smoke for free which was the main perk. We were all friends for the most part who just hung out on the block and sold trees. We might argue over sales tho becuz it was mostly a free for all unless we went on some kinda rotation. I got stories for days from those years. I still in the game tho in the early 2000s when everything started to transition from reg to exotic. That kinda fukked the game up at first

 

[JBoy]

how much cross interaction did you have with dealers from other regions of the country?

 

[Piri Tomas]

If you’re “Afro rican” what side you would you pick in Rikers ?

I would've been with the Ricans on the island or any other facility. A lot of Ricans/Dominicans in New York are of African descent. It's not like the West Coast where Latinos and blacks are both ethnically and racially distinct. My name is Spanish, I spent a lot of my youth in PR... that was/is my culture... In the system at the time black Americans stuck together, West Indians had their own jail crews, and then there were the Latinos. All of us were people of the diaspora to some extent, we just messed with the same ethnicity inside.

I hustled/grew up in mixed areas, but by the time I was in the dope game the crews I was with were dominated by Ricans--black Americans hustled with us (especially on the muscle tip), but the leadership was Rican. If I had to do some sort of stretch, I would find a lot of familiar faces from uptown and a lot of them would've been Rican. It was no beef with or disdain for black Americans (in my case or anyone I was in the streets with as far as I know), you just had to look for who you knew

 

[Piri Tomas]

I feel you. The weed game almost becomes a lifestyle. The same years you were transitioning out the game was the same years I was coming in. There is a strip around the corner from the house I grew up in on a main street that stretches for half a mile. Weed is still sold along this strip to this day. We never worked for anybody or had to pay rent. Never dealt with extortion. As long as you had a connect you could come out and work. I had a couple OGs in the neighborhood Id get my work from. There was always a couple independent cats who would be out with some dope or crack if they got their hands on it but for the most part it was all weed

The main issue would be during a drought. We still had to deal with stick up kids tho but I was fortunate to only have a couple personal run ins with them. Had my stash taken a lot of times but you run that risk when you don't keep your work on you. That was really the only time I see beef pop off becuz we all knew who the stick up kids were. There was NEVER beef amongst us. For the most part weed dealers are much different. Yea we wanted to stack bread but it also allowed us to essentially smoke for free which was the main perk. We were all friends for the most part who just hung out on the block and sold trees. We might argue over sales tho becuz it was mostly a free for all unless we went on some kinda rotation. I got stories for days from those years. I still in the game tho in the early 2000s when everything started to transition from reg to exotic. That kinda fukked the game up at first

That's definitely very different. Back in the day I can't think of a strip anywhere in the Bronx or Harlem that was a weed strip. There were weed spots, but even that wasn't the norm. Blunt men tended to travel around.

I'm guessing the dope/crack strips in Baltimore are structured more similarly to what we used to see back in the day in NYC. I know for a fact that some cities where the open air drug market still exists do that it that way. The dope game is a lot of overhead... supply, processing, workers, and a very busy store in my era could easily generate 200-500K a month. When you're dealing with that much money, a lot more people are going to get involved/their hands in the jar.

In NYC things have changed, the open air dope/crack markets are gone, but there's actually an open air weed game now that's branded just like the dope/crack game used to be. It's very strange and counter-intuitive for me that these young guys are shooting each other over weed sales, but I guess holding down territory is worth the risk/reward to them when a weed distro charge is so much lighter than a crack/dope charge if they get knocked in a hand to hand outside on the block. Still strange to me though.

What you're saying about the lifestyle is very familiar. I became friends with a few weed dealers and I didn't even smoke like that. They just came around and would not only sell to the dope crews but also stop to build, converse, spark one with the us... It was a more social game, it seemed to attract less of the type A personalities than the dope/crack game (I mean that as a good thing)... not violent dudes, genuinely cool and laid-back.

I'm guessing you started to walk the streets heavy after the first couple of hold ups. The blunt men back then were cool but they definitely had to defend themselves just like us.

 

[Piri Tomas]

how much cross interaction did you have with dealers from other regions of the country?

None. I was a spot manager, so I was on the street level. I didn't do interstate conspiracy shyt. Like I said, we didn't get any out of towners in the NYC drug game, all locals.

I had limited interaction when I went to D.C. to sell crack as a 14/15 year old with dudes down there. And they were just like us, just different accents/style.

 

[BmoreGorilla]

That's definitely very different. Back in the day I can't think of a strip anywhere in the Bronx or Harlem that was a weed strip. There were weed spots, but even that wasn't the norm. Blunt men tended to travel around.

