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@Golgotha w/ Scrappy Dog
an interview by: xzyzst

XZ It's July 27, 2013, a Saturday, out here on the yard with yet another prince of the streets, now, as Pac would say, "Stranded on DeathRow". Got a few routine questions for you, then we, will, just, roll.

SC Alright..

XZ How old was the Scrap Dog when you got arrested for whatever it was that got you up on tha row?

SC 24.

XZ Okay, that's fucked up, where do you call home?

SD South Central Los Angeles California.

XZ Oh, before we get into this, I'm going to say one name and you say the first thing that comes to your brain... George Zimmerman

SC Racist murderer

XZ Now we got that out in the universe, I'll back that up with a "Fuck'em," and that should be the end of that, "Tell me what's a black life worth."

SC Yeah... (Knodding head)

XZ Outside of your family, if it takes a village to raise a child, in retrospect, name one thing that you wanted from your community that you never got, like close community? because alot of people think we're all strangers out here. and the word homie is becoming over rated, so did y'all do shit together? like what about the block you grew up on?

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SC Shit, on the block I grew up on, our parents knew each other, so... it wasn't nothing that I wanted that I couldn't get, so what do you mean?

XZ Right now, we always hearing about, like the lack of recreation and shit in the inner city, so realistically, give us a quick look into your block, feel me?

SC Hell yeah, man, we had some kind of recreation or function to do at each house, like at my house we had all kinds of video games, next door we had all kinds of fruit trees, down the street we had drill teams for the girls and we played the drums, and we also played football in the street, we had alot of... slapboxing, shit, real fights...

XZ OK, so what about if we fast forward to 2013?

SC Change? yeah, it's more Mexican families now...

XZ You're about to say something about a cultural shift?

SC As far as recreationally, all that's gone, it's only like 6 original families still on that block, look, we got the Webs, we got the Edmonds, we got the Jenkings, the Davis and Gibsons, those families been there for generations, our family is one of those original families dating back to the 50's and 60's, so people still come back, but alot of families have moved off the block, not because Mexicans moved in, infact, they moved into homes that black families moved out of, I can only speak for my block, with or without other races, it's always shit to do, now the Mexican families might do things differntly culturally speaking, and I don't know all of what they do, but I don't know; we don't do alot of stuff together, that's what I was about to say.

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XZ Your childhood homie "Godfather," uhm, Wesley, what?

SD His last name is Hunter, they always come back and stay connected, automatic, that's family.

XZ On deathrow and prison mainlines all over California, Godfather is fast becoming more and more popular because of the books that he now writes, when y'all was kids, could you or anyone around yall foresee into the future that.....

SC He would end up in prison?

XZ No, like since you and him was childhood friends did you see him as an author? I mean like the prolific urban culture type writer that he is growing into? Wesley "The Godfather" Hunter, feel me?

SC Writer? No, entrepreneur? Yes, I always saw him as a $ chaser, a hustler, making $, that's what we always had in common, so now that we are now adults, and when I look back, I can see him being alot of things

XZ You are well known on tha row, especially when it comes to lowriders, unlike some fake ass wannabee.... let me step there.... but your histery and involvement with cars and business is no secret, my question to you is, if your folks, Godfather, was here right now, would he be able to look back and see business in your future? What about cars?

SC Yes, due to the fact that we had our toys, minibikes, go carts and motorcycles, we had it all, worked on 'em, built, dismantled, rebuilt them, everything, hell, I put on rollerskates one day jumped on my motorcycle and popped a wheelie all the way down the street.....

(both LOL;) What tha?

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XZ Shit, you put the whole block on notice with that crazy ass shit, I'm asking these economical questions because even though you're on death row, and your childhood potna Godfather is in some prison, and without business 101; in 2013, both of you actually are proof that innercity youth are stereotyped, put into a box that society is forced to view you in.

SC Media, and they hardly ever showed up until fucked up shit happened.

XZ Yeah, media get alot of fake ass intel from prison administration, like for example, the common thought is prisoners are looking for a handout, or donation, or webpage pimpin, "so to speak," feel me, nigga'z always on some me me me shit, but what they won't say, about, well, lets take you for example and how you got at your sister on a business level, so for clarity, give us a brief recap on how that popped off.

SC I basically got tired of hearing her tell me for years that she couldn't find a job. You know, sitting around complaining about, wasn't... like it ain't nothing to do, I said what do you like to do? That's when she said cooking, shit, I had a lil $ on the streets so I said, OK, lets start a catering service, it's been like, what, 4 years now, and....

XZ And that shit is crackin, exactly, so Im like, here you are on deathrow, litterally waiting to be smoked, and, sister or not, you had the presence of mind to continue to be what you was before you got locked up, "business minded," in a nutshell, that's your scrap.

