That's Gangsta.....I Guess

What's gangsta? Killing someone? TV & radio images? That's gangsta?..... I guess

"Don't even talk about guns! The only Nine you got, 

                             is a five dollar bill with four ones!"

                                                         Canibus, "Patriots" 

 

 

THAT'S GANGSTA!....

     .....I GUESS

 

by    Bridgey "O.G. Bobby Johnson" Crewe

 

THAT'S GANGSTA, I GUESS

Your whole chest, left in a mess

      Or your n***a bout to confess, you're under arrest

                            And that's O.G. Triple O.G. homie

You's a clown, you gave the prosecution reason to proceed

                               Sold weed back in '03 and got 2 years of Pro B

Then found a big homie to go see

He "Upgraded You" like Knowles B.,

he thinks you can peddle heroin to the streets

 

AND THAT'S GANGSTA, I GUESS

 

Grandmama dying from stress

Believed every word you said til reality sets

and now her whole check is gone, man

                          right to the bondsman

And you promising not to do it again

 

BUT THAT'S BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!

You too "gangsta" to quit!

You rather "Die tryin' to Get Rich"

 

AND THAT'S GANGSTA, I GUESS

 

"I rest my case!" says the D.A., paid to put you to waste

 

As you cover your face

 

With your new suit, locked in chains, the b***h in you?

Tuck that s**t away kid, you headed upstate

 

AND THAT'S SOOOOOO GANGSTA,

I suppose

 

You shot a man just for, stepping on your toes?

Couldn't let that s**t slide cause the streets watching

Now the C.O. watching you in the shower, while you're washing!!!

You're too gangsta for your " Stop Snitchin' " shirt

Til the cops interrogate your boys and they do you like Michael Vick and it hurts

Super Thug Thug, pushing the drug drugs

until you're shot dead or a "shot" that's a Mug, Mug

 

(singing) To the left, to the left...Everything in your pockets in the package TO THE LEFT!

 

Fingerprints are next, then a cell, you're a mess

And your hood doing what they were before your arrest and/or your death

 

And that's Gangsta..............

I guess

 

Author's Note

So I'm watching Scarface with my 18 year old cousin and his friend when Tony killed Manolo. My cousin and his friend start screaming "That's gangsta nigga!" "That's gangsta!!" I'm tickled by his perception. I know that it's primarily a youth thing, but in a lot of cases, young men(black, white, whoever) get caught up in the life. And without going into what I've been through and have seen where I'm from, maybe I'm just getting older, but today, if that's "gangsta", I guess....

Reviews

[Lalli]

Bro!!! this is POWERFUL!
PREACH ON--SPEAK THE TRUTH... EXPOSE THE SIMPLE MINDED CONTROLLED BY PRIDE

I understand this to the fullest.
being an ex-herb pusher for many years, until i was sold up the river as well and sentenced 6 months county time.

That was actually an expression i heard CONSTANTLY , "Thats Gangsta!"
God forbid, we be ourselves instead of worrying about what other people think.
God forbid, we realize the pain that being "Gangsta" really causes.

This is an EXCELLENT piece my friend, hit hard.... speaks true on SO MANY LEVELS... keep up the good work

much love n' respect

-Lalli

[Spoken]

"Don't even talk about guns! The only Nine you got,
is a five dollar bill with four ones!"
Canibus, "Patriots"

Aha! funny.

GD!! I just love the ending from "You shot a man just for, stepping on your toes?" down. You go ahead and tell it like it is! they're played by the systematics of the streets. "gangstas" are nothing but numbers on the statistic board.love your expression

[Taylor H]

this is the shorst poem you have on here lol. It's good. i jsut wish it waslonger and you added some more to it. your poems normally come off as a song to me but this one didnt. its still really good

[Count Humilus]

same thing happened to me watching King of New York with my boys little bro and his friend. Granted it might have been our fault for letting em watch that young but they won there bball game and we let them celebrate...

gangsta is as gangsta do, the silent ones are the ones that you should really be aware.

[Bella]

I agree. I'm so sick of people saying "That's gangsta!" or, "That's ghetto!" People don't know the reality behind it. Being "gansta" isn't necessarily something to be proud of, or to brag about. I wish people would realize that.
I really like the flow of this. It's sort of different from your other poems. I love the way this comes off as a rap. I'd love to hear you perform this.

[Lyrical Love]

This is so profound!
It is worded with such greatness and gaiety making it a joy to read.
I really like the way you grab one's hand and lure them into the
the thought to make it real. This is great, especially for a person/kid like your cousin.
It also helps me and others like Cyntax said, to remember to teach the differences that
are in reality vs, fiction/entertainment.

[Sel Whiteley]

This is a very powerful poem that captures the vividly pathos and self-destruction of people trapped within innercity enviroments. Its well-drawn and you get a good idea of the character you describe. It has a great rhythm and I would love to see it performed. THe irony of the phrase: 'I guess that's gangsta' as something people admire contrasted with the futile reality is incredibly poignant.

[Farrah Grahm]

all i can say is i would LOOOOVE tooo see u perform

[☮]

Amen to this. I'm 28 years old and have been through what's considered "gangsta" growing up. It's nothing that is enjoyable and nothing to be looked up to. What I will teach my son is the difference between perception and reality. It's amazing how this generation perceives entertaiment. As reality.

These young bucks need a pop in the back of the head. "It's Al Pacino, you dumbass."
Lol and to top it off, people tattoo Scarface to their arm as if this was a real person.
I love the movie. But... it is just a movie.

Nice piece here. Keep doing your thing.

[samdraMAYHEM]

O.o Very unique......VERY unique.
But truthful/factful.