I'm guessing the dope/crack strips in Baltimore are structured more similarly to what we used to see back in the day in NYC. I know for a fact that some cities where the open air drug market still exists do that it that way. The dope game is a lot of overhead... supply, processing, workers, and a very busy store in my era could easily generate 200-500K a month. When you're dealing with that much money, a lot more people are going to get involved/their hands in the jar.

In NYC things have changed, the open air dope/crack markets are gone, but there's actually an open air weed game now that's branded just like the dope/crack game used to be. It's very strange and counter-intuitive for me that these young guys are shooting each other over weed sales, but I guess holding down territory is worth the risk/reward to them when a weed distro charge is so much lighter than a crack/dope charge if they get knocked in a hand to hand outside on the block. Still strange to me though.

What you're saying about the lifestyle is very familiar. I became friends with a few weed dealers and I didn't even smoke like that. They just came around and would not only sell to the dope crews but also stop to build, converse, spark one with the us... It was a more social game, it seemed to attract less of the type A personalities than the dope/crack game (I mean that as a good thing)... not violent dudes, genuinely cool and laid-back.

I'm guessing you started to walk the streets heavy after the first couple of hold ups. The blunt men back then were cool but they definitely had to defend themselves just like us.

The open air markets still exist here in large numbers. It seems like these days you can get pretty much anything you want. I was never in the crack/dope game but knew people who were. Dope has always been king here tho so if there's a drug spot known for one thing best believe heroin is close by

I really started out walking the streets and selling in school. I used to always be able to get rid of work quick on the 1st and 15th. I used to keep bags on me but after those hold ups is when I started keeping a stash close by. Find out how many bags they wanted hopped on my bike. Either that or get my little brother to get it for me. Didn't even think at the time how useful that was to avoiding getting jammed up in a sweep until sweeps came and I was let go. I stayed strapped after getting robbed tho. Usually not on me but in a bush or something close by

 

[newarkhiphop]

Good thread

you been preaching something I been saying for years about the whole snitchin / rules to the game shyt.


doesn't exist. point, blank, period

 

[truth2you]

In terms of weed legalization I'm somewhat torn. I think it should be decriminalized because it's historically been a convenient way for them to give our young people criminal records.

At the same time I worry about the livelihood of our people who make a living off of it. My concern is that we won't have the social/economic capital and institutional savvy to transition into that sector... like it will just be another things whites get to dominate. So I worry about that. I would hate to see our blunt men in NYC get put out of business by granola-eating vegan white transplants.

They ain't going out of business because when it becomes legal, it would be higher due to all the taxes. If you have good stuff, and sell for a cheap price, you can still do your thing.

They just need to start growing their own, and branding that on the underground market. With all these grow tents, its easy to grow your own herb.

 

[Piri Tomas]

The open air markets still exist here in large numbers. It seems like these days you can get pretty much anything you want. I was never in the crack/dope game but knew people who were. Dope has always been king here tho so if there's a drug spot known for one thing best believe heroin is close by

I really started out walking the streets and selling in school. I used to always be able to get rid of work quick on the 1st and 15th. I used to keep bags on me but after those hold ups is when I started keeping a stash close by. Find out how many bags they wanted hopped on my bike. Either that or get my little brother to get it for me. Didn't even think at the time how useful that was to avoiding getting jammed up in a sweep until sweeps came and I was let go. I stayed strapped after getting robbed tho. Usually not on me but in a bush or something close by

I've read and heard a lot about the ongoing violence in Baltimore. It's a very sad situation. It seems like your city keeps on experiencing the nightmare my generation lived through in New York. All this killing over the real estate.

Yeah it's a very different game for anyone freelancing. You had to be your own muscle, your own runner, lookout, etc. Back in the day in the dope spots we had multiple lookouts, pitchers, steerers, and depending on how hot things were a few guys just to hold us down on the security tip... A lot more money, but overhead was no joke. You really had to do a lot of serving to make it worthwhile.

 

[Piri Tomas]

Good thread

you been preaching something I been saying for years about the whole snitchin / rules to the game shyt.


doesn't exist. point, blank, period

I'm glad you understand my perspective. A lot of these tired old "ex

hustlers" preach all this get out of the game stuff but at the same time they talk about how they lived by a code and how they deserve respect for that. It's that type of hustler's code myth that has all these young people running around still aspiring to prove they're the hardest out. We need to strip the game of all its delusions of grandeur.

 

[Piri Tomas]

They ain't going out of business because when it becomes legal, it would be higher due to all the taxes. If you have good stuff, and sell for a cheap price, you can still do your thing.

They just need to start growing their own, and branding that on the underground market. With all these grow tents, its easy to grow your own herb.