SC I mean, it comes from being stuck on hustle mode, and not to mention my Grandfather and Grandmother set that standard in our family, shit, especially when it came to $, they taught me to save my chips at an early age, I didn't just spend $.

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XZ Man I'm glad you just said that about your G pops & G momz because technically in the hood, that's where it all.....

SC That's where it comes from, so I give them accolades, you know, honor, so, oh yeah, I was gonna say that being in prison can also kick that hustle mode into overdrive for some individuals.

XZ Hell yeah because out in society we be movin huh?

SC Moving, here, you got time to think, here it's slow motion.

XZ A lil hood trivia for ya, I'm just saying tho, let's see what you know about your own; off the dome; OK, name 2 books written by your childhood homie Godfather... Fucked you up huh? I only know one...

SC Ahhh! You ain't said shit, uhm, let me see, OK, "South Central," I ain't read that one yet, but I will, and he got another one called "Things She Needs to Know"

XZ How long has it been since y'all seen each other?

SC 26 years too long.

XZ I asked that question for a reason because it needs to be put out there that incarceration can't stop tha hood connect, 26 years? Godamn Scrap!

SC That's that tribalizm, that we are in sync with each other throughout the years, and after growing up with people, sometimes you can pretty much tell, well, I wasn't suprised that Godfather is successful, and it's also no suprise that I support my sister due to how we was raised, you see, just because we're in jail don't menan that we turn into other people. You know what I'm saying? I'm still me, no matter what.

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XZ That's my point, prison is the place that people say is filled with losers and shit and that's a stereotype that even parolee's catch after they get out, it's like, young whites, blacks, latino and [usoz?] and asians from the inner city are viewed as losers that need to be saved, rehabilitated and broken, and domesticated, and that fucks me up because in the same breath they say not to blame the victim, so what can we do?

SC That's a good question

XZ It's a good question because the system is not only designed to exploit the poor, and the well to do, but it's specifically designed to keep society fucked into believing that inner city youth are helpless, and not targets of a currupt bazillion dollar industry feel me? Single parent homes my ass, broken homes my ass, these are often not self inflicted conditions. Got kids?

SC Yeah 6

XZ 6? What tha? But you're still, I mean, at your age?

SC I got started early, they all grown now

XZ So they wasn't raised in a single parent home because you was on point from death row right? People don't seem to get that...

SC I mean, even before that as well, and also due to my hustle mode, you like that shit huh?

XZ LOL; hustle mode fool, like you ain't got no off switch, like a ghetto super hero or some shit

(Both LOL)

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SC When you got kids, hell, it don't turn off, but I had already set up lucrative funds for all of them

XZ And that's also viewed as rare for prisoners, people just somehow automatically think it's a cut off, or total shutdown when nigga'z get locked up. You know? I was thinking; as, you know, the prison is out here looking for a one shot drug to kill us with, have your kids asked you about it? You can pass on this Q...

SC Like I said, they are all grown now, so we can talk about anything.... nawh man, good question.

XZ What advice can you lace the new G'z with thats coming up to deathrow that got toddlers, or 12 to 15 year old kids, how do we answer that question? Most don't even know what to say.

SC Then it becomes a question of discretion because you just can't tell every kid certain things that they ain't ready for, shit, I just said that "It's possible, being that I'm here, but the likelyhood? No," I put it that way because it's true, anything can happen on appeal.

XZ And age appropriate true answers ain't easy to find.

SC You can't lie to kids man, because they remember shit and will call you on shit later on, and it's just disrespectful to lie to kids, last thing you want to do is that shit, oh, and also don't forget that every kid is different, my kids are smart, they have experienced alot, so some kids have a different temperment and can comprehend things at different levels, so I'd say, know your kids first, then answer that question.

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XZ Now that's some valuable shit right there, what about, uhm, what advice can you give a Y.G. out here on the mainline of some prison, or still in the hood, or how... wait... what would you say to a younger you that would help to keep you off of deathrow?

SC My advice would be to "think before you move."

XZ OK, great shit, now say that to a lil nigga that's like, "you only saying that because you got caught," because I hear that alot...

SC I mean, no bullshit, .... I would say the same shit..

XZ We used to be that kid, you're right, finnish your comment,

SC Exactly, but on top of that, my comprehension levels was OFF the radar, all I knew was I had a 3 year old daughter when I was 17 years old, she wanted the world, and I had to go get it, so really, a muthafucka couldn't tell me shit, that was my reality.

XZ So now what do we do Scrap? not say shit? because what you are saying is some real shit, you got the last words in this... Go....

SC Even though they don't want to hear it, they at least need to know that life is litterally like a chess game, one wrong move can be fatal; worth more on the street, or on deathrow?

XZ Being on deathrow is some fatal shit, let's end on your last words that "at least they need to know." and here comes the babylon for yard recall, did you understand the Golgotha connection?

SC That's a trip huh? Fatal.

XZ Yep. Fatal.