I'm hoping our people can get more involved in doing this weed thing on the books once it legalizes. It's nice to make a lot of tax free loot, but at the end of the day, existing outside of the formal economy typically keeps us playing from a disadvantage and dangerous position. Meanwhile they start firms, corporations, find themselves publicly traded before you know it smh

 

[truth2you]

That's definitely very different. Back in the day I can't think of a strip anywhere in the Bronx or Harlem that was a weed strip. There were weed spots, but even that wasn't the norm. Blunt men tended to travel around.

I'm guessing the dope/crack strips in Baltimore are structured more similarly to what we used to see back in the day in NYC. I know for a fact that some cities where the open air drug market still exists do that it that way. The dope game is a lot of overhead... supply, processing, workers, and a very busy store in my era could easily generate 200-500K a month. When you're dealing with that much money, a lot more people are going to get involved/their hands in the jar.

In NYC things have changed, the open air dope/crack markets are gone, but there's actually an open air weed game now that's branded just like the dope/crack game used to be. It's very strange and counter-intuitive for me that these young guys are shooting each other over weed sales, but I guess holding down territory is worth the risk/reward to them when a weed distro charge is so much lighter than a crack/dope charge if they get knocked in a hand to hand outside on the block. Still strange to me though.

What you're saying about the lifestyle is very familiar. I became friends with a few weed dealers and I didn't even smoke like that. They just came around and would not only sell to the dope crews but also stop to build, converse, spark one with the us... It was a more social game, it seemed to attract less of the type A personalities than the dope/crack game (I mean that as a good thing)... not violent dudes, genuinely cool and laid-back.

I'm guessing you started to walk the streets heavy after the first couple of hold ups. The blunt men back then were cool but they definitely had to defend themselves just like us.

Your story is different from mine, because I used to know so many weed spots uptown, and in Brooklyn. From Botanicas, to bodegas, to juice bars, to apartments. Too many times I almost got knocked because tnt raided the spots, and I would just miss going in. One time they tried to set me up, but I knew what they were up to, and got the fukk out of there! I even grew herb at one time, and someone told on me. That was my fault because the first rule is to tell no one, and I didn't follow it, people do talk. I just switched up, and changed everything around me. I ain't getting no charges from weed, fukk that! As long as you stay low key, keep your mouth shut, you can be the "man", and no one knows it except the people who need to know. That's the beauty of herb vs hard drugs where you need a connect.

The only time I would have my weed man come to me is when I was out of town. There were delivery services in Manhattan, but they wanted you to spend big money, and you had to know someone who knew them since they were very secretive. They were the ones who had exotics before it became the norm it is now. The movie "half baked" described it the best.

 

[truth2you]

I'm hoping our people can get more involved in doing this weed thing on the books once it legalizes. It's nice to make a lot of tax free loot, but at the end of the day, existing outside of the formal economy typically keeps us playing from a disadvantage and dangerous position. Meanwhile they start firms, corporations, find themselves publicly traded before you know it smh

That's true, but these politicians, and board members that give out licenses are devils. The main place where the money is, is the growing of the herb to distribute to multiple dispensaries, and they made sure they kept it to themselves, as far as medical states. The only thing we can still do is the dispensaries, and sell our own branded crops to a select few of dispensaries who will take the crops, which isn't hard if you grow some good special stuff. In Pg county(maryland) a black woman owns one, and I've seen a few others around the country. As long as we keep them from using these stupid laws they make up to keep us out, it will keep growing.

 

[Piri Tomas]

Your story is different from mine, because I used to know so many weed spots uptown, and in Brooklyn. From Botanicas, to bodegas, to juice bars, to apartments. Too many times I almost got knocked because tnt raided the spots, and I would just miss going in. One time they tried to set me up, but I knew what they were up to, and got the fukk out of there! I even grew herb at one time, and someone told on me. That was my fault because the first rule is to tell no one, and I didn't follow it, people do talk. I just switched up, and changed everything around me. I ain't getting no charges from weed, fukk that! As long as you stay low key, keep your mouth shut, you can be the "man", and no one knows it except the people who need to know. That's the beauty of herb vs hard drugs where you need a connect.

The only time I would have my weed man come to me is when I was out of town. There were delivery services in Manhattan, but they wanted you to spend money, and you had to know someone who knew them since they were very secretive. They were the ones who had exotics before it became the norm it is now. The movie "half baked" described it the best.

I feel you, there were definitely spots all over the city. I just never knew of a whole avenue/strip known for blunt men like the Baltimore brother described. In terms of going to a spot, keep in mind if you worked a dope/crack spot you didn't like to leave your spot, you had to serve the custies/keep an eye out/keep the business flowing. That's why the blunt men would come to the dope/crack spots with herb for the workers. Getting one corner smoked out they could walk away with several hundred in 5 minutes.

Botanicas in the BX/Spanish Harlem were infamous for peddling all types of shyt back then not just weed. Sometimes a "store" was an actual